Camden County Democratic Chairman Jim Beach has publicly called out 286 Democratic elected officials, county committee members and party activists who failed to vote in last month’s contested Democratic primary, declaring their absence “disgraceful” and suggesting they should not expect the party’s backing in future elections.
In an email, Beach circulated a six-page list identifying what he described as “prominent members” of the Camden County Democratic organization who did not cast ballots in the June primary that nominated County Commissioners Louis Cappelli and Jon Young for re-election.
“Frankly, this is disgraceful,” stated Beach, a state senator.
Beach argued there was no excuse for Democratic officials to sit out the election in a state that has made voting easier than ever in recent years.
“Vote-by-mail was available to anyone who couldn’t make Election Day work. Early voting was available,” he said. There is no good excuse for a member of this community — let alone an elected official or committee member — sitting out a contested primary.”
He then suggested that party leaders should reconsider their support for those who failed to participate.
“If these folks couldn’t be bothered to vote for Cappelli and Young, it’s fair to ask whether we should be bothered to support them next year,” he warned. “This is inexcusable, and it shouldn’t happen again.”
Beach’s list includes elected officials from municipalities across Camden County, including Gloucester City Mayor Dayl Baile, Gloucester City Councilman George Berglund Jr., Chesilhurst Councilwomen Cathleen Jordan and Monica Holmes, Clementon Councilmembers Robert Dorsey Jr., Gwendolyn Cantwell and Thomas Shaw, Haddon Heights Councilmen Matthew Pagan and Chad DeMore, Pine Hill Council members Patricia Corry-Gaft and David Baiori Jr., Stratford Council members Dawn Martin and Jessica Farrell, Voorhees Township Committee members Michelle Nocito and Jacklyn Fetbroyt, and Woodlynne Council members Wilfredo Rodriguez, Shana Feliciano and Lavar Edwards.
The six-page document also identifies numerous county committee members and other Democratic activists from nearly every corner of Camden County who failed to vote in the primary.
A comparison of Beach’s list with the Camden County Democratic Committee’s roster of municipal chairs shows that none of the current Democratic municipal chairs appear among those publicly identified as having skipped the primary. Neither did any state legislators or countywide elected officials.
