THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY : The Start of Political Nepotism in the City of Gloucester City
Sunday, August 13, 2023
Departments, etc. However, only one group worked at a time, as there was a Democratic structure and a Republican structure. If the Democrats won the general election in town, the Democratic employees went to work, and the Republicans were unemployed. Some years it was the opposite.
Here is a portion of an article from the Courier Post on January 3, 1933. "...others elected were William Fisher, Democrat, assistant city treasurer; James Hendry, Democrat, janitor - city hall, Edward Heade, Democrat, fire alarm inspector, Charles Haas, Jr., Edmund Whittington, and William Sharp, all Democrats, members of the board of health.
"There were so many persons on hand to see the full Democratic council go in that the meeting had to be held on the second floor of city hall. John Gorman, a Democrat, an a new member of the council from the second ward, was elected President."
Since 1933, you can call it party loyalty or nepotism; not much has changed in Gloucester City. Today, jobs are distributed according to family name within the "party." When trying to make a "family tree" of the families/jobs in Gloucester City, three families intermarried among themselves, and in the end those three families hold 32 jobs! It is easier to hire family members in the school district as civil service tests are not required. A manager can hire as many family members as s/he wants.
Stay tuned for the actual family trees coming soon.
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