Appellate court rejects Robin Vaugnn in Trenton

A state appellate court upheld that two Trenton city councilwomen were eligible to seek local office in 2022, delivering the latest blow to the short political career of controversial former Councilwoman Robin Vaughn.

Vaughn sought to toss Yazminelly Gonzalez and Jasi Mikae Edwards from their ballot, saying that Gonzalez didn’t meet the one-year residency requirement and Edwards’s long-ago shoplifting conviction barred them from running.

The city clerk had found Gonzalez and Edwards eligible to run, and a trial court judge concurred.

“We find no merit to plaintiffs’ substantive arguments because the record supported the court’s ruling that Gonzalez satisfied the residency requirement and Edwards’ conviction was not a disqualifying event under the facts presented,” the appellate court said in a unanimous ruling.

Scott Salmon had represented Gonzalez, and Bryce Wallace Newell as Vaugh’s attorney.

Vaughn had a long history of anti-Semitic, anti-Latino, and homophobic statements.  She gave up her city council seat after just one term to run for mayor in 2022 and received just 8% of the vote.  She ran for a seat on the Trenton school board last month and lost in a landslide of more than 2-1.