TOMS RIVER, NJ – Toms River Democrat party candidate for mayor, Ben Giovine said derogatory comments about race and sexuality made by his running mates are nothing compared to what’s being said by his opponent Dan Rodrick.
Giovine criticized Rodrick for using the term “Stop Lakewood Style Development” in campaign mailers in past elections believing the statement to be anti-Semitic.
Now, the Democratic ticket for the upcoming mayoral and council elections in Toms River, led by Ben Giovine, is under scrutiny for past social media comments made by two of its candidates.
Giovine, who is a high-level staffer for Congressman Andy Kim, is running for mayor. His running mates, Rhetta Jackson-Fair, Ruby Franco, and Michelle Williams, reflect the diversity that has become synonymous with the modern Democratic Party. Jackson-Fair is an African-American woman, and Franco is of Indian descent.
Unfortunately, they do not respect tolerance, inclusion and equity, three alleged pillars of the modern-day Democrat Party.
However, both Jackson-Fair and Franco are facing backlash for controversial social media comments. Jackson-Fair, a pastor, has previously made anti-homosexual statements on social media. Despite pressure from Democratic leaders to step down, she has resisted. Franco recently came under fire for a racist social media post that included the use of the N-word.
In response, Giovine said, “I’ve seen the posts and while I disagree with the content of them, my opponent has posted and mailed much worse. These are merely distractions to cover up his inability to govern.”
Racism and homophobia are not as bad as stopping out-of-control overdevelopment, according to Giovine.
Giovine’s statement is a reference to mailers sent by his opponent, Dan Rodrick, in previous elections. Both Giovine and Congressman Kim have criticized Rodrick’s campaign materials as being anti-Semitic. However, Rodrick’s mailers never used the words “Orthodox” or “Jewish,” focusing instead on “Lakewood Style Overdevelopment.”
Congressman Kim has also denounced Rodrick for his stance against overdevelopment.
The Democratic ticket’s controversies add another layer of complexity to an election that is already contentious, making the outcome even more uncertain.
Paul C. Williams, a Democrat candidate for council who said the Toms River Democrat Club suppressed voters when they chose their slate filed a lawsuit to keep Giovine and his team off the November ballot. That motion was denied in court last week.