GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Andrea Stubbs, a member of Gloucester Township Council, resigned from office Monday. She and a fellow council member were accused of authoring an attack flyer during the local school-board election, but Stubbs denied that she participated in the effort.
Council President Orlando Mercado read Stubbs’s resignation letter aloud during Monday’s council meeting, at Stubbs’s request. Her resignation, submitted to the township clerk Monday evening, was effective immediately.
“I regret that personal issues hindered my participation in a job I respected and enjoy,” her letter said. “I also regret being maligned by the falsehood of being the author or authorizing a letter regarding school-board elections. I would never participate in any type of potentially polarizing activity. It’s been an honor serving my community.”
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Last October, the Gloucester Township Republican organization accused Stubbs and Council Member Carolyn Grace of writing a “vicious” mailer attacking candidates for Gloucester Township’s Board of Education.
School-board candidates and officeholders in New Jersey don’t align with a political party. While partisan politicians and organizations can weigh in on the elections, their significant involvement in such races debatably crosses an ethical boundary.
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The mailer says it’s authored by both Stubbs and Grace and features both of their photos. The letter speaks against then-school board candidates John Austin, Nancy Fritz and Philip Desien. It was paid for by the Gloucester Twp Citizens for Government Reform PAC (Political Action Committee).
Fritz is now a school board member.
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Stubbs’s term was set to expire at the end of this year. She opted against running for re-election. Grace remains a council member with a term expiring at the end of 2025.
Restore Gloucester Township uploaded footage of Mercado reading Stubbs’s resignation letter. Watch below:
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