Citing discriminatory comments toward the LGBTQ community and people of color, bullying, and retaliatory behavior, Woodland Park Councilman Ronnie Arnau resigned after less than six months in office and will drop out of the race for a full term in the November general election.
Arnau has also stepped down as Democratic municipal chairman, saying he saw “no viable path forward.”
“Mismanagement of communication, essential information, leadership, organizational structure, prioritization, etc., has resulted in a toxic culture of finger-pointing, unprofessional conduct, and attrition,” Arnau said. “This behavior is unacceptable and certainly not at all what I had expected considering the vision that had initially been presented to me.”
In a letter to colleagues obtained by the New Jersey Globe, Arnau said that he had been “subject to, a witness of, and/or have received complaints about members of this administration conspiring against me and/or intentionally inflicting distress and retaliatory behavior.”
“First-hand accounts of malicious actions within and towards our own county committee and/or council candidates/members,” he said.
Arnau became municipal chairman last October after Keith Kazmark resigned from that post and his mayoral seat after being named Ridgewood Village Manager. He was appointed to fill a vacant council seat on January 3.
In his letter, he outlines a toxic environment in local government and Democratic politics.
“In the short time that I’ve been a part of regular campaign meetings, caucuses, etc., the majority of those gatherings are spent having to listen to personal grievances about the past administration, personal vendettas, obsessive suspicions, direct and veiled threats towards current and former county and local officials of the party,” Arnau stated. “When members/volunteers have tried airing concerns, they are often silenced or encouraged to hold their comments till the end, by which point the subject would regularly pass and go unaddressed.”
He said that weekly campaign calls are “often forgotten or ignored by leaders of the party,” even though consultants are about half of their campaign budget.
Arnau’s triple resignation will require a complicated series of events to replace him.
The Woodland Park Democratic County Committee must hold a new election to fill the municipal chair position – and a meeting to pick a replacement candidate to fill Arnau’s slot on the general election ticket.
Additionally, the county committee must submit three names to the borough council to fill the remainder of Arnau’s term.
The borough’s mayor, Tracy Kallert, said she received Arnau’s letter on her personal email late last night.
“Last night, Ron Arnau, Woodland Park Councilman, drafted and circulated a resignation email. While the Borough Clerk has not received an official letter of resignation, upon its receipt, the Governing Body looks forward to filling this vacancy to ensure that our most sacred priority – serving our residents – continues in a manner that is expected of us as elected officials,” Kallert said. “As always, our top priority remains serving the residents of Woodland Park”.
This story was updated at 3:46 PM with comment from Kallert.