Long Branch planning board official Ed Thomas, who made outrageous remarks that shocked New Jersey and particularly offended the LGBT community, last week promised to resign for "the good of the community" - but now he's thinking of staying.   It's outrageous! 

Here Garden State Equality asks you to write to members of the Long Branch City Council, asking them to obtain his swift resignation.  If he refuses, you're asking them to initiate his removal from office. 

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

Ed Thomas, as you may know, is telling journalists and friends he may not step down after all. It's beyond me how the City Council could tolerate Mr. Thomas' putting Long Branch through a roller coaster of hell.

Mr. Thomas must follow through on his resignation for "the good of the community," as he told the Asbury Park in its Wednesday, April 23rd edition.

By Mr. Thomas' very own reasoning - the good of the community - I ask you to talk to him to obtain his swift resignation. If he refuses, I ask the city council to initiate his separation from the planning board.

Garden State Equality, of which I am a proud member, is prepared to continue its rallies at Long Branch planning board and city council meetings. The organization would do so with my strong encouragement.

Regardless of how you feel about Mr. Thomas, his on-again, off-again promise to resign is a statewide embarrassment to the city, and worse.

1. His original comments leave Long Branch city government legally vulnerable. When you, city officials, have had notice for six weeks since his original remarks, everyday that Mr. Thomas remains in office as your appointed official adds to a potential legal case.

2. This saga is no longer only about a single remark, but also about Mr. Thomas' six weeks of behavior since. Mr. Thomas has continued to place blame for his remarks on the original witness, and has demonstrated a lack of contrition that would make any potential apology a negotiated joke. He told the Asbury Park Press in its Wednesday, April 23 edition, "I'm not going to accept any level of guilt."

3. Mr. Thomas' calling a lawyer with an impeccable reputation and clean public record a pedophile is - completely apart from the issue of homophobia - reason for dismissal. In the private sector, any employee who would make such a remark would be fired summarily.

4. Though Mr. Thomas says he did not intend for his remarks to be homophobic, remarks involve not only intent, but also impact. The impact of Mr. Thomas' statement, in which he used the word pedophilia as part of a conversation on sexual "persuasion" and "preferences," was devastating to those of us in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Who gets to decide the impact of remarks on an aggrieved community, the person who made the remarks, you, or most logically, the community itself?

5. The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and our allies across New Jersey have made Long Branch an economic destination. Rather than show contrition for his remarks, Mr. Thomas has responded by attacking our state's largest LGBT civil rights organization. Keep in mind that the LGBT community has other desination options, including nearby on the Jersey Shore.

Distinguished members of the city council, this is, without question a statewide issue. A hateful attack on one of us is a hateful attack on all of us. Mr. Thomas says he will not be bullied from office, but the bully here is him. His hurtful words not only bullied the original witness, but are have been used for generation by those who bully others.

I ask you, again, to talk to Mr. Thomas to obtain his swift resignation. If not, you can count on Garden State Equality's not backing down and continuing to attend Long Branch planning board and city council meetings in protest.

We're not going away.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
April 27, 2008