CNBNews

In a previous CNBNews editorial, we strongly condemned the Mayor and Council for their failure to hire a full-time City Administrator, a crucial position in any administration. We vehemently criticized the governing body for paying the current part-time City Administrator and part-time Police Chief, Brian Morrell, an excessively high salary of over $225,000.  After our editorial was published Morrell lashed out at us in a telephone conversation. His tirade was filled with innuendos, screaming, personal attacks, and foul language. At the time, we wondered whether he was in immediate need of anger management. 

 

To be fair, Chief Brian Morrell's treatment of us paralleled the behavior of former Police Chief George Berglund before he retired. We published an article about a member of Berglund's family that first appeared in the Gloucester County Times, which triggered an irate response from him. He sent a letter of admonishment to the CNBNews Editor for printing the story and subsequently censored CNBNews, the city's primary news source, from accessing future crime reports. His email stated that he would cease to cooperate with our editor on any police department-related matters. The Press represents the public. By Berglund censoring Cleary over a personal issue, he essentially punished the citizens of Gloucester City by depriving them of crime-related information due to a personal grudge against a journalist. Today, the former chief holds the position of Councilman Berglund, and the public continues to be kept in the dark about the crimes taking place in their city.

 

When the Cleary family owned the Gloucester City News newspaper, another high-ranking officer, who is now deceased, publicly humiliated two of their reporters because he didn't like the articles they wrote about him and the police department. One of his shouting outbursts took place in public at a Gloucester High basketball game. The reporters, Matt Evans and Harry Ahern, both refused to deal with the Deputy Chief after he publicly humiliated them. This incident underscores the crucial need for public officials to handle criticism professionally rather than resorting to personal attacks. Upholding the principles of accountability and transparency is not just a formality, but a necessity for maintaining public trust and ensuring the smooth functioning of our city.

 

It is alleged that the public hanging of CNBNews editor William E. Cleary Sr. in Gloucester City Municipal Court from October 2023 to March 2024 was a form of retaliation for publishing our perspective on Mr. Morrell's lack of cooperation with the media. In addition to addressing CNBNews' criticism of the mayor and council for their tax and spend policy and wasteful use of tax dollars, it's evident why Mr. Cleary Sr. and his son were arrested on false charges. Cleary Sr. had initiated an investigation into the wasteful spending of the Board of Education. Every week, he observed items in good condition being discarded at the Cold Springs campus and Gloucester High School, which seemed wasteful. The crime report pertaining to Cleary Sr. being arrested stated that he was seen taking photos of the trash. Cleary said the reason for those photos was to expose the school board’s wastefulness. This alleged retaliation not only silenced a voice of criticism but also deprived the community of vital information about their local governance.

 

The City of Gloucester has a long history of having a full-time Administrator for the past 60 years. However, four years ago, the role was changed to a part-time position. Similarly, Gloucester City has had a full-time police chief dating back to its founding 400 years ago, but four years ago this position was also classified as part-time. Currently, both of these roles are being fulfilled by the same person, Brian Morrell. In our opinion, it is impossible for one individual to efficiently handle the responsibilities of two positions. Some time ago, Mayor Tut Kilcourse and his council tried to do the same thing. Kilcourse appointed Municipal Clerk Paul Kain to also perform the job of the City Administrator. An audit of that endeavor revealed the city lost millions of dollars in grants because the applications were filed too late. Instead of learning from that mistake, the present mayor and council are repeating the same policy that is doomed for failure. In our humble opinion, Gloucester City’s mayor, Dayl Baile, and his City Council Puppets are no different from the present-day Progressive/Socialist Democratic Party in Washington, D.C. Just like Biden and Kamala, the local Democrats only know one thing: Spend and Tax.