Ethics Complaint Filed Against 3 Middletown Board Of Ed. Members

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — An ethics complaint has now been filed against Middletown Board of Education members Pam Rogers, Robin Stella and Nick DiFranco, all running as a slate for re-election this fall.

The complaint was filed this week by Laurie Tietjen, a former Middletown resident, and it pertains to their involvement in the Black Lives Matter/"Spread Love, Not Hate" march held at Middletown High School North on June 28.

Tietjen, whose brother was a Port Authority police officer who died in 9/11, is a familiar critic of Rogers and the other two. For months, she has criticized their involvement in that march.

She filed the complaint with the New Jersey School Ethics Commission. How the commission will respond is unknown.

"I did nothing wrong," said Rogers. "I think ethics violations are something that people throw out when they want to throw shade on someone. And it's because they want to free up my spot on the Board of Education."

"Nothing is going to happen from this ethics violation," she predicted. "I'll support anything that promotes equity and unity and minorities especially. She's trying to make something of this and I don't know what this is about. I wish she would just lay off."

In her twelve-page complaint, Tietjen makes a number of criticisms against the three. Among them are:

• Rogers, Stella and DiFranco "allowed signs, statements and hateful language that was extremely anti-police and anti-Republican" at the march. "They chose to take no action to stop this behavior during the event, and even after when there was public outcry, all but one openly refused to denounce what happened," she said.

Tietjen, who attended the march*, said she saw signs that day that read "ACAB," which stands for All Cops Are Bad; F12 (code for F*** the police) and another depicted the Antifa duck symbol.

Rogers has continually said that she did not see all those signs, and when she saw the duck and ACAB she had no idea what they meant at the time.

"I did hear a gentleman try to heckle (Middletown Police) Chief Weber during his speech," she said. "That gentleman was reprimanded by one of the leaders of the march."

• Tietjen says Rogers, Stella and DiFranco should have submitted the idea of having the march to a full Board vote, and instead "unilaterally decided to utilize discretionary board fund" to pay for the rally.

"All board members were aware of the march/rally," said Rogers.

Rogers said BOE funds were used to pay $1,400 in security to keep people off the football field at the event, which she said then-superintendent Dr. Bill George approved as the BOE had not paid for security in months since the meetings were all virtual. She said the stage was donated by a Middletown parent, and the school let students use the sound system. Tietjen said she learned in an OPRA request that the Sunday event cost $4,899 in police overtime, and board funds also paid for security and janitorial services, "which they have never done for any previous events," she said.

Speaking through Rogers, Stella pointed out that Middletown police are paid to provide additional security for the Bodman Park Trump rallies that have been happening.

• Tietjen said "Pam Rogers has repeatedly referred to her position as political and is seeking reelection and a 'political career' and even reached out to a political candidate to help advise on the protest."

Rogers mentioned in an email to her friend, progressive Congress candidate Christine Conforti, that the march was happening.

• That the event was advertised as a "unity" event but instead was divisive and critical to police, said Tietjen. Ever since she started publicly criticizing the march, Tietjen said she has been met with "threats to assemble outside my house, being called a racist and spreading lies about my charity, among many other disgusting things. These personal attacks, which have come from family and friends these board members, continue today against myself and anyone who has spoken out against what happened at the protest."

• That Pam Rogers is working with a small group of alumni and students who call themselves, Spread Love, Not Hate to also make changes to school curriculum. "They are holding private meetings and the invitation was not extended to others," said Laurie.

As Patch reported, there is a movement underway to change Middletown's curriculum to make it "anti-racist."

Rogers said she is not holding private meetings. "These are not secret meetings; they're on the Board agenda and the board members are not involved in them," said Rogers. "These are ongoing administrative meeting that they're having."

• And that a June 22 email from a Middletown student to Dr. George, read “Spread Love Not Hate sparked after the lives of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor were both violently stolen in acts of police brutality.”

"This mission statement is in stark contrast to the publicized purpose of the walk, which was to include 'no politics, no sides, no finger pointing," said Tietjen. "And would strive to 'erase all lines.'"

* Patch incorrectly originally reported that Tietjen did not attend the June 28 Middletown Spread Love, Not Hate march. She was indeed there.

Prior reporting on this issue: Fallen Middletown Police Officer's Sister Takes Issue With BLM March (July 29)

Police Chief, Students Speak At Middletown Social Justice March (June 29)

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