WEST MILFORD The West Milford Township Council confirmed its new judge on Wednesday night but the appointment was far from unanimous. Terence Corcoran has been acting judge throughout this year and got the $30,000 per year position following an attempt to delay his selection. Council members Phil Weisbecker and Bob Nolan sought to table the appointment resolution and were supported by a third councilman, James Warden. Warden’s vote to table was in contradiction to his explicit views supporting the choice of Corcoran, and was part of the three-man selection committee who picked him from a dozen candidates. “The one thing that I do think we need to have is a unanimous decision,” said Warden. “Maybe we could wait till the next meeting when it is televised and the whole town can see it. If councilmen have questions, they can get them answered by then.” The motion to table, however, was defeated by Mayor Joseph DiDonato, who cast the deciding vote. The vote to appoint Corcoran was successful despite the rejection by Weisbecker and Nolan. Concerns regarding the new judge spiked following a letter by West Milford Police Detective Joseph Walker to Chief Paul Costello. Walker is the department’s Policeman’s Benevolent Association delegate and his letter of June 29 expressed serious reservations about Corcoran’s ability. In the letter Walker wrote, “Several officers have spoken directly with myself expressing their displeasure with the judge, concerning their cases in which defendants were found not guilty.” Walker produced a spreadsheet showing 20 cases brought before Judge Corcoran, in 11 of which the defendant was found not guilty. “To my knowledge, the officers in the not guilty cases listed on the spreadsheet have nothing to do with the officers having problems with testifying or training purposes,” wrote Walker. “It is our opinion that the judge is the one making mistakes and not being knowledgeable about the law.” Council member Weisbecker referred to the letter in his comments. Weisbecker said, “Issues have been raised about the individual nominated and I would appreciate time to research them. The Police Benevolent Association has released a letter from concerned police officers in town that I believe has to be answered.” Weisbecker requested time to visit the town court while the judge was in session and gain his own perspective of the first choice for the job. Council member Nolan agreed but also requested Corcoran appear before the council, “I think we owe it to the residents of the town to have Judge Corcoran come here and be interviewed in public from the council,” said Nolan. “At this point I wouldn’t know Judge Corcoran if I tripped over him.” Mayor DiDonato quashed the relevance of Detective Walker’s letter, claiming it was not reflective of the West Milford Police Department’s views. DiDonato said, “Let’s not mischaracterize this communication ... as I understand it, it was not a formal action voted on by the benevolent association members, it was the opinion of two or three officers. It is not police department memo; it is not policy memo.” Warden also said the concerns raised in the letter were put directly to Corcoran during a final interview and that the judge had responded well to them. Warden said, “One of the criteria that I personally had for picking the judge ... had to be that he was aware of peoples’ rights. I asked [Corcoran] some very difficult questions and I was more than satisfied with his remarks.” Walker was not available prior to press time.