CLIFTON — Zoning Board Commissioner Keith LaForgia resigned Thursday, weeks after he was caught on a live microphone calling residents "morons" who wouldn't quiet down during a recent meeting.

The commissioner's comments were recorded during an Oct. 17 meeting and recently surfaced on social media.

The comments were recorded three hours into the meeting as residents became loud while exiting and the zoning chair asked them to "keep it down."

"Keep it down? That's like telling *expletive* dogs not to bark," LaForgia said, unaware that his mic was on. "They don't know what keep it down means, frigging morons."

City Manager Nick Villano said after he heard about the comments he had the expletives bleeped out for posting online, and informed the zoning board chair, its attorney and the city council about LaForgia's comments.

"The remarks were inappropriate," Villano said.

The commissioners had just heard testimony regarding Fette Ford's request for a variance to purchase and demolish a nearby single family home and convert the property to a parking lot, according to the meeting minutes.

A number of residents were on hand to testify and as they filed out, Zoning Chair Mark Zecchino asked residents to do so quietly as the board still had business to conduct.

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It was at this time LaForgia made his remarks to Commissioner Scott Sochon, who replied "ha ha very good."

In a phone interview, Thursday, a teary-voiced LaForgia owned his remarks.

"It was stupid," he said. "I don't know what to say."

He said he had already prepared a letter of resignation he was planning to submit to the city clerk Thursday afternoon.

"The Board has enough to deal with," he said.

The commissioners are appointed by the mayor and city council.

LaForgia has served on the board for about 10 years and prior to that served as a Board of Education commissioner and coached Little League baseball.

Email: fagan@northjersey.com