Hobie Young resigned from the Upper Township Committee after he embarrassed himself and the township by posting vile and disgusting images of Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Now he wants to play the victim with a following of local residents egging him on.
He is no victim.
Hobie, you screwed up. You owned it, albeit reluctantly, and told the community you were resigning. Now you are going back on your word.
Don’t.
What you did was unbecoming of an elected official. Frankly, it was unbecoming of any sentient human being with the mildest sense of propriety.
You actively chose to spread a photo of a woman that was doctored to make her look like she was engaging in a sexual act and another doctored photo with a tag line that was repulsive.
You used the excuse that it was OK because it was political and some people, somewhere, have done worse about partisans you support.
That’s no excuse. The photos were offensive and misogynistic. You’ve posted other inappropriate things in the past. Just because you have partisans supporting you does not make it all right for you to try to cling to your seat on the Upper Township Committee.
After the backlash to the post, the resignation, and the backlash to the resignation, Mayor Richard Palombo posted an important letter to the community.
In it, he wrote about the antagonism now racking the town, which threatens to change a community “known for its friendly, family-oriented and safe neighborhoods.” He concluded it by writing, “If we have a problem, let’s seek solutions, not antagonize the differences. If we criticize, make it constructive about the particulars, not the individual who present their view.
“We have many bridges in Upper Township, but I hope we can continue to build “more” bridges among us to see us through those opposite sides.
“Let’s continue to grow Upper Township from its humble beginnings as a patchwork of farms, mariners, and homes, to the community where we all are so proud to gather and share as families and friends.”
That is not served by Young’s continued presence on committee. He has become the face of that divisiveness, something he triggered by his own actions.