A New Jersey mayor has announced she won’t seek re-election after receiving a threatening letter in the wake of the unsolved February killing of a local councilwoman.
Sayreville Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick revealed during a borough council meeting on April 10 that she will leave office after the end of her term after serving on the council for a decade and as mayor since 2020.
“It’s a hard decision for me because I believe so passionately in this town, but I love my family more than anything in the world and sometimes a good leader knows when it’s time to step down,” she said, overcome with emotion.
Kilpatrick said a concerning letter was sent to her and was received and opened by clerk staff.
“That letter was so heinous that it had to be immediately turned over to authorities in order to be processed for forensics and so forth to find out where it originated from. I never saw the letter. I had it read to me” by the chief of local police, she said.
She paraphrased the contents of the letter to NBC New York as saying: “More of you crooked, corrupt, ‘insert racial slur’ politicians either need to follow, should follow, or I can’t wait until more of you are …” she said while gesturing her hands in an open manner.
NBC News has reached out to Kilpatrick for further comment.
Kilpatrick revealed during the council meeting earlier this month that while she’s no stranger to “nasty” and “borderline threatening” letters and messages, but since the Feb. 1 fatal shooting of 30-year-old Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, “I’ve received even more disgusting comments.”
Dwumfour’s death has left the borough of Sayreville, a community of about 45,000, on edge. She was found in her vehicle suffering multiple gunshot wounds near her home.
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday there are no updates in the Dwumfour case, and the investigation is active and ongoing.
Kilpatrick said she’s been troubled regarding the safety of the borough’s political leaders, as well as for her own family.
“Am I concerned about all of our safety? Absolutely I am,” she said in the council meeting. “Am I concerned for my family? Yes I am. You have a woman that was seated right here to our left that is murdered, gone, in cold blood shot, killed, we don’t know why yet.”
“When politics becomes something that you’re worried about for your safety, you have to ask yourself, is it worth it?” she added.
Ultimately, she made the decision to leave her office seat after speaking with her two teenage daughters, NBC New York reported.
“They sat me down and they said, ‘Mommy we don’t want you to do this anymore,’” she said.
During the council meeting she also spoke about increasing security at Borough Hall, where the council meets, and having uniformed officers present during sessions. She asked the police department to conduct a security assessment of all borough buildings.
“I’ve got at least 11 more meetings to be a real pain in the a–,” she said with a laugh at the council meeting. “And to hold people accountable and try to implore everyone up here to do what’s right.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
