Residents ask Upper Township Committee to denounce riots, tell Van Drew to resign

By BILL BARLOW/Special to the Sentinel

UPPER TOWNSHIP — Members of Upper Township Committee complied with a request from a member of the public who asked each to denounce the violent protest Jan. 6 at the Capitol, but declined another request asking for a resolution calling on U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew to step down. 

The regular meeting of the all-Republican governing body Monday, Jan. 11, stuck to issues of local importance, including leaf collection schedules, current Cape May County levels of COVID-19 and the future of the former BL England power plant. 

But during the public comment portion of the virtual meeting, Petersburg resident Janet Younghans called on committee members to directly address what happened in Washington, when supporters of President Donald Trump sought to disrupt the certification of the election, one more in a series of steps toward Joe Biden becoming president Jan. 20. 

Younghans cited a controversy over a pre-election vehicle parade supporting the president in the township, in which Committeeman Curtis Corson and former committee member Hobie Young participated. The parade drew criticism from some, who cited a Confederate flag on display, while other residents defended both the parade and Young. 

“I just wanted to give each committeeperson an opportunity to give a statement regarding the events at our Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021,” Younghans said. 

Mayor Rich Palombo said “I certainly don’t approve of what took place. It’s an insurgence and should have never happened, and I certainly hope that it never happens again. It certainly was not appropriate.” 

“Thank you, mayor. May I hear from the other committee members as well?” replied Younghans. 

Other members also denounced the attack. 

“I agree with my colleagues. I think it should have never happened,” Corson said. “A peaceful protest is one thing but that was completely out of hand and unnecessary.”  

Younghans challenged Committeeman John Coggins, who seemed to equate the pro-Trump riot with the Black Lives Matter protest, which in some areas of the country included violence and destruction including battles with police. 

“I think that was equally as abhorrent as all of the other violence that took place over this summer in our cities that were burned and looted and the property was destroyed. That’s totally uncalled for under any circumstances for any organization,” Coggins said. 

He said he was referencing any form of protest that includes property damage or threats of bodily harm. 

“I’m against all of it,” he said. 

Committee members Ed Barr and Kim Hayes, who replaced Hobie Young on the governing body, also denounced the actions at the Capitol. 

“I would like to say that I do not condone violence, looting, rioting in any form or fashion. I would like to ask everyone to pray for those people who lost their lives that day. It was (an) unnecessary loss of life,” Hayes said. “I would also like people to pray for the law enforcement officer who had to use lethal force. That’s not something that they take lightly and that’s a burden that that officer will bear for the rest of their life.” 

Also during the public comment portion of the meeting, Strathmere resident Linda Bateman spoke about Van Drew, once Cape May County’s most successful Democrat in a generation who switched to the Republican Party after his election to Congress. Van Drew made national headlines when he offered his “undying support” to Trump in the Oval Office. 

As Bateman pointed out, Van Drew was the only New Jersey representative who voted against certifying Joe Bidens’ election.  

Making clear that she was speaking as an individual, not as part of her position as president of the Strathmere Improvement Association, she said many have called on Van Drew to resign and asked Township Committee to pass a resolution doing the same.  

She cited news reports that the FBI has warned officials in all 50 states that state capitols could be a future target. 

“This is an assault on our democracy. It is not the same thing as a peaceful protest,” she said.

For committee members, her request was a step too far. 

“I’m not so sure that it is our call to ask him to resign,” Palombo said. “I think if he were in the fight, if he were in the Capitol supporting what was going on that would be a different thing. Nobody would have any reservations. I’m just not sure that’s an appropriate stance to take at this point.”