Woodbridge Councilwoman McAuliffe Responds To Ethics Complaint Filed About Her

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — First Ward Woodbridge Councilwoman Sharon McAuliffe said Thursday she stopped introducing ordinances she cannot vote on for a town council vote, after she received a complaint she was doing so and consulted with the Woodbridge Township attorney.

This is to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, McAuliffe said in a statement she provided to Patch Thursday night.

McAuliffe gave her statement to Patch one day after we reported McAuliffe has been introducing ordinances for a town council vote, but then recusing herself from voting on them.

"A question was raised at a Council meeting asking if my recusals should be extended to not even making the motions on ordinances and resolutions that I do not intend on voting on and we referred this matter to our municipal attorney," McAuliffe said Thursday. "It was determined that in the interest of transparency I should no longer even make motions on these Council actions ... Upon receiving this advice I stopped instantly and other Council persons now make the motions."

In June, Woodbridge Republican chairman John Vrtaric filed a complaint with the Local Finance Board saying McAuliffe was introducing town ordinances but not voting on them, as they could benefit her Main Street bagel shop.

One of the ordinances she introduced, but did not vote on, was for a 30-year tax abatement for apartments on Main Street.

Vrtaric questioned why she was even introducing the ordinances if she could not vote on them.

Vrtaric is backing Ken Gardner, the Republican candidate challenging McAuliffe this fall for the First Ward Council seat.

"First, she's doing business for the town she was elected to be a check and balance for," Gardner said Friday. "And she made a motion to approve a tax break to build apartments on Main Street, which everyone is against."

After getting Vrtaric's complaint, the Local Finance Board opened an investigation into McAuliffe in late June. Their investigation remains open as of today, the Board said this week.

Here is McAuliffe's entire statement she sent Patch Thursday evening:

"I would like to take this opportunity to respond to an article published in the Patch on Wednesday, September 17 that alleges improprieties and erroneous allegations put forth by John Vrtaric, chairman of the Woodbridge Township Republican Committee, and Kenny Gardner, their candidate who is running against me for the First Ward Council seat that I have held for the last four years.

This is nothing more than a desperate attempt to smear me and my reputation with less than seven weeks to the General Election.

Please allow me to clear the record and report the facts.

As far back as 1992 when Kenny Gardner was on the Township Council it was the practice for the Council vice president to make the motion to introduce ordinances and resolutions and I continued that practice upon assuming the vice president role in 2025. Mr. Gardner knows this.

I make it a policy to recuse myself from any actions of the Township Council that could be perceived as a conflict of interest due to my ownership of Knot Just Bagels on Main Street. A question was raised at a Council meeting asking if my recusals should be extended to not even making the motions on ordinances and resolutions that I do not intend on voting on and we referred this matter to our municipal attorney.

It was determined that in the interest of transparency I should no longer even make motions on these Council actions and upon receiving this advice I stopped instantly and other Council persons now make the motions. I always want to remove even an appearance of a conflict of interest so I played it very safe for that reason. I had no reason to suspect that making these motions was even the appearance of a conflict of interest until it came up at the meeting.

Mr. Vrtaric and Mr. Gardner know that we took this action because they attend all of the meetings. They could see that other Councilpersons took over making motions on certain ordinances and resolutions and they can see that I continued to recuse myself from these actions. That did not stop them though from making charges against me that they know are no longer valid. It is a shame that their political motives get in the way of common sense.

I am not surprised that these individuals have stooped to such desperate measures and stale allegations to not only attempt to embarrass me but also to score political points in this coming election.

I am confident that First Ward voters who know me and who can see my record will know this is nothing but an obvious attempt at political gamesmanship and reject their feeble attempt to attack my character, reputation and commitment to my First Ward constituents."

Investigation Opened Into Woodbridge Councilwoman After Ethics Complaint Filed (Sept. 17)