WEST MILFORD The township council seat left vacant with the resignation of Joseph Elcavage (R) will soon have a new occupant. Elcavage resigned earlier this month amid accusations of his involvement with anonymous Internet postings which fellow council members Bob Nolan (D) and James Warden (D) termed slanderous. Nolan asked the council to publicly censured Elcavage, but the council opted to investigate the matter before deciding. Township Attorney Fred Semrau sent out letters outlining the investigative procedures, but Elcavage resigned before anything happened. The County Republican Committee met on Monday night to interview five possible candidates to fill the seat and selected three for the township council’s consideration. They are: Dan Jorkovic, an attorney who currently serves on the Zoning Board of Appeals; Dr. Sal Schimmenti, a local chiropractor with three school-aged children who volunteers for the Rec Advisory Board, the Health Advisory Board, CASA and the scouts, and has lived in the township for 16 years; Joe Smolinski, a 20-year resident who is the chairman of the Rec Advisory Board and serves on the First Aid Squad. The council must choose one candidate before Feb. 15 or the decision will go back to the Republican Committee. Several members of the public spoke to the council Wednesday night in hopes of convincing them to continue the investigation into the unknown cyber authors. Semrau said that in light of Elcavage’s resignation and the fact that Warden and Bettina Biere have filed civil suit, he believed it was not in the township’s interest to pursuit the matter any further. Warden and Biere filed suit last week, naming numerous John Does as well as Tom Malone and Denis Kirwan. Malone is the registered owner of the now-defunct FleecingWestMilford.com, one of the Web sites involved. Malone now resides in North Carolina. Kirwan is a Republican and former council member who Warden alleges spread rumors about him during the election of 2004. According to Warden, his purpose in filing suit has nothing to do with money. "The point is to shine the light on these anonymous cowards and expose them for who they are. I'd like to get back to town business." Warden also noted that neither he nor Nolan asked for Elcavage's resignation, nor are they accusing him of actually running the FleecingWestMilford Web site, but of merely of being involved with the person or people who were and of conducting himself in a manner unbecoming of a councilperson. n In other business: Earlier this month college students Tyler Warden (son of Councilman Warden) and Adam Grovic asked the board to consider passing a resolution against the Patriot Act. Although the act is a federal one, many municipalities have passed similar resolutions as a way of expressing support of civil liberties. The young men’s presentation has sparked a debate among both members of the public and the council, with vocal support on both sides of the issue. The subject is likely to be on the agenda for next week. Ada Erik, a member of the first aid squad, once again approached the board, urging enforcement of the helmut law for bikers and skateboarders. Citing a tragic accident in town involving a young biker hit by a car while not wearing a helmut, she called for accountablility to the state law. She was backed up by several other members of the public. Township police have so far been warning rather than ticketing offending youngster. February is Radon Month and Mayor Joseph DiDonato issued a proclamation asking all residents to test their homes for evidence of the deadly gas.