As your candidate for Mayor in Gloucester Township I am aware of the road to get where we are right now. However, many people I am recently talking to may not have been paying attention until recently are unaware of some of the things that have happened along the way. I thought it might be a good idea to bring people up to speed. People are getting propaganda in their mailboxes, on their phones or seeing roadside signs making outrageous claims. I have had several responses and transparent moments scattered throughout the time and I would like to compile them into one location.
Before I do that, I want to show you where we started. With Dave Mayer being quoted in a 2004 article claiming to want “Clean Elections”. You can read the full article [BY CLICKING HERE].
Do you believe we have clean elections here? I personally do not believe that. Not after what I have personally experienced. For the record, I am going to leave some of the things out intentionally at this time but I assure you, I will absolutely be releasing some of the other proof I have at a later date, no matter the outcome of this election. I don’t like bullies and I stand up to bullies. For myself and for others.
Announcing candidacy
The timeline starts after announcing I will be running. My announcement video was released on January 29 of 2025.
After this, I released a video in March speculating what I believed I could be slandered about during the election.
Partisan election deadline
The deadline to file partisan petitions to the municipal clerk came and went and the Republicans in GT did not file petitions for candidates, leaving a blank slate on the primary ballot. What I would call a “Phantom Candidate” emerged with a ‘write-in’ campaign. Glossy flyers mailed from Florida with what seemed to be a lot of knowledge of how the election system works and the rules that need to be followed. This same candidate had ties (married to or mother) to a previously reported on Phantom Candidate. It’s not impossible a “regular person” would have this much knowledge, down to the ballot design wording and where to mail from so the mailing was untraceable.
This story was covered by Politico as Phantom Candidates are a well documented topic in Camden County.
New Challenger Emerges
The day petitions for Unaffiliated Candidates for the General Election were due, yet another (what I believe was a) phantom candidate emerged with a few minutes left until the deadline. A candidate named Joseph Brocco submitted petitions circulated by a Vineland man, a member of the GT Democrat Committee who was on the primary ballot (pictured above), and a person from Pennsauken. The signatures were riddled with duplicates of people who also signed David R Mayer’s nominating petition along with many other signatures which were ultimately deemed invalid. This resulted in Joe Brocco’s nomination being voided, leaving only Mayer and myself on the ballot. The United For Change team’s petitions were upheld.
One must also note that at this point in time, the Neil Smith attempt failed to get the 100 signatures required to have Neil on the ballot as a phantom candidate to draw votes away from challengers. The failure of the Joe Brocco petition secured a one-on-one race.
A few days after the Clerk’s office deemed the Brocco petition failed to get enough signatures, an Ethics charge was filed by a petition circulator for David R Mayer with the School Ethics Commission because I am an elected member of the GT Board of Education. This claim stated that I failed to disclose my involvement with the “Save the GMUA” efforts. Yes, me. Keith Gibbons. The most public face involved with the efforts to save our sewer last year. He claims I hid that fact from the public.
As the respondent, my attorney filed a written statement stating these are frivolous claims. When a claim is made that the alleged charge against the respondent is frivolous, the complainant has 20 days to respond. Phil Desien did not respond. There was no need to. The claim was made and the propaganda can now be printed.
Who is this person?
A man named Phil Desien was a former school board candidate and who had his petition notarized by the woman who is the Chair of the PAC who would ultimately use this charge in negative campaign materials. Her name is Cynthia Carlamere and is the wife of our township solicitor and solicitor of several of our Fire Districts. She is also the Chair of the GT Housing Authority.
Phil’s Petition:
Notary by Chair of the Citizens for Government Reform
NJ ELEC Filing
Opposition Research
During this time, I had people following me. Taking pictures of me in public and even stealing my trash in the middle of the night. People I had not spoken to for several years from a previous career were calling me to make sure I was ok because of getting calls they described as “disturbing” with a stranger asking questions about my past.
This PAC has been running ads online, txt’ing residents, sending mailer after mailer and erecting yard signs claiming “We” cannot afford Keith Gibbons and calling me an “extremist”. They literally created the talking points and then campaigned on them. I did a video explaining who the “We” is on their signs because there are absolutely people who can’t afford Keith Gibbons or the United For Change Team to be elected.
I ask you to take the time and educate yourself about their claims. I have proven them to be false and hope you can spread the word about our grassroots efforts to fight what many call a Political Machine.
Camden County has a documented history of ballot tactics that challenge voter clarity, as reported by outlets like Philadelphia Inquirer and Politico. My experiences—last-minute candidates, questionable petitions, unfair ballot designs not found in other places outside of Camden County, and negative ads—reflect a system that needs reform. The 2024 sewer referendum proved we can win when we stand together. On November 4, your vote can reject these tactics and choose a future where Gloucester Township puts residents first.
