The following is a open letter from the Committee To Recall Stephen R. Ellis:

To Whom It May Concern,

Over the past few months our committee was capable of obtaining a final total of 1,387 signatures from both Democrat and Republican voters in the recall effort of Phillipsburg Mayor Stephen R. Ellis. We fell 338 signatures short of completing our goal of 1,725 but feel a very serious statement was made and sent to the Ellis Administration. 

The future, although seemingly dark for the next 119 days, allows the statistics to paint a very clear picture: The majority no longer believes in a man who has accomplished nothing during his tenure and has ruled with an iron fist for over the last 3 years.

Contrary to Mayor Ellis’s statement which referred to us as his political opponents, our committee and this movement was comprised of residents from both parties and none of us aspire to hold, nor have we held political office.

The people are tired of watching the future of Phillipsburg fade at a rapid pace and are disgusted by the patronage hires, exorbitant salaries, patterns of intimidation, immature actions in public meetings, and his ability to lie directly to the faces of his constituents.

Stephen Ellis has become the subject of multiple criminal investigations and has filed what we believe to be a frivolous lawsuit against the Town he claims to love so much.

He’s cost the taxpayers hundreds of thousands in spending and has shown he is not willing to work with anyone to move Phillipsburg forward.

In three years he’s refused to appoint a Business Administrator and has clashed with two separate governing bodies. He’s refused to enforce legally passed resolutions and ordinances. He’s threatened multiple residents and went as far as attempting to have them fired from their jobs for submitting OPRA requests.

So yes, our recall effort by the numbers was unsuccessful on paper, but the numbers don’t lie.

Stephen Ellis won the Mayoral election with 1,417 votes in 2015 and as of yesterday a total of 97.8 percent of that number signed a petition to recall him from office.

As a Committee we are proud of our residents for coming together and finally speaking out. Our elected officials must realize they work for the taxpayers and should continuously keep our best interests in mind and not their own.

As a side note, while allowing the Phillipsburg Municipal Clerk to review the petition, Stephen Ellis was attempting to have the signatures OPRA’d therefore we have chosen to destroy the petitions so the pattern of intimidation will stop and our community can feel safe casting their primary votes this year without fear of being targeted.

Onward Phillipsburg.

Signed,

The Committee to Recall Stephen R. Ellis