WEST MILFORD Former Township Councilman Joseph Elcavage has been identified as “demoCAT” -- one of the anonymous people posting on an opinion site called NJ.Com. No, there’s not anything illegal, or even unusual, about posting an anonymous opinion. But Elcavage repeatedly and emphatically denied being demoCAT to the West Milford Messenger and other local newspapers and even went so far as to accuse political rival and fellow councilman James Warden of using the name. The identities of people who were posting on NJ.com and also those running the now-defunct Web site FleecingWestMilford.com became an issue in January when the Web site published an explicit story in which Warden and his friend Bettina Biere were said to have behaved in a sexually inappropriate way at a township Christmas party. Warden became incensed and threatened the Web site with a suit. The Web site quickly shut down, but Warden and Biere filed suit shortly thereafter naming a number of people by their internet posting identities. Among those named was demoCAT. Warden, who suspected Elcavage of being involved, called for Elcavage’s removal from the council. The council decided to launch an investigation instead. Elcavage resigned within days, stating he didn’t want to be part of a council that treated him that way. But he said in a radio interview that he resigned because he no longer had the time. Once Elcavage resigned, the council dropped its investigation. That’s when Warden and Biere filed suit. From the beginning, Warden has said he wanted to uncover the identities “of every last one of those cowards.” Last week, Warden got the boost he was hoping for when State Superior Court Judge Riva ruled that the identities must be revealed. Warden’s attorney and brother Jeff Warden received the information this week. In what Warden says was no surprise to him, the demoCAT identity was registered with Elcavage’s e-mail address. A person must access the e-mail with which they registered to get a link that allows them to start posting. Warden said, “Former Councilman Elcavage should hang his head in shame. There will be others revealed, one by one ... so that civic-minded individuals trying to do good won’t have to endure what Bettina, Bob Nolan and their families have had to endure from these cowardly individuals.” When told of the discovery, Elcavage continued to hedge. Although asked directly “Were you demoCAT?” by the Messenger more than half a dozen times, Elcavage answered neither yes or no and kept changing the subject. At one point, he likened the anonymous identities to Ben Franklin and his nom-de-plumes. Warden has asked the council for a resolution to support bill 1327, sponsored by State Assemblyman Peter Biondi (R-Morris and Sommerset) which would call for internet providers to reveal the identities of anyone posting a slanderous, libelous or untrue statement. He is also asking for Elcavage’s removal from the Municipal Utilities Authority, a board on which Elcavage still serves.