Editor, Gazette-Journal:
As a voter in Gloucester County, I am concerned about people bringing weapons to public meetings. I don’t know what instigated this activity or why Gloucester was chosen by non-residents to make their opinions known. What kind of environment have we created in Gloucester to make people think that intimidation is acceptable? Is it a response to past elections or an attempt to deter residents from participating in future elections?
The process of elections is based on the idea of a Social Contract. This contract is the collective agreements we have made that allow us to live together with minimal conflict. Many of these agreements have been codified in the law. There are also many unspoken elements of our Social Contract. We expect candidates to understand the responsibilities of the office they seek and to function within the operational norms of that office. There are no elected officers in Gloucester who are exempt from ethical behavior.
This spiral into mistr...