Commissioner Paul Dougherty A No Show For Commissioners Meeting

Commissioner Paul Dougherty

I took the time out of my evening to drive to Haddon Township for the first meeting of the commissioners since the news of Paul Dougherty leaving the scene of an accident broke. I was disappointed because Dougherty was a no show.

That’s right, Paul Dougherty took the coward’s way out and didn’t bother to show.

Officially, Dougherty “was on vacation,” according to a report on NJ.com.

Fortunately, the evening wasn’t a total loss, I met a couple of The Bob & Steve Show’s newest fans and will soon have material in my possession to add to the Dougherty story. Hint: the material comes from a citizen’s old OPRA requests. So stay tuned.

As to the meeting it was typical of local government meetings, well run and boring, until Jason DeMent approached the microphone to speak. DeMent is a smart guy and former cop in the Township. He’s the guy in the vote of no confidence video, he has guts.

I typed and swiped on my phone as fast as I could to keep up with DeMent as he spoke of Dougherty, “He made a monster mistake, and then he made a really poor choice on top of that mistake. I have all the respect for this commission. I’m not telling my children that a person in power broke the law and then is able to keep that power.”

DeMent went on to say that Dougherty “…needs to do the respectful thing and step down.” He said more, I couldn’t keep up, but fortunately NJ Pen was there and they did a good job covering the meeting. Read it here.

DeMent also made it a point to remind those seated at the dais of his community involvement. A gym owner, Personal Trainer and Weight Loss & Strength Training Specialist, DeMent dedicates some of his time to student athletes.

The Mayor nor the other Commissioner had anything of substance to say to DeMent.

Is Dougherty really on vacation? I seriously doubt he scheduled a vacation for a week in which there was a scheduled commissioners meeting. That said, he could have suddenly decided to take a vacation to avoid facing the people he represents. And, that would make him a coward.

RUMOR: Threats And Intimidation In Haddon Township

The story of Haddon Township Commissioner Paul Dougherty just keeps getting bigger!

Multiple sources have told us there are now threats of lawsuits against Township residents speaking out on the Dougherty issue.

If true, this is BS and needs to stop.

Based on comments on social media that have been forwarded to us it appears the residents are fighting back. Good for the residents!

In one heated social media discussion a man who may or may not be involved in real estate, who might allegedly be a friend of Dougherty’s posted at least one comment about lawsuits. As we understand many of the comments have since been deleted but following is a piece of how residents are pushing back on those alleged threats.

We’re leaving the names out of this post because we didn’t ask permission to use their names. But this is one reply to the alleged threat of lawsuits:

not to be rude, but who the heck are you to tell people what they can and can’t talk about? I hope it does cause a frenzy in all honesty! The residents of HT deserve someone honest and ethical to make decisions for them. I don’t know this gentleman and he is probably a decent guy, but he broke the law and most likely needs to go get help for his problem. I can tell you from personal experience that the worst thing you can do is NOT talk about it, “brush it under the rug,” or ignore this behavior. This is a public forum where the good people of HT can talk about these kinds of things and get some facts (think of all the “rambling nonsense” that is going on outside of here). What’s wrong is wrong and the facts speak for themselves.

We had one source explain, “People have been getting phone calls with threats of criminal charges.” Furthermore, it’s been alleged that Dougherty may be coaching the guy who may or may not be involved in real estate.

As we were tracking down sources for this piece, one source replied, “Yes, I just received a message yesterday about it. Apparently they are threatening with lawsuits to those going against Dougherty.”

All this talk of threats and intimidation adds up to one thing. Tomorrow night’s commissioners meeting in Haddon Township has the potential of being very exciting.

Plot Thickens In Haddon Township

This is the sixth time Haddon Township Commissioner Paul Dougherty, the elected official who crashed into a car and left the scene, gets a mention in this blog. Readers may recall Camden County Republicans called on Dougherty to resign from his post as a commissioner and as a municipal prosecutor in several towns.

Not only have the county Republicans called on Dougherty to step down, so have many residents in the Township. Some plan on attending the Township commission meeting on August 28 to ask him to resign. Silent in all of this are the county Democrats.

Why are county Democrats silent on all this? We now know Dougherty tried to pin his misdeeds on his wife. According to sources she wasn’t at the event the night of the accident at which Dougherty was allegedly seen drinking alcoholic beverages. Trying to throw his own wife under the bus reason is enough to stop protecting him.

Because at The Bob & Steve Show we believe family members are off limits we will never mention the name of Dougherty’s wife. Multiple sources in the Township have told us she is a very sweet lady. Unfortunately, she may be the reason Camden County Democrats have yet to tell Dougherty to resign. It turns out the father of Dougherty’s wife happens to be a man who was a somewhat powerful member of the Camco Democrat machine.

On top of having a former somewhat powerful member of the Camco Democrat machine as a father-in-law, multiple sources have informed The Bob & Steve Show that Dougherty’s wife holds a job in Camden County Clerk Joe Ripa’s office.

A former somewhat powerful member of the Camco Democrat machine as a father-in-law and a wife with a job in the County Clerk’s office. Are these the reasons Camco Democrats have yet to call on Haddon Township Commissioner Paul Dougherty to resign?

We’re waiting for answers.