By: Joseph L. Kuchie

SOUTH AMBOY – South Amboy Mayor Fred Henry commented on the recent 2016 U.S. Election at last Monday’s council meeting.

Mayor Fred Henry

People around the United States, including students and faculty at a number of colleges and universities in New Jersey, have taken to the streets to protest Trump’s victory. Trump (290 electoral votes) defeated Hillary Clinton (232 electoral votes) on November 8th despite Clinton receiving over 1 million more total votes than Trump.

Henry, a Democrat, acknowledged that United States citizens have the right to protest, but hoped that they would stay as peaceful as possible. He also noted that our country was great for a reason and citizens must trust the process.

“There have been protests, we all know that, but we have a great country for a reason,” Henry said. “We have a constitution that lays the ground work for how a person is elected. It has worked for over 240 years.”

“We’re never going to agree with the person that is elected but the person is our President, whoever that might be, and in this case it is Donald Trump,” he continued. “We need to move forward and hope that he does what is best for all Americans. I’d like to think positively on things and I think that he will.”

“We just need to make sure that these protests that are going on stay as peaceful as possible,” he added. “We know people have the right to protest, but we need to move on as a nation, he will be our President, and we need to wish him well and surround him with good people.”

“Come January 20th we need to accept him. As President Obama said ‘If he succeeds, we all succeed’, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Despite Clinton winning New Jersey’s 14 electoral votes and taking Middlesex County with about 55,000 more votes than Trump, Trump actually won South Amboy by over 300 votes (1,870-1,506).  Clinton had also lost South Amboy to Bernie Sanders during the Democratic Primary, and South Amboy was one of just three municipalities in Middlesex County that voted Sanders over Clinton (Milltown, Spotswood).

Mayor Henry also congratulated councilman Tom Reilly and councilwoman Zusette Dato on their re-election to the city council, and welcomed Democrat Brian McLaughlin, who will fill the seat left by Councilman Donald Applegate after defeating Independent Barbara Pasternack 681-161.

Councilman Applegate was not in attendance for the meeting. The next and final city council meeting of 2016 will be held on December 21 at 7:00 p.m.