Dear Democrat:

A letter was recently issued by Freeholder Director Joe Derella in an attempt to malign my character and that of my running mates, Donna M. Pearson and Tracey Wells-Huggins.

Since the issue of character is on the table, let’s address it.

I was thrown off the official Cumberland County Democratic Party column because I would not bow to the pressures of an ethically compromised, federally charged individual by the name of Doug Long. I would not allow him to have that power over me and we, collectively, can stop him from having that power over our party.

Character?

To those of you who embrace this word and understand it, you know that it’s built upon the foundation of action. I am never willing to rig a contract, or compromise my beliefs and the constituency I serve.

I am, however, willing to fight for the safety and well being of corrections officers, staff, inmates and their families. I’m willing to fight for fairness at the Cumberland County Improvement Authority and put an end to the insider deals that help the few and deny opportunities to the many. And I’m also willing to use every fiber of my being to ensure that county taxpayers have a fair shake at securing health insurance coverage for them and their family members.

No longer can the county sit on the sidelines and wear a jersey that reads “spectator”. This is a contact sport – and we must be engaged if we’re going to make a difference.

Believe it or not, facts still matter in this world despite the rambling tweets from Washington, DC. And the fact is that a dozen corrections officers tested positive for COVID-19, putting their families, correction’s staff and inmates at risk. You cannot unring that bell.

Donna, Tracey and I raised the corrections issues because we heard complaints and, based upon those complaints and the pending PBA Local 231 lawsuit, felt that the warden and deputy warden had failed to provide leadership. Again, you cannot put the toothpaste back in the tube.

The county responded to us by announcing they’ve conducted zero tests and provided minimal to no personal protection equipment (PPE) to the officers and staff, and would not publicly report COVID-19 infection rates.

A manufactured letter and Zoom call cannot and will not replace these facts. It doesn’t work that way.

Do you know how we know we’re right? Because they sent their lawyers to face the media, not the warden, not the freeholders – the lawyers. And they would only allow the warden to face the county committee, not the freeholder board, not the public.

Last, this is the Democratic Party. We represent transparency, fairness, accountability, and, yes, character.

We can do more. We must do more. And in this year’s election, character can be found in Column F on the ballot.

Sincerely,

Jack Surrency
Freeholder