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Residents urge county to condemn lawmaker’s rhetoric; commissioners decline to take action
Summary
Multiple residents at the May 19 meeting pressed commissioners to publicly reject remarks by Assemblyman Eric Peterson alleging fraud and demeaning immigrants; speakers urged a formal rebuke but the board declined to adopt a statement, with the director urging commenters to contact the lawmaker directly.
Several residents used the May 19 public‑comment period to press the Hunterdon County Board of County Commissioners to publicly repudiate remarks they said were made by Assemblyman Eric Peterson.
Guy Citron (Tewksbury Township) described receiving a partisan mailer and cited a recording of Peterson asserting that Democrats had "stolen" elections by importing non‑citizen voters. Citron asked whether the board would publicly reject what he called "election denialism" and anti‑immigrant rhetoric.
Kathy Chernick, who said her family survived Nazi and communist regimes, told the board she could not remain silent after hearing Peterson's speech and invoked historical scholarship to argue the rhetoric mirrors patterns that can lead to fascism. "I cannot stay silent when I hear what Assemblyman Peterson is saying," she said.
Steve Luffley read quotations about the duty to speak against injustice.
The director responded at length, saying the board has repeatedly heard the same public complaints and that members should address the lawmaker directly rather than asking the county commissioners to debate a speech made by someone who is not on the board. "I gave you Mister Peterson's phone number for his office...so that you can do what adults always do," the director said, adding that continued repetition of the matter in meetings looked like a "show." The director did not move to adopt any formal statement or condemnation.
No motion or vote to censure or repudiate the state lawmaker was made during the meeting. Public commenters asked the board to take a public stand; commissioners declined to do so and emphasized the board’s focus on county business.
