To see the full text on the web page from which the above image is from, go to the Phillipsburg Democratic Committee website https://www.phillipsburgdems.com , then click on the text "Our Candidates" (or scroll down the page).
The Phillipsburg Democratic Party/Committee ran their candidates on the committement to no warehouse on the Delaware River riverfront. Councilmen Kennedy and Clark were elected to Council, at least partly based on this promise.
Peron Corporation wants to build a warehouse on 35 acres of land that is on the Delaware River riverfront. There is currently a lawsuit that is challenging the ordinance passed in May 2021 that changed the zoning of the property of the 35 acres owned by Peron Corporation from residental to industrial. If the lawsuit is successful, the Peron Corporation property will revert to residential and a warehouse can't be built on that property, unless the Council again rezones the property to industrial.
Oral arguments on the lawsut were heard on August 10. 2022. The next thing that will happen is the judge will deliver his decision. We anticipate the decision soon.
Currently, the developer, Michael Perrucci, is trying to get another ordinance passed through Council that will not have the confilcts of interest issues that the original May 2021 ordinance had. If the new ordinance that Michael Perrucci presented to Council passes, then this will do an end run around the lawsuit, and it is likely that a warehouse will be built in downtown Phillipaburg on the Delaware River riverfront.
The only hope of stopping a warehouse from being built on the 35 acres in Phillipsburg along the Delaware River riverfront is if the two Democratic Council members hold firm to not moving forward any warehouse legislation. Much to the shock of the community, Keith Kennedy voted "yes" to Ordinance 2022-30 on the first reading. We ask that all Councilmen, but particularly the Democratic Councilmen Keith Kennedy and Lee Clark, continue to vote against moving any warehouse legislation forward until the decision from the lawsuit against the original May 2021 ordinance is returned.
If either Democratic Phillipsburg Councilman votes to move the warehouse forward, this will be both a betrayal of the members of the public who put their faith in you to stop warehouses blocking the riverfront. This was a committment by both the Phillipsburg Democratic Committee/Party and the individual Councilmen that ran and were elected on this platform promise.