Vernon council adopts censure of Mayor Anthony Rossi; mayor vows to fight resolution

The Vernon Township Council voted on March 23 to adopt Resolution #26-147, formally censuring Mayor Anthony Rossi for conduct the council said was "inconsistent with the duties of office and public trust." The censure was included in an omnibus consent agenda the council approved unanimously.

The resolution text, read into the record, said the mayor’s administration of the Facebook group "The Real Inside Vernon" had "perpetuated posts" that amounted to "harassment of private individuals, unlawful blocking, demonstration of Nazi ideology, and racist depictions of Vernon residents," and that those actions "expose the township to liability." The resolution "formally urges" and "implores" the mayor to stop the conduct and to unblock persons he has blocked on platforms he uses to convey township business.

Mayor Anthony Rossi, speaking before the formal vote, called the censure "politics over progress," defended his personal Facebook page as an uncensored forum and said the council was attempting to silence him. "I ran on transparency. I ran on communication," Rossi said, adding that he created the page because "our community deserves open dialogue—even when it's uncomfortable." Rossi also told the council that investors and a donor withdrew offers after public attacks tied to the social-media controversy and framed the censure as part of broader political retribution.

Several members of the public testified both for and against the council's action during the meeting’s public-comment period. The minutes record residents saying they either agreed with Resolution #26-147 or opposed censuring the mayor; speakers were noted by name but the minutes provide brief paraphrases of their positions rather than full quotes.

After the consent-agenda vote, Mayor Rossi said he would file an ethics complaint with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs over the resolution’s passage. Council Member Carl Contino, who the minutes record as the author of the resolution, said during council comment that he wrote the resolution himself and defended it as necessary despite acknowledging it carries no independent legal penalty.

Next steps: the resolution was entered into the official minutes and made visible to the public. Mayor Rossi’s stated ethics complaint and any subsequent DCA response or legal filings were not recorded in the minutes and thus remain to be reported if and when the township or state agencies publish further action.