As the Hainesport Municipal Chair, I attended Tuesday’s Burlington County Republican Committee municipal chairs meeting, which was referred to previously in an open letter posted online.

At that meeting, Chairman Sean Earlen laid out the overall rationale and the specific timeline of events that led to the Committee’s difficult decision to not support Joe Howarth’s bid for re-election to the State Assembly. The evidence discussed left no doubt that Howarth attempted to defect and continued working against the best interests of the Republican party. All chairs had an opportunity to ask questions, raise concerns and voice their opinions – and everyone was heard. As each chair spoke, they made clear their near unanimous support for the chairman, the party, the time-tested screening process, and most importantly, the importance to speak with a united voice.

One noticeable holdout was a woman who disappointingly recently released a statement to the press criticizing the candidate screening and selection process. As a fellow Municipal Chair, her criticism seems disingenuous considering she has served as a member of the screening committee for county and state candidates many times, and even agreed to be a member of the LD8 screening committee this coming weekend.

The evening’s thoughtful conversation was juxtaposed with Howarth’s anger when he was given the floor. We were all stunned as he raised his voice to us, refused to answer any questions, and made very clear that his priority was running regardless of overall support, with little caring about what this meant for the party in its entirety.

The Democrats want nothing more than to continue dividing our party. They want Joe Howarth to run for reelection this year, as they see their chances to take an additional Assembly seat greatly increase. We can do better.

New Jersey Republicans have an uphill climb, but our opportunities for success multiply when we are unified. It is more important than ever to be vigilant and fight for conservative principles and policies that will benefit Burlington County and New Jersey taxpayers, who deserve better than what has been portrayed in the media over recent weeks.

Committeewoman Lee Schneider

Hainesport Municipal Chair