I recently received a message via my website’s contact form addressing concerns about a Gibbons for Mayor yard sign placed at the home of Lamar Harris, a beloved resident of Cherry Circle in Foxboro, Blackwood. The sender, who did not provide contact information for a personal response, expressed concerns about the appropriateness of the sign. To address this publicly and transparently, I’m sharing the message and my response below.
The Message Received
In case the image is too small to read, here is the text:
“Hi,
I was coming to your site to request a yard sign, but tonight I noticed that there is a Gibbons yard sign at a neighbors home where it shouldn’t be. Lamar Harris is a neighbor in our Cherry Circle within Foxboro in Blackwood. He’s mentally challenged and does not vote. I’m not sure why a Gibbons yard sign would be in his yard. It seems to me that someone involved with your campaign is using this poor man who doesn’t understand what any of this voting means. I was just talking to my husband this weekend and we were doing our research on your campaign and we were looking forward to learning more and supporting you. But this is a huge turnoff. I think I know who put this sign on his property because her photo is on your website and she knows Lamar. Anyway, I just wanted you to know that this isn’t a very good look. We all know and love Lamar in our little circle and we all are aware he is unable to vote. This just is a huge turnoff. I hope you guys can remove this from his property.”
My Response
Thank you for raising your concerns about the Gibbons for Mayor yard sign at Lamar Harris’s home. I have personally met Lamar and spoken to him on a few occasions. I understand and appreciate your desire to protect a valued neighbor. However, I encourage you to speak directly with Lamar to learn how the sign came to be placed on his property. I can assure you with absolute certainty that no one from my campaign placed the sign without his consent. In fact, Lamar himself asked for one and proudly told another neighbor that he had a sign as well. As many in Cherry Circle know, Lamar is affectionately regarded as the “Mayor” of his neighborhood and is participating in the community’s support for my campaign, just as his neighbors have done by displaying their signs. It was explained to him that I (Keith Gibbons) wanted to be the Mayor of the entire township just like he is the Mayor of Cherry Circle.
Regarding your mention of a person pictured on my website who knows Lamar, I believe you may be referring to someone involved in a remarkable community effort to support him. Denise Coyne and Terri Fretz, two dedicated neighbors, led a successful initiative to help Lamar remain in his home by raising over $75,000 through a GoFundMe campaign. Their efforts were covered by NBC Philadelphia: https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/lamar-harris-home-saved-50000-neighbors-gloucester-township-blackwood-new-jersey/166280/. Both were honored by Gloucester Township for their compassion and leadership.
Lamar is surrounded by caring neighbors, many of whom check on him daily and include him in community activities. I can assure you that neither of these ladies had anything to do with the sign on Lamar’s lawn, nor were they the neighbor Lamar asked for the sign from. Before making assumptions about my campaign, I respectfully suggest speaking with Lamar directly to understand his perspective on the sign.
To address rumors and misinformation, including those circulated among township employees about my candidacy, I’ve created a page where residents and employees can ask questions directly: [CLICK HERE]
https://gibbonsformayor.com/ask-keith-directly/
If you’d like a Gibbons for Mayor yard sign for your own property, you can request one by [CLICKING HERE]
https://gibbonsformayor.com/yard-signs/
Thank you for your engagement, and I look forward to continuing an open dialogue with the Cherry Circle community and all Gloucester Township residents.