MOUNT ARLINGTON – The other shoe dropped Thursday night in regard to Matthew O’Donnell, the presumed “cooperating witness”, in a corruption case against five New Jersey politicos.

O’Donnell is no longer the borough attorney in this small Morris County town. He was replaced for 2020 at tonight’s reorganization meeting by Matt Jessup of the well-known firm of McManimon, Scotland and Baumann.

Jessup said simply that he was “happy to be here” at the conclusion of the meeting in borough hall,.

The state Attorney General’s office last month charged John Windish, a former Mount Arlington councilman, with allegedly accepting a $7,000 bribe disguised as a campaign contribution from a “cooperating witness.” The councilman was allegedly being bribed to support the renaming of the witness as borough attorney.

The borough attorney at that time was O’Donnell of Morristown.

The statement from the Attorney General’s office did not identify O’Donnell as the “cooperating witness,” but it certainly identified him through his position.

Mayor Michael Stanzilis said afterwards that replacing O’Donnell was in the “best interest of the residents of Mount Arlington.”

During his annual address, the mayor didn’t mention the charges against Windish, who lost reelection the year he allegedly took money from the witness.

But he was delighted to highlight the fact that a proposed consolidation of Mount Arlington and neighboring Roxbury fell apart in 2019. Borough officials opposed the idea.