Jim Bertino, a Republican, represents most of the western towns of Atlantic County including Hammonton, Mullica, Egg Harbor City, and most of Mays Landing. Rather than play defense with Democrats, Bertino introduced a resolution condemning all political violence, including riots by Democrats since 2011 in Wisconsin, Ferguson, Baltimore, Chicago, Portland, New York, Philadelphia, and even Atlantic City. His resolution will be introduced on Tuesday, February 16.
Caren Fitzpatrick is one of two Democrats on the nine member County Board of Commissioners (formerly Freeholders). At both the meetings of January 19 and February 2, she and fellow Democrat Ernest Coursey, demanded that Republicans join them in voting for a resolution condemning former President Trump “and his extremists supporters”. Until Jim Bertino stepped forward with his resolution, Republicans appeared weak and unprepared in responding.
Atlantic County government is run by ten elected officials. The departments are supervised by a “County Executive”, who is currently Republican Dennis Levinson. Nine “County Commissioners (previously called “Freeholders”) act as the legislative body. They make budgets, award contracts, and review appointments to county boards. The have no authority to act of national or state matters. “There are 6 Republicans and 2 Democrats. The District Commissioner Seat for most of Egg Harbor Township and some of Mays Landing is vacant pending a special election on April 20, 2021 between Democrat Thelma Witherspoon and Republican Drew Parker). The County Commissioners make decisions concerning county operations and property including the jail, libraries, parks, and roads.
At last month’s January 19 meeting, the two Democrat Commissioners introduced a resolution calling for the impeachment of former President Trump condemning “his extremist supporters” in connection with the riot at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on January 6. They demanded that the six Republican County Commissioners put it up for a “yes” or “no” vote. (The six Republican county commissioners, formerly freeholders, are Frank Balles, Jim Bertino, Richard Dase, Amy Gatto, John Risley, and Maureen Kern. The Republicans voted to “table” the motion, and delay the vote to a later meeting.
The Republicans were legally and factually correct, but politically wrong in doing this. The Republican County Commissioners correctly pointed out that (1) County officials can’t decide national matters, (2) Trump is already out of office, and (3) The evidence is unclear and disputed as to how many rioters were “Trump supporters”, and whether or not they were “incited” by anything said or done by Trump.
However, this “correct” Republican response came across as ineffective and weak. This, of course, is why the Democrats proposed their one-sided resolution in the first place. They know that sensational, biased, and inflammatory media coverage of the January 6 riots turned President Trump and his supporters into political kryptonite. Democrats now want to use that kryptonite to destroy every Republican candidate in every election throughout America. Caren Fitzpatrick, one of the Democratic County Commissioners may be a candidate for the State Assembly later this year.
The resolution proposed by Atlantic County Democrats last month was designed to put Republicans into a no-win situation. If Republicans “table” or delay acting on the resolution, Democrats will pack every meeting with supporters and bring up the resolution week after week. If Republicans vote “yes” to condemn Trump, they will lose Trump supporters they need to win future elections. If Republicans vote “no”, Democrats will paint them as being soft on crime and law enforcement, if not “insurrectionists’ themselves.
When the Atlantic County Commissioners met on February 2, two weeks later, nothing had changed. The virtual meeting was again packed with Democrats demanding a vote. The six Republicans again voted to postpone the matter for two more weeks. It will come up again today, Tuesday, February 16 at 4pm.
Fortunately, Commissioner Jim Bertino drafted a new Republican resolution that condemns all “violent actors, hate groups, riotous mobs and persons inciting crime as a means to harm, threaten, or intimidate others”.
In short, Bertino’s resolution seeks to force Democrats to condemn the violence and destruction by Democrat mobs during the past ten years.
That violence began with the storming by Democrats and members of government employee unions of the Wisconsin State Capitol Building in 2011 when they lost an election. It also the “Hands Up Don’t Shoot” riots in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014 and the andti-police riots in New York City and Baltimore of 2015. It includes the countless Democrat anti-Trump, anti-police, and anti-Dakota Pipeline riots in Milwaukee, Charlotte, and Portland in 2016. In includes the riots at Trump’s inauguration in 2017, and later that year in Washington State, and St. Louis.
Atlantic City police charged 95 people for rioting and looting at “The Walk” outlet shops last May 31. They also arrested seven, including local official Steve Young for blocking Expressway traffic during July Fourth Weekend. Were those charges pursued? Was anyone punished in any way?
Those political riots also include the riots, looting and burning by Antifa and Black Lives Matter Democrat mobs in Portland, Seattle, New York, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and, of course, Atlantic City.
Both the Democrat resolution condemning only Republican violence at the Capitol last January 6, and Bertino’s Republican resolution condemning all political violence during the past ten years will be brought up at today’s online meeting of the County Commissioners at 4pm today, February 16. You can attend by clicking the link at Board of County Commissioners – Atlantic County Government (atlantic-county.org) .
Please visit our our January 10, 2021 post: This All Started With Democrat Riots, Takeover of Wisconsin Capitol In 2011. – Liberty and Prosperity
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