Republicans Claim All “PTO Moms” Unqualified for Borough Council

My jaw dropped when I read William Heap’s letter arguing that Carolyn Dempsey and Jocelyn Mathiasen are nothing but “PTO moms” (because they are women, have kids in the school system and because one of them was seen at a school budget meeting) and, therefore, they can’t responsibly oversee the Borough’s budget. The sexism and claims of guilt by association are incredibly offensive. Len Resto and Peter Hoffman then touted this offensive article on their Facebook page, once again taking a dig at all Democrats while claiming that they are running a non-partisan and positive campaign. There is nothing “left” or “right” about local government. Jocelyn Mathiasen and Carolyn Dempsey are both taxpayers in this community who have provided great new ideas for making the Chatham Borough more efficient and responsive. Ms. Mathiasen is an economist who has dedicated her career to improving municipal operations; Ms. Dempsey was raised in a Republican family; worked for a Republican member of Congress; and is well known for her ability to listen and connect with people young and old, affluent and struggling, and hear their concerns. They are well aware that high taxes are one of the top issues for Chatham families and have many ideas for how to spend less on current operations. The incumbents are arguing that mothers and Democrats are incompetent – vote for Carolyn Dempsey and Jocelyn Mathiasen and help prove them wrong.