Gloucester Township Republicans Calls Out Gloucester Township Government for Blatant Partisan Attacks by Members of Council

Democrats once again attempting to influence a non-partisan school board election with scurrilous attack ad

Gloucester Township – Gloucester Twp. Republicans called on the Gloucester Township Democrats to give a full explanation regarding the scurrilous negative campaign mailer funded by a dark money PAC tied to the wife of township solicitor.

In an act of desperation, the Gloucester Township Democrat cartel inserted itself into the non-partisan School Board election and tried to discourage citizens and concerned parents from running for local office. GT councilwomen Carolyn Grace and Andrea Stubbs sent out a vicious flyer, accusing two parents running for the GT School Board of being morally compromised. Their reason? Because these parents asked questions about projects that take place in the “low-income neighborhoods [they] serve.” Stubbs and Grace are supposed to serve all Gloucester Township, not just their neighborhoods.

The obvious insinuations intended by these councilwomen are shameful, and both should offer a public apology to these parents for this baseless attack. The two parents are not politicians. They are concerned residents with children in GT public schools.

Even more remarkably, when Stubbs and Grace were confronted by one of the BOE candidates and several other residents at the Counsel meeting on October 24, 2022, neither one had the courage to defend their statements. Rather, Council President Mercado and Councilman Hutchinson stepped in and attempted to shut down the residents’ questioning. Mercado and Hutchinson took the position that such questioning was political based and not legislative, which is not permitted during the public portions of the council meetings. Mercado and Hutchinson speciously claimed that Stubbs and Grace made those statement in their personal capacities, not as council members. The first paragraph of the letter issued by Grace and Stubbs began with the words, “As Gloucester Township councilwomen […].” The third paragraph began with the words, “Since taking public office, we have […].” The fifth paragraph states, “As public officials, we believe that […].” The official council photographs of Stubbs and Grace were then inserted at the bottom of the letter.

These two council members used their positions as elected officials to put out defamatory trash about two parents running for school board. It is not clear as to whom the mailer was targeted, but it certainly was not sent to all of GT. Stubbs and Grace had an opportunity to explain their actions when confronted in a public setting; instead, they let Mercado and Hutchinson come to their defense by basically telling the residents to sit down and shut up.

Identity politics are a disgusting way to try to win votes. Gloucester Township Republicans join the Camden County GOP condemning the statements made councilwomen Stubbs and Grace. We share the community’s outrage over the blatant disregard of the duties of these two councilwomen who took an oath to uphold the Constitution and the citizens’ First Amendment right to question their government without fear of retaliation.

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