Neighbor News
How Low Will Mayor Woodruff's Campaign Go To Win An Election?
Are those who cynically resort to slinging mud really the people who should be entrusted with running our town?
As a 13-year resident of Berkeley Heights, a Republican and a former candidate for Mayor, I am truly appalled and disgusted by the Mayor Robert Woodruff Campaign and in particular the actions of its campaign manager, and Union County Republican Committee member, Julie Lloyd.
During the primary earlier this year, Julie Lloyd and Mayor Robert Woodruff undertook a smear offensive against our Respect the Taxpayers campaign and against me personally. They have set a disgusting tone for local politics in Berkeley Heights and, rather than admitting they went too far, they now seem to be doubling down on this tactic.
It has been brought to my attention that Julie Lloyd filed documents with Union County requesting access to government records in an apparent effort to dig up dirt on Stephen Yellin, a candidate on the Democratic ticket for Town Council. While I can say that I have almost nothing in common with Stephen as far as political viewpoints, one thing that I can say is that I feel that he is a well-meaning person. Why dig up dirt on Stephen Yellin? To me, Julie Lloyd and Mayor Robert Woodruff seem desperate and their true character is being revealed.
I felt the incumbents went extremely low by sending out a libelous mailer, attacking my family, and smearing me and our campaign as they spoke to residents at their doors. Our Respect the Taxpayers campaign was 100% clean. We focused on the issues and informed the residents of what we would do differently.
It is apparent that Mayor Robert Woodruff, who has been involved in local politics over the past 10 years, feels the need to hide his record and hope instead he can dig up enough dirt on other candidates to deceive the voters into letting him continue to have free reign in our town. What is so important about a part-time, virtually unpaid mayoral position that some will stop at nothing, including smearing fellow residents, to ensure Woodruff is reelected?
This coming election, and all elections, should be about facts, prior track record and trustworthiness, not distractions. Are those who cynically resort to slinging mud really the people who should be entrusted with running our town?
