At the last Council meeting, a motion was made to change the rules as to how Council members are assigned to the Law & Order Committee. Currently any members of council can serve on that committee and either can chair the committee. The changes proposed would have the Mayor designated as the Chair of the committee and the Deputy Mayor would be the other representative to that committee. It doesn't make sense to us that these seats need to be designated. The Mayor is in reality only a Council member at large and can not make any decisions without the full vote of council in any circumstances. Also, there may be more qualified people serving on council thatshould be assigned to that committee, but they would not be able to serve in that capacity because of these changes. Committee assignments should have a lot more thought and meaning behind them rather than being made jnust because of the position the person holds. We are against these changes.
We need to support Chief Ingemi's recommendation. Why are the Democrats coming out against Chief Ingemi's recommendation? It will save almost $100K for the town in insurance payments. Great job Chief! We support you against the Democrats' vendetta.
Please, don't provide false information in trying to make it look like you are on the Chief's side. The proposal to make the Mayor and Deputy Mayor the designated representatives on the Law & Order Committee will not save the taxpayer one single dime. The JIF has only asked that the rules & regulations be updated because they have not been looked at for a long time. The JIF, who provides our insurance coverage, does not care who sits on the committee, they only are asking to update the regulations to reflect the year 2007 instead of the 90's or earlier when they were written. It is disingenuious for the Mayor to indicate that this is one of the rules that would save premiums. We also have it on good sources that the savings are no where near the amount the Mayor indicated in his resonses to the paper. From what we have been able to learn the savings for updating the rules & regulations would be much less. Again a false statement meant to mislead the public. This move to assign the Mayor and Deputy Mayor to this committee is just a last ditch attempt to garner power for themselves and we all should watch and see how this unfolds over the next several weeks. It is also our understanding that there were additions to the Chief's recommended changes to the rules and regulations, he made his recommendations and things were added before the Council meeting.
So will the Mayor apologize for invoking the "Chief's" name and lying about how much money it would save the Town?
One question Mayor DiDonato:
How would making the Police Chief answer directly to the Mayor save "hundreds of thousands of dollars" or even a penny?
Mr Mayor, we the Hammonton residents DEMAND you stop lying to the public, stop manipulating fact to give yourself more power, and start to act like the civil servant you are supposed to be.
Mr Mayor, you have ripped the fabric of integrity of this town time and time again. Apologize now, or show us how your "lies" really aren't lies.
If you cannot, you have once again shown your party to be a party of deceit and lies. We are ashamed to have you as our Mayor.
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Anonymous
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SUPPORT OUR CHIEF VERSUS ANTHONY FALCNE AND THE DEMOCRATS
We are not attacking the Chief. The Chief did not suggest that the Mayor and Deputy Mayor be assigned to the Law & Order committee. That was added later before going before council.
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Anonymous
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FALCONE AND THE DEMOCRATS ARE ATTACKING OUR CHIEF WITH LIES
Chief Ingemi asked for these changes for the safety of our town along with saving taxpayer dollars.
Anthony Falcone is no better that Rocky Colosudro was last year. This is a vendetta by the Democrats. They are losers who don't care about public safety. Falcone is a do-nothing who will attack our fine men in blue if he thinks it will get hm elected.
Make a stand Falcone! It is time for you to apologize to the people of Hammonton and our fine police force!
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Anonymous
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RE: Council proposes change to assignment to Law & Order Committee
How would making the Police Chief answer directly to the Mayor save "hundreds of thousands of dollars" or even a penny?
Mr Mayor, we the Hammonton residents DEMAND you stop lying to the public, stop manipulating fact to give yourself more power, and start to act like the civil servant you are supposed to be.
Mr Mayor, you have ripped the fabric of integrity of this town time and time again. Apologize now, or show us how your "lies" really aren't lies.
If you cannot, you have once again shown your party to be a party of deceit and lies. We are ashamed to have you as our Mayor.
Chief Ingemi did not ask for all of these changes. He submitted updated regulations for the police department. He did not submit anything regarding the Law & Order committee. That was not asked for by the JIF and therefore not needed. There is no vendetts here, only common sense. We whole heartedly support our Chief and Police Dept. We spoke up for public safety before council, we spoke up for the Chief before council and we still stand behind all of our public safety departments.
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Anonymous
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RE: Council proposes change to assignment to Law & Order Committee
I find it disgraceful that HF is lying to the public and saying the Support the Chief. Their party got ruined over their ridiculous accusations. Here in Hammonton, vendettas is synonymous with HF.
Chief Ingemi asked for these changes for the safety of our town along with saving taxpayer dollars.
Anthony Falcone is no better that Rocky Colosudro was last year. This is a vendetta by the Democrats. They are losers who don't care about public safety. Falcone is a do-nothing who will attack our fine men in blue if he thinks it will get hm elected.
Make a stand Falcone! It is time for you to apologize to the people of Hammonton and our fine police force!
ANTHONY FALCONE AND THE DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN ATTACKING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. NOW THEY ARE LYING ABOUT CHIEF INGEMI'S REQUEST.
THE CHIEF ASKED FOR THE CHANGES IN WHO HE REPORTS TO. THE DEMOCRATS DON'T LIKE WHAT THE CHIEF IS ASKING, SO THEY ARE MAKING THINGS UP.
IT IS TIME THIS VENDETTA THAT ANTHONY FALCONE AND THE DEMOCRATS HAVE RUN COMES TO AN END. THEY HAVE DISGRACED THEMSELVES AND LOOK LIKE FOOLS.
The Chief may have asked that there be a change in who he reports to at the present time, because as he said "I have a problem with the chairman of Law and Order. That's no secret. Everybody in the town knows what I went through. But the truth prevailed on who was right and who was wrong," Ingemi said. But he never asked for the rules & regulations assign the Mayor & Deputy Mayor to the committee. What if in the future there was a similar situation where the Chief of Police and the Mayor had problems working together. They would be forced into an uncomfortable working situation because of this rule. It would then become a public safety issue.
As stated before, there is no reason to assign by the rules that these two individuals from now on be assigned in this way, on any council there may be two more qualified individuals that would be precluded from being on the committee because of a rule that wasn't well thought out. Just because you are Mayor doesn't neccessarily make you the most qualified to serve on this committee.
Because we FULLY support the Chief and the Police Dept., we are standing up for what is right.
Stop attacking us, stop trying to use this situation for political gain, put the safety of the people of Hammonton foremost and your political motives on the back burner. This particular rule makes no sense and jeopardizes the citizens of our Town.
The Hammonton News printed the following regarding the ordinance:
"Ingemi, who entered the meeting about 45 minutes after the matter was put to a vote, said he proposed the change after discussing the matter with area police chiefs."
In addition, the Hammonton News editorial printed the following:
Further, an update could save our town money. A change is recommended by the Joint Insurance Fund.
Why are the Democrats trying to say this didn't happen? Why are they bashing on the police?
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Anonymous
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RE: Council proposes change to assignment to Law & Order Committee
The Hammonton News printed the following regarding the ordinance:
"Ingemi, who entered the meeting about 45 minutes after the matter was put to a vote, said he proposed the change after discussing the matter with area police chiefs."
In addition, the Hammonton News editorial printed the following:
Further, an update could save our town money. A change is recommended by the Joint Insurance Fund.
Why are the Democrats trying to say this didn't happen? Why are they bashing on the police?
Anthony Falcone and the Democrats should stop attacking everyone. They have followed the Rich Jacobus and just bashed our wonderful town for the sake of being nasty.
Think about it. Name one positive project Anthony Falcone has said he would do if elected?
Watch the response to this email. It wil just be more negative bashing. The Anthony Falcone and the Democrats don't have anything positive to say.
We are not bashing anyone. Why is it that when someone has a different opinion than yours, you label it bashing. We are proposing a positive change to the proposal that will help preserve the safety of the citizens of our Town. We agree with the proposals the Chief put forward, however, he did not propose the assignments to the committee. He did discuss changes with other chief's, but not the one you speak of. We support you Chief and we support the citizens of Hammonton.
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Anonymous
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RE: Council proposes change to assignment to Law & Order Committee
The Democrats seem to have brought out a very interesting point that should be seriously looked at before these rules are brought up again. Don't dismiss their input just because you are trying to win votes for your party.
This is America!!! As citizens we all have the right to voice our opinions. You need to accept that, or are you in favor of taking all of our rights away so that you can do whatever it is you want to do. This needs to be discussed and as an American you should invite other points of view.
Here is some information from Wikepedia that is very appropriate:
"Freedom of speech is crucial in any democracy, because open discussions of candidates are essential for voters to make informed decisions during elections. It is through speech that people can influence their government's choice of policies.
Some suggest that when citizens refrain from voicing their discontent because they fear retribution, the government can no longer be responsive to them, thus it is less accountable for its actions. Defenders of free speech often allege that this is the main reason why governments suppress free speech--to avoid accountability.
Why is it that the Hammonton First party does not want to discuss this issue?
The Hammonton News printed the following regarding the ordinance:
"Ingemi, who entered the meeting about 45 minutes after the matter was put to a vote, said he proposed the change after discussing the matter with area police chiefs."
In addition, the Hammonton News editorial printed the following:
Further, an update could save our town money. A change is recommended by the Joint Insurance Fund.
Why are the Democrats trying to say this didn't happen? Why are they bashing on the police?
Anthony Falcone and the Democrats should stop attacking everyone. They have followed the Rich Jacobus and just bashed our wonderful town for the sake of being nasty.
Think about it. Name one positive project Anthony Falcone has said he would do if elected?
Watch the response to this email. It wil just be more negative bashing. The Anthony Falcone and the Democrats don't have anything positive to say.
THIS IS SO TRUE. ANTHONY FALCONE AND THE DEMOCRATS ARE AGAINST THE CHIEF'S PROPOSAL. HOW CAN THEY ATTACK OUR FINE MEN IN BUE.
Why do you keep repeating the same old response that you know is not true. We 100% support the Chief and the Police Dept. That is why we bring up this discrepancy in the record. The Chief is quoted in the paper as saying, "I have a problem with the chairman of Law and Order. That's no secret. Everybody in the town knows what I went through. But the truth prevailed on who was right and who was wrong," Ingemi said.
That is why we are pointing out our point of view so that this Chief or any future Chief is not forced into a situation similar to the one the Chief finds himself in today. Limiting the assignments to people who hold certain positions can create adverse working relationships. Why not ask the Chief if this was part of the reccomendations his department put forward to the committee? I have and this was not in his recommendations. If you truly want to support the Chief then you should be standing up for HIS reccomendations like we are.
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Anonymous
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RE: Council proposes change to assignment to Law & Order Committee
It looks like the Dems have done their homework again. We need to listen to what they are proposing. There is no reason why updating the rules and regulations for the police department needs to include putting the Mayor and Deputy Mayor on the committee. If this means passing by more qualified people who should serve on the committee or creating an adversarial relationship between the committee and the police chief, it could actually cost us more in insurance premiums. We could be causing the exact opposite effect from what this update of the rules is designed to do. Support the Chief, support the police, support the Democrats!
There are no vendettas and everyone who reads this thread can see that. We have just raised legitimate concerns over the proposal made at the last council meeting. Capt. Jones was one of the group in the police dept who put together these updated rules that were originally presented last March. The proposal to assign the Mayor and Deputy Mayor was not in those reccomendations. We agree with the Republicans on council who also have concerns over this proposal. They are quoted as saying, "You don't fix something if it isn't broke."
So please stop over using you key words of bashing and vendettas. Neither is going on here except by you.
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Anonymous
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RE: Council proposes change to assignment to Law & Order Committee
Looks like Hammonton First is up to their old tricks. They think that their way is the only way and if you have a different opinion than theirs they call it negative and bashing. The only opinion you can express is one that agrees with theirs or you have a vendetta. "Open Government" my ass. It's their way or the highway.
I don't think there is anyone we have to fear except them.
Why are the Democrats attacking everything and everybody? They have lawsuits every year which they always lose. They bring in things like Plymouth Place. They push for a new school and tell us it will lower our taxes. Now they don't even have a single good idea about what to do next. All they can say is they are against everything. What do they have against someone like Captain Robert Jones that they are so in favor of this lawsuit?
If nothing else was learned this week it is that the Democrats are incapable of running Hammonton if elected. Vote Republican! Don't waste a vote on these losers!
The lawsuit has nothing to do with the Democrats. That is an employee of the town standing up for her rights as an employee. The Democrats have had only ONE lawsuit last year, I don't see how that can be perceived as every year.
The Democrats have attacked no one. You are the only one who claims that we have. We have pointed out issues that we feel are important to the taxpayers and citizens of this Town.
The only one attacking anyone is YOU. You have attacked the Democrats ever since the ticket was announced.
We did not bring in Plymouth Place. It was a Republican majority planning board and a Republican majority council that did that.
We have a lot of great ideas on what to do next. We have presented some already and more will be presented as the campaign unfolds.
We have nothing against Capt Jones. We will wait and see what the courts decide before making any judgements at all. Maybe you should do the same.
Name even just 3 specific new things the Democrats are proposing on doing. You can't.
name three areas of our town Hammonton First DIDNT f**k up.
The Republicans have kept quiet and done nothing but reap the rewards of the Democrats speaking up for the people and speaking up against HF. We need leaders who are not afraid to act upon or speak up for the good of Hammonton.
Name even just 3 specific new things the Democrats are proposing on doing. You can't.
As the campaign unfolds we will let you know more about our platform. The Democrats have a team with plans for the present and future of Hammonton and it's citizens.
Name even just 3 specific new things the Democrats are proposing on doing. You can't.
As the campaign unfolds we will let you know more about our platform. The Democrats have a team with plans for the present and future of Hammonton and it's citizens.
The Democrats can't even name 3 specific new things they would do if elected. They don't have a clue what they want to do, nor do they know how to get things done. All they can accomplish is bringing in another Plymouth Place.
How exactly do you expect the voters to take you seriously if you've already announced candidates but they don't know how to answer the question "what 3 specific things are your proposing to do if elected?"
The Democrat candidates don't know what they are proposing yet because their puppet master hasn't told them.
However, I am hearing they are about to reverse themselves on the issue of having the Chief report to the Mayor. The Chief did recommend it and Town Clerk Susanne Oddo explained on TV in the council mtg that it saves the town about $100k in insurance costs. In light of the recent events, the Democrats are realizing they screwed up in this "vendetta."
The Dems are now trying to figure out how to flip-flop on this one. I am hearing from some of their followers that some campaign insiders are 100 percent against it but they are going to ignore them.
These are three strong individuals who are working together as a team and ready to serve on council. But they will not be YOUR puppets. They have a campaign that will be waged their way and not by your timetable.
As for the Chief issue, they are not changing their feelings. As already stated, we happen to agree with the Republicans on this one, "Don't fix what ain't broke." It will not save us $100,000 to have the Mayor and Deputy Mayor assigned to the Law & Order committee. The Joint Insurance Fund (JIF) could care less how the appointment is made to that committee. The JIF doesn't care about the politics of this situation. They have only said that we could save about 5% of our insurance premium if we update our rules and regulations for the police department. And, by the way, that will come no where near $100,000.
We stand by our original statements that there is no reason to assign the Mayor and Deputy Mayor to this committee. That could actually tie the hands of future committees and keep more qualified individuals from serving on that committee.
The Chief did NOT propose this particular change in the rules & regulations, he did however agree that in today's situation it would be a better situation to have the Mayor & Deputy Mayor rather than Rocky on the committee, but that in no way means he thinks it should be a permanent rule change, and neither do we.
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Anonymous
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RE: Council proposes change to assignment to Law & Order Committee
Looks like the Democrat candidates are not permitted to have their own thoughts. The seem to be tightly controlled and must follow their puppet master's orders to the letter.
It is interesting to see the Democrats challenging the data Town Clerk Susanne Oddo provided to Council at the last meeting. Susanne obviousy has the data and they have provided none, as usual. It seems the Democrats are challenging the town employees are providing a lot lately.
Sorry, we don't run our campaign the way you do. You are speaking from your own experiences. As far as the savings, the numbers we give are an estimate provided to us by a town employee, so we are not challenging them, we are listening to them.
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Anonymous
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RE: Council proposes change to assignment to Law & Order Committee
Sorry, we don't run our campaign the way you do. You are speaking from your own experiences. As far as the savings, the numbers we give are an estimate provided to us by a town employee, so we are not challenging them, we are listening to them.
Town Clerk Susanne Oddo provided the $100K savings number to Town Council right on TV. Now you try to make up a bogus number and try to say it's from a town employee. That's just typical BS. Aren't your candidates allowed any thoughts of their own or is Jim MacLane the only person allowed to speak for them?
We speak as a Team. Why resort to calling me a liar. We have a difference of opinion in how much the town can save. So also does a town employee involved in this situation. Why must you insult me just because you don't agree. Last time I checked we are free to express our opinions in this country. What ever happened to HF running a positive campaign. All you have done from day one is ridicule and insult our party and our candidates. We have only discussed issues and you insult our people.
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Anonymous
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RE: Council proposes change to assignment to Law & Order Committee
As for the bashing by the Democrats, why can't they just acknowledge the data Susanne Oddo presented? Why do they have to bash everyone? Saving money with the proposal Chief Ingemi made is a good idea.
We are not bashing anyone, we have a difference of opinion. Being free to express your opinion is what makes this country so great. If we all listen with open minds, we can all work together to make things better. Your party is obviously not willing to listen to another point of view and it is that closed mindedness that makes you small in the public's eyes. We fully acknowledge what Susanne Oddo said at the meeting. We just happen to disagree. That's OK, and that is the least of the matter here. If it saves the taxpayer $1 or $100,000 it is worth the effort and we applaud the effort being made by Mayor, Council and the Police Dept. If we all open our minds and listen to each other we can make this town even better.
That's what the Democrats will bring to Town Council!!!!
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Anonymous
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RE: Council proposes change to assignment to Law & Order Committee
I am glad to see the people on this blog starting to agree a bit. I like the Chief and he and Susanne have a good idea which will save us all money. It is nice to see the Mayor working together with the Chief. This is a really nice thing which will help the taxpayers. Now that it seems that everyone in town likes this it is nice for everyone.
I am glad to see the people on this blog starting to agree a bit. I like the Chief and he and Susanne have a good idea which will save us all money. It is nice to see the Mayor working together with the Chief. This is a really nice thing which will help the taxpayers. Now that it seems that everyone in town likes this it is nice for everyone.
Yes, that is nice. We, the Democrats, agree too. The ideas presented that save money are great and it is great that after all that happened, the Chief and the Mayor are working together on this project that will save the taxpayers some money.
The only part that is uneccessary is the designation of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor to the Law & Order committee. It will not save one thin dime. More qualified council members may not be allowed to serve on the committee or an adversarial relationship could be created by forcing together a Chief and Mayor who don't see eye to eye.
Now if we could just get this one guy who won't stop bashing and ridiculing the Democrats to sign on to this spirit of working together, we would all be better off.
OPEN QUESTION TO WHOEVER WAS IN CHARGE OF HISTORIC TOWN HALL RENOVATION:
WHY IN GOD'S NAME IS THEIR A FLAT PANEL TELEVISION IN THERE? IS THIS WHAT BELONGS IN A "HISTORIC" BUILDING? DID THE TAXPAYERS NEED TO FOOT THE BILL FOR PLASMA TV'S FOR THE HISTORIC TOWN HALL? DID THE TOWN FOUNDERS HAVE PLASMA TV'S OR SOMETHING?
OPEN QUESTION TO WHOEVER WAS IN CHARGE OF HISTORIC TOWN HALL RENOVATION:
WHY IN GOD'S NAME IS THEIR A FLAT PANEL TELEVISION IN THERE? IS THIS WHAT BELONGS IN A "HISTORIC" BUILDING? DID THE TAXPAYERS NEED TO FOOT THE BILL FOR PLASMA TV'S FOR THE HISTORIC TOWN HALL? DID THE TOWN FOUNDERS HAVE PLASMA TV'S OR SOMETHING?
SIGNED, BEWILDERED ON BELLEVUE
This Historic Society put the TV in to show pictures of old town events. Obviously, when the building was built there was no television at all, let alone flat panel. But like most historical sites, including the National Consititution Center at Independence Hall, modern audio/video technology is employed to teach history.
Anonymous wrote:This Historic Society put the TV in to show pictures of old town events. Obviously, when the building was built there was no television at all, let alone flat panel. But like most historical sites, including the National Consititution Center at Independence Hall, modern audio/video technology is employed to teach history.
I WAS JUST AT INDEPENDENCE HALL IN PHILLY AND THERE WERE NO PLASMA TV'S THERE. THEY WERE ABLE TO TEACH ABOUT THE FOUNDERS WITHOUT A PLASMA. WILL THE BE PUTTING A PLAYSTATION 3 IN HISTORIC TOWN HALL TOO?
BY THE WAY, THE NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER IS NOT INDEPENDENCE HALL. IT IS AN ADDITIONAL BUILDING THAT SUPPORTS THAT SURROUNDING HISTORICAL BUILDINGS. OUR HISTORIC TOWN HALL IS SUPPOSED TO BE HISTORIC, NOT A HOME THEATER FOR VISITORS.
Anonymous wrote:This Historic Society put the TV in to show pictures of old town events. Obviously, when the building was built there was no television at all, let alone flat panel. But like most historical sites, including the National Consititution Center at Independence Hall, modern audio/video technology is employed to teach history.
I WAS JUST AT INDEPENDENCE HALL IN PHILLY AND THERE WERE NO PLASMA TV'S THERE. THEY WERE ABLE TO TEACH ABOUT THE FOUNDERS WITHOUT A PLASMA. WILL THE BE PUTTING A PLAYSTATION 3 IN HISTORIC TOWN HALL TOO?
BY THE WAY, THE NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER IS NOT INDEPENDENCE HALL. IT IS AN ADDITIONAL BUILDING THAT SUPPORTS THAT SURROUNDING HISTORICAL BUILDINGS. OUR HISTORIC TOWN HALL IS SUPPOSED TO BE HISTORIC, NOT A HOME THEATER FOR VISITORS.
DO THEY GET CABLE THERE TOO?
I got a dam splinter on my finger using the rail to go up the steps of the old town hall. Eventhough it was a temporary rail couldn't they have sanded it. Oh, right Public Safety is an after thought.
Rich Jacobus didn't enter one of his rants this week into the paper. They are generally funny pieces. First he says he never reads the Gazette, then he quotes it one paragraph later. He's only been in town a couple of years but he's our undisputed village idiot.
Vote for Pajic, Ricca and Berenato. Torrissi is a Firster. If he wins he and his cousin, Jimmy Curcio, will work together and control the Republicans. They will let Hammonton First be in charge. We need our town back!
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Anonymous
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RE: Council proposes change to assignment to Law & Order Committee
Vote for Pajic, Ricca and Berenato. Torrissi is a Firster. If he wins he and his cousin, Jimmy Curcio, will work together and control the Republicans. They will let Hammonton First be in charge. We need our town back!
Mike Torrissi has no change in November. All the HF candidates will lose! Torrissi and Curcio are just Firsters.