July 13, 2017  Hawthorne Press
Mayor Causes Heart Attack

The Prospect Park BOE attorney has written a forceful letter to Mayor Mohamed Khairullah directing him to "cease and desist engaging in disruptive behavior" at school board meetings. The communication from School Board Attorney Jeffrey Merlino, dated July 6, calls Khairullah's behavior "highly unacceptable" noting that his outburst on June 27 "was not a novel display of behavior as Mayor Khairullah acted this way at past board meetings." Referring to the incident in which BOE member Nidia Cano had to be hospitalized after a verbal assault from the mayor, Merlino is asking the Borough Council "to reimburse Ms. Cano for any and all medical costs incurred from Tuesday night's (June 27) events."  She reportedly does not have medical insurance. Cano was present at Prospect Park's Borough Council worksession on Monday and told The Press she did suffer a heart attack. She had to have two stents inserted in her arteries and another procedure is also required.

The BOE is also demanding "the borough immediately place Mayor Khairullah on administrative leave pending results of an unprovoked assault upon Ms. Cano." It asks his colleagues to investigate the mayor's behavior. Khairullah was not present at Monday's Borough Council meeting but the governing body did go into executive session after the worksession to discuss matters of "attorney/client privilege," according to Borough Attorney Denis Murphy. Merlino's letter reminds the mayor that meetings he is "expected to follow the same  parameters for participation as the result of  the public." The mayor must give his home address not the municipal building address when he speaks. In the future, if he wants to address the school board, he must contact the BOE president for prior approval.  "We can't ban him from attending," Merlino told The Press. "It's an open meeting meeting, open to anyone from the public."  The BOE attorney said he was at a loss  to understand Khairullah's "disruptive  behavior" because school officials have  always had a good working relationship  with the mayor and Borough Council in the past.

"Any further disruption from him will result in his immediate removal from the meetings and legal authorities will be contacted for assistance," states Merlino in his letter. The board attorney said the BOE has not ruled out an ethics review related to this issue. The last point concerns Khairullah's preceived interference with the local police department which denied the BOE's request to send an officer to the June 27th meeting in anticipation of a large crowd. Merlino said the BOE's next request would be in writing and that the school board would be willing to pay the officer's prevailing hourly rate. "Please advise us your legal basis for such a denial so we may seek alternative relief," Merlino's letter states.

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