Middletown Committee Candidate Sager Defends Anti-Cop Comments

MIDDLETOWN, NJ —Jeana Sager, the candidate running for a seat on the Middletown Township Committee has now released a statement explaining — and defending — controversial comments she made back in June, where she was caught on video saying "To me, a lot of police are criminals."

In the videotaped conversation, which you can watch below, Sager also voice support for needle exchanges and decriminalizing drug use.

As Patch was first to report, Sager lost her running mate, Sean Byrnes, late Friday afternoon. Controversy over her comments swelled in the past 72 hours and she was dropped by the Middletown and county Democratic party a day later. Byrnes and Sager were running as the Democratic ticket for the two seats on the Middletown Township Committee against Republican incumbents Rick Hibell and Kevin Settembrino.

Byrnes told Patch Friday he is no longer running with Sager in light of her comments. The criticism against Sager is mounting, particularly from within her own party: The Middletown Democratic Party also said they will not support her or fund her race, and the Monmouth County Democratic organization issued a similar statement this weekend calling for her to resign from the race.

The election is Nov. 5.

Sager does not appear to be quitting the race, and here is her full statement, which she released to Insider NJ:

It is a sad state of affairs when Americans cannot have honest conversations about timely issues such as police violence and the racist and prejudicial drug war, which is killing our youth, without fear of political crucifixion by both political parties.

The off the cuff conversation, which occurred in June in a parking lot was not a prepared speech. I was not discussing a Middletown campaign platform. I was talking about issues that impact families in my community. My opponents held on to this information while they figured out how to hurt my candidacy, a move which clearly shows ulterior motives rather than being the forthright and honest people they would have you believe they are.

I do wish I had stated some points more clearly, given there is a distinction between each candidate’s opinions and their joint platforms. My statements were an attempt to say that this is not an official campaign position but I’m willing to have a side conversation with those present. To be clear, with this immature distraction, the incumbents, and unfortunately, my former running mate Sean F. Byrnes, have moved the attention completely away from issues directly impacting Middletown families and other communities.

They do not want to talk about how taxes here keep going up or that Middletown has become cost prohibitive for families like mine, as a single mother of three paying nearly $14,000 a year in property taxes.

They don’t want to talk about how ineffective drug treatment costs New Jersey tax-payers $1.2 billion a year with a 40% failure rate and skyrocketing overdose deaths, (according to NJ Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services) yet jurisdictions that have decriminalized and developed robust harm reduction have nearly eliminated fatal overdoses. This is while our community, Middletown, ranks #17 out of the top 30 heroin using communities in New Jersey. If we keep doing things their way and not having these conversations, our youth will keep dying.

With regards to my reference to police crime, Mayor Perry who is calling for my resignation is one of the biggest hypocrites who sat silent along with Republican candidates Rick Hibell and Kevin Settembrino, when a Middletown police officer recently almost killed a New York resident while driving under the influence and fleeing the scene of a severe accident. I encourage people to take a deep breath and focus on what was actually said about police violence and not what people say was said.

If we can’t have an honest conversation about police, some of whom act criminally, then we are not protecting our citizens or the police who risk their lives for us. Middletown clearly wants to have these conversations as evidenced by the wildly successful Black Lives Matter event at The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Monmouth County. Clearly one more issue of importance to the community ignored by the entrenched political powers.

Over half the population in Middletown is female, yet women represent only 1/5 of our township committee, a gross underrepresentation. I am the only woman currently running. People have always come up with reasons to silence and push women out of politics. Just because I want to have tough conversations about difficult issues, some private and some public, doesn’t mean I will be bullied out of this space by the very cowards who think they are in a better position to ignore these issues to the detriment of our community.

The back story

Sager made comments outside a Middletown Twp. Committee meeting this past June, when she was speaking casually in front of a group of pro-marijuana activists.

In the video, Sager identifies herself and says she is running for Middletown Twp. Committee. She also tells the pot proponents she has to be careful what she says because Middletown is an "extremely, extremely red" area. She tells a reporter in the group that the entire conversation is off the record. They discuss marijuana and she says she supports needle exchanges; she also says she doesn't want to stigmatize drug users, or criminalize drug use.

At the end of the clip, an unidentified man said he doesn't like the opioid awareness speakers who are in public schools, calling some of them "criminals."

"What constitutes a criminal? To me, a lot of police are criminals," Sager replies. "So where do you go with that?"

She does not elaborate.

The conversation was not videotaped by the reporter. It was recorded by Edward "Lefty" Grimes, who bills himself as a pro-marijuana activist in New Jersey. Art Gallagher, a conservative Monmouth County blogger who writes More Monmouth Musings, said a reader tipped him off to the video when Grimes posted it on his Facebook page. However it has now been taken down from Grimes' page. Grimes did not answer Patch's questions about why he posted the video and then took it down. (Coincidentally, Patch actually interviewed Grimes last year at the opening of a medical marijuana store in Secaucus.)

Gallagher grabbed the video and put it on YouTube. Here is a shortened version of the conversation:

The Middletown Democratic party has condemned Sager's comments, and will not be funding her race. The Monmouth County Democratic Organization said the same this weekend.

Monmouth County Democratic Party Chairman David Brown said the following on Saturday in a statement the party emailed to Patch:

"The comments made Jeana Sager shouldn't be said on camera or behind closed doors, because they are unequivocally wrong. Her false and demeaning assertions do not represent the values of the Monmouth County Democratic Party or the dozens of Democratic candidates trying to better their community across our county. Our Democratic candidates focus their campaigns on fiscal responsibility, supporting law enforcement in their protection of our communities, and maintaining Monmouth County's character and values. Our Party will not stand for or support this disgraceful way of thinking, which is why we are refusing all resources to the Sager campaign and formally withdrawing the endorsement of the Monmouth County Democrats. Let it be a clear message: The Monmouth County Democratic Party will not stand for this disgraceful behavior now or in the future."

Said Middletown Democratic Chairman Michael Dicicco:

"The Middletown Democrats have acted swiftly and decisively upon seeing the video of Jeana Sager’s statements disparaging police officers. We have withdrawn our endorsement of her candidacy for Township Committee and will commit no resources to her campaign which we have asked her to end. Her comments are inaccurate, unfounded, and hurtful. We respect and honor the work of police officers, especially the officers in Middletown who make Middletown one of the safest communities in New Jersey and the United States. We are proud of our candidate Sean Byrnes who issued a statement setting forth his absolute disagreement with her comments and thanking the police for their service. In addition, we have spoken to county and state Democratic leaders who are in complete agreement with us. The Middletown Democrats will move forward from this incident and continue our campaign which is focused on restoring our quality of life that is now threatened by overdevelopment."

Middletown PBA Local 124 President, Adam Colfer, also said this weekend she should drop out of the race, according to MoreMonmouthMusings.

“Township Committee candidate Jeana Sager’s comments are completely unacceptable,” said Colfer. “All across the country members of law enforcement are continuing to face the real threat of physical violence, so the last thing we would expect is to be branded ‘criminals’ by someone who wants to serve in elected office. Candidate Sager should apologize immediately to the Middletown Police Department, and to law enforcement everywhere, for her hateful rhetoric against the very people who have chosen to take on the responsibility of protecting our neighborhoods.”

As for now, it appears Byrnes is running on his own.

"I learned of these statements today, and I absolutely disagree with her," Byrnes told Patch Friday. "I have today suspended my campaign for Township Committee. If she does not withdraw from the campaign, then I will. I cannot run with someone who has such beliefs."

Byrnes could always run on his own, which he said "is possible."

"But I won't run with her," he said.

He added in a later statement on Saturday: “Every day police officers risk health and harm to deal with crises in our community. They are face-to-face with substance abuse, horrific car accidents, domestic violence, unpredictable traffic stops, physical violence, and threats from the most desperate members of our society. I am grateful for their service and believe we owe them all a debt of gratitude."

Here is the entire 15-minute conversation. The police comments come up at 4:30:

Initial Patch report on the Jeana Sager controversy: Middletown Democratic Ticket Collapses After Controversial Video