NJ Deputy Mayor Resigns After Comparing Jews, Illegals to Raccoons

MENDHAM, N.J. (AP) —
Rick Blood (R) packs up his personal belongings Monday night after an executive session where he resigned his position as deputy mayor of Mendham Township, NJ. (Bob Karp/The Daily Record via AP)

The deputy mayor of a New Jersey town resigned Monday night after comparing “Hasids” and illegal immigrants to rabid raccoons in a social media post.

Rick Blood, the Republican deputy mayor of Mendham Township, said his post, which compared Jews and illegal immigrants to “rabid, messy, mean raccoons,” was copied from a friend.

“This country is weak, bankrupt, and our enemies are making fun of us,” the post read. “We are being invaded by illegals, we are becoming a nation of victims where every Tom, Ricardo and Hasid is a special group with special rights to the point where we don’t recognize the country we were born and raised in.”

Blood deleted the post Sunday and wrote an apology.

Blood said at the beginning of Monday’s Township Committee meeting that he did not intend to resign, but was met with opposition from angry residents. He apologized again, saying his “bonehead” decision to post the rant had put the committee in a difficult position.

The committee discussed the matter in a closed session after urging from the body’s lone Democrat, Amalia Duarte, who defeated Blood in the 2017 election. Blood was later appointed to fill a vacant committee seat and selected as deputy mayor.

“I think we need to listen to the public,” Duarte said. “Let’s take action tonight.”

After a brief meeting, the committee returned, and Mayor Richard P. Diegnan Jr. announced that Blood would resign.

To Read The Full Story

Are you already a subscriber?
Click to log in!