Deputy Mayor steps down after calling Islam ‘a cancer’

Lou Reiner resigned as deputy mayor of Raritan Township New Jersey this week after the township committee publicly condemned a post he shared on his Facebook page that called Islam a cancer that “must be treated with radiation.” Fellow Committee member Mike Mangin will serve in his place as deputy mayor — an appointed position […]

Lou Reiner resigned as deputy mayor of Raritan Township New Jersey this week after the township committee publicly condemned a post he shared on his Facebook page that called Islam a cancer that “must be treated with radiation.”

Fellow Committee member Mike Mangin will serve in his place as deputy mayor — an appointed position from within the elected committee members — for the remainder of 2019 in accordance with a resolution unanimously passed by the committee on Tuesday. Reiner, whose term expires at the end of 2020, did not resign from the committee.

In addition to accepting Reiner’s resignation from the deputy mayor role, the committee also passed a resolution censuring Reiner “for his derogatory, discriminatory, and offensive public statements” and requesting that he consider resigning from the Township Committee altogether.

“Committeeman Reiner has impugned the reputation of his office, marginalized its authority, and exposed the township and its residents to undue financial liability and public humiliation,” the resolution states.

All committee members except Reiner, who last month publicly apologized for the post, voted to pass the resolution.

The Raritan Township Democratic Club wrote a letter to the township committee calling on Reiner to “retract his ugly rhetoric and apologize to the Muslim community.”

“In an era when hateful speech is dividing our nation, it is reprehensible that a sitting committeeman would foment religious division using the rhetoric of far-right extremist groups,” the letter reads.

Marianne Rampula, president of the Raritan Township Democratic Club, said that she and a number of others spoke during the meeting to demand that Reiner resign from the committee.

Flemington resident Joey Novick said he accepted Reiner’s apology “as heartfelt,” but added that “there are better people to step up and represent Raritan Township.”

“When a member of an elected body is so blatant with their bigotry, I think it compels the constituency – especially the town – to demand that they step down because of very bad judgment,” Novick said.