Palmyra councilwoman resigning after getting caught living in a different town (Updated)

Update: Ladonna De’Souza will resign her seat on the Palmyra Borough Council today, and will not take the oath of office tomorrow. 

A Palmyra councilwoman could face removal from office following allegations that she lives somewhere else.

Ladonna De’Souza, a Democrat who will be sworn in tomorrow for her first full term, no longer resides in Palmyra, according to a complaint filed by Burlington County Republican Chairman Sean Earlen.

“De’Souza has been ineligibly serving as a member of the Palmyra Borough Council, and not only is Ms. De’Souza ineligible from being again seated to any position of municipal office within the Borough of Palmyra,” said Earlen.

Earlen provided a property listing that shows D’Souza had listed her Palmyra Harbour condominium for rent; the listing showed an empty, unfurnished home.  She told the New Jersey Globe that some family members live there now.

In a telephone interview, De’Souza acknowledged that she had “temporarily left Palmyra in 2023” and spends most of her nights at her boyfriend’s home in Cherry Hill or her mother’s residence in Delanco.   She said her driver’s license has a Delanco address.

“I didn’t understand sleepovers was an issue,” she said. “Sometimes I’m at my Mom’s house, sometimes I’m in Cherry Hill, and sometimes I’m in Palmyra.”

Earlen’s complaint notes that the Palmyra post office forwards De’Souza’s mail to Cherry Hill.

De’Souza was hesitant to say where she actually lives.

“It depends on the week.  Last week, I spent two nights in Palmyra,” said De’Souza, who was appointed to fill a vacant council seat in October.

Earlen also claims that DeSouza fraudulently filed nominating petitions and candidate oaths and did not meet the statutory residency requirements to hold or seek local office.

He said it was “readily apparent that Ms. De’Souza has engaged in false swearing and outright fraud in completing, accepting and filing the required nominating petitions.”

“Should Ms. De’Souza be seated, we intend to seek, at the very minimum, immediate judicial relief,” said Earlen.

Borough officials received a copy of Earlen’s complaint on Thursday.

“We’re investigating.  We’ll do whatever is appropriate,” said Mayor Gina Ragomo Tait.