Jackson, NJ— A Jackson Township woman is suing the town for $250,000 after police removed her during an incident at a town hall meeting in Februrary.
Elenor M. Hannum, 60, a local figure known for her outspoken and often controversial appearances at Jackson Township Council meetings, is now suing the township for $250,000. Hannum, who has garnered a reputation as a constant detractor of the township council, which started over her decade long fight with her neighbor, business owner James Picon of J&R Custom Landscaping, has filed a tort claim for a quarter of a million dollars.
At the meeting, Hannum launched personal attacks and accusations against the council, eluding to a conspiracy theory involving the mayor, Chief of Police Matt Kunz, Public Safety Director Joseph Candido, The Jackson PBA, and other entities, she claims she has unjustly removed the meeting, leading to significant damage to her professional reputation.
Hannum has never provided evidence to back up her conspiracy theory claims against the township. At the meeting, she also launched another attack on Council President Jennifer Kuhn, one of many over the past year, all of which remain unsubstantiated.
During her outburst, which included claims that the police union’s vote to endorse the creation of a public safety director was illegitimate and making other accusations against town officials, which those officials denied, Hannum was escorted out of the building by police officers after continuing to argue at the microphone after she was called ‘out of order’ by township attorney Greg McGuckin.
The incident took place during a routine council session at Town Hall, where Hannum, true to form, challenged the council on a variety of issues. Her primary grievance that evening centered around a recent PBA union vote, which she claimed was conducted illegitimately. Hannum also made personal accusations against members of the township that did not have any relevance to the matter at hand.
Hannum criticized the PBA’s vote, saying the union acted inappropriately, accusing the PBA of holding an illegal vote, saying that’s now how things are done in her union, the NJEA.
The PBA and police department have since dismissed Hannum’s allegations of impropriety during the union’s vote.
According to Hannum, after she made these accusations, Township Attorney Gregory McGuckin advised Kuhn to declare her out of order. Kuhn then directed police officers present at the meeting, identified as PO Tristen Bennett and PO Matt Jamison, to remove Hannum from the premises.
However, records show Hannum was not removed from the building, or escorted out of the building. Instead, she was asked to stay in the hallway until the current resolution was heard due to her outburst. She was allowed back in the room after, but refused. When officers told her she can re-enter, she allegedly said, “No, I’m suing the town.”
She now claims the Jackson Police Department and the township have not only violated her civil rights, but that she suffered $250,000 in personal damages over the incident.
Hannum, a public school teacher in East Brunwick, alleges that this incident has severely damaged her career as a public educator, arguing that the biased media coverage following her removal has tarnished her reputation.
According to state records, Hannum earns $81,264 as a school teacher, before health and other benefits.
She is seeking $250,000 in damages, claiming that the fallout from the event could negatively impact her future employment opportunities in education, including potential roles as a tutor, adjunct professor, and other educational services. She did not say that the fallout from the event has damaged her reputation, nor did she provide any evidence of financial losses in her tort claim.
This lawsuit is the latest in a series of public clashes between Hannum and the Jackson Township Council, marking yet another contentious episode in her ongoing campaign against local government actions. Earlier this year, Hannum unsuccessfully participated in a plot to change the local form of government.
Now, she has announced that while her tort claim remains active, she will also run for council.
At this week’s council meeting, Hannum bragged about helping others sue Jackson Township, but she did not elaborate on those claims. This week, she accused the Jackson Police Department for turning a blind eye to delinquent landlords.
Public Safety Director Joseph Candido responded by informing the council that the Jackson Police Department and its officers are not ignoring any laws and are vigilantly involved in shutting down illegally operating ‘apartments’ in town in converted homes, citing at least five recent shutdowns.
She also instructed Director Candido to address alleged traffic safety issues on her home street.
Hannum is now running for office with her husband, lawyer Eric Hannum, and Amanda Trombetta, who touts that she successfully sued the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey after she was called an ‘American Girl doll’ during police recruit training.
