Dog Wearing Trump Bandana In Barnegat Calendar Draws Concern

BARNEGAT, NJ — The October photo featured on Barnegat’s municipal calendar drew criticism from a township resident during a council meeting on Tuesday.

“There have been gorgeous, beautiful photos of animals. They are the pets I believe of the township employees,” Claire Edelstein said during the public comment session.

Upon turning the page of her calendar to October, she was surprised to find a photo of a dog wearing a Trump bandana with the caption, “Jax Making The Neighborhood Safe Again.”

Edelstein called the photo “highly inappropriate.”

“I don't think it belonged in a public, neighborhood document. It should not have been a political statement. It shouldn’t have happened at all but it should not have happened in October, the month before we go to elect officials,” Edelstein said.

Mayor Albert Bille and Administrator Martin Lisella apologized to Edelstein and called the photo an “oversight."

Edelstein said she found that hard to believe.

“Oversights are an apostrophe missing, a comma missing — things like that. This is not an oversight,” she said.

Edelstein suggested that the administration take accountability and make an apology to the township.

“I will take responsibility for that,” Township Clerk Donna Manno said. “It was after the election. It was just something that person had sent to me as their picture. It was a mistake on my part, so I do apologize.”

Mayor Bille said if he had seen the calendar before it was published, he would not have approved it.

"It's certainly a personnel matter so I think the Mayor and Mr. Lisella have already told you that it’s being looked into," said Township Attorney Christopher Dasti. "I don’t want to get into a back and forth over whose fault it is."

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