JACKSON-Jackson resident Robert Skinner stood up at Tuesday night’s Jackson Township council meeting in support of a township ordinance seeking to ban dormitories and addressed the group of Orthodox Jewish men present who were protesting the ordinance.
“I work in New York, I have a huge, huge Jewish clientele, so let’s not go there,” Skinner said as he addressed the Orthodox audience. “I’ve seen a lot of changes in Jackson and I’ve seen a lot of changes in Lakewood.”
Skinner, a commercial real estate broker in Manhattan also serves as an elected member of the Ocean County Republican Committee. Skinner also serves as an appointed member and current chairman of Jackson’s Rent Leveling Control Board.
Skinner criticized the township of Lakewood over rampant overbuilding, overpopulation and traffic problems. He also took aim at Lakewood’s sexual segregation of school bussing.
“There’s all kinds of alleged things going on over there,” Skinner said. “I can tell you not from a religious bias perspective, but from my own perspective, in a very civilized manner, I don’t want that here.”
“I have no religious bias,” Skinner added. “When I see what happens next door, it makes me really cringe, it makes me rather worried about what could be happening. It has absolutely nothing to do with religion.”
At one point during his speech, Councilman Ken Bressi asked Skinner to stop addressing the audience.
“Bob, turn around please,” Bressi said. “Please address the council.”
He continued his speech.
“To use that religious bias thing, is getting really old,” Skinner said. “I have no religious bias.”
Skinner’s speech to the council and the Orthodox community was met with a round of applause.
Video: YouTube, First Amendment Activist.