HURLEY
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ATLANTIC COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE
P.O. BOX 1001
MAYS LANDING, NJ 08330
Chuck Chiarello, Chairman
June 12, 2003
Craig Callaway TRANSMITTED VIA FAX 347-9xxx, 347-8xxx AND HARD COPY
142 S. Tennessee Avenue
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
RE: Disloyalty to Atlantic County Democrats
Dear Mr. Callaway:
Your conduct during the recent Primary Election inextricably links you to the Republican Party's attempt to destroy the candidacy of Tom Swift for State Senate as well as to prevent a legitimate Democrat from challenging Dennis Mason for Fifth Ward Council in Atlantic City.
You were a delegate to the County Nominating Convention and therefore were pledged to support those candidates running on the County Line in the Primary. Despite that, you dishonorably conducted a stealth campaign to attempt to defeat Mr. Swift and replace him with your good friend, Deon Garland.
Mr. Garland would have simply been a straw candidate and would have deeply damaged the rest of the County ticket. Even worse, you attempted to do this by using apparently fraudulent absentee messenger ballots with write-ins.
It has been apparent for a long period of time that you hold the Atlantic County Democrats in disdain and have aligned yourself with the Gormley Republicans. This has been clear from your public invective attacks upon Democrats, your consistently disruptive and threatening conduct at County Committee meetings, your support of Republican Dennis Mason for Vice-President of Atlantic City Council and your devious attempt to defeat Rev. Lawton Nelson in the 2001 Primary.
Your continued disloyalty to the Atlantic County Democrats, unfortunately, did not stop there. After your clandestine attack failed, you then sought to embarrass both the Democratic Party and Mr. Swift. You demeaned the Party and its candidates by publicly alleging that the Party was dead, it had no competent candidates and that Craig Callaway didn't need the Democratic Party.
Your sad attempt to justify your actions simply made it clear to the Party that it doesnt need nor want you. Your threats to depose Freeholder Rev. Lawton Nelson, because he had the temerity to call for an investigation, says volumes about your lack of integrity and your disloyalty to the Atlantic County Democrats. Because of your efforts, Mr. Mason is now running as the Republican nominee for Fifth Ward City Council with the slogan, also Endorsed By the Democrat Party.
Your alliance with the Republicans is evident with the assistance you continue to receive from prominent lawyers like John Carbone, the leading Republican election law attorney in New Jersey. After consultations with Atlantic County Democratic party leaders, I am requesting that you resign as a member of the Democratic Party and join your friends, the Gormley Republicans. You can go back to your original home since you were a Republican in 1997 in order to support Bill Gormley. I ask you, for a change, to do the right thing and resign. This will save the Party the trouble of censuring/expelling you later.
Sincerely,
Chuck Chiarello, Chair, Atlantic County Democratic Committee
06/12/03
Hurley@SJTalk.com