Cleary’s Notebook News
The question that has gone unanswered for several months is why the Camden County Democratic Party Committee didn’t back the current mayor. Likewise, Baile received no endorsements from any City Council members.
A July 2026 election overview citing reporting from the New Jersey Globe says Baile didn’t receive support because he didn’t vote in the June Democratic primary.
Following that election, James Beach, the Camden County Democratic Committee Chairman circulated a list of nearly 300 elected officials, committee members, and party activists who failed to cast their ballot in the primary election. On that list from Gloucester City were Baile and Gloucester City Councilman George Berglund.
State Senator Beach also singled out elected officials from municipalities across Camden County, including Chesilhurst Councilwomen Cathleen Jordan and Monica Holmes, Clementon Councilmembers Robert Dorsey Jr., Gwendolyn Cantwell and Thomas Shaw, Haddon Heights Councilmen Matthew Pagan and Chad DeMore, Pine Hill Council members Patricia Corry-Gaft and David Baiori Jr., Stratford Council members Dawn Martin and Jessica Farrell, Voorhees Township Committee members Michelle Nocito and Jacklyn Fetbroyt, and Woodlynne Council members Wilfredo Rodriguez, Shana Feliciano and Lavar Edwards.
Chairman Beach said their absence “is disgraceful” and suggested they should not expect the party’s backing in future elections.
Oh what a tangled web we weave/ When first we practice to deceive‘
~Sir Walter Scott
The Gloucester City Republican Committee’s endorsement of Independent Mayor Dayl Baile defies both logic and common sense.
The committee claims that Mayor Baile “has established a solid record of moving our city forward.” We respectfully disagree. During his more than five years in office, Gloucester City property taxes have increased year after year, sometimes by nearly $1,000 annually. At the same time, the city has seen a continuing decline in owner-occupied homes and a growing number of rental properties. If this is considered “progress,” many taxpayers would be justified in asking: progress for whom?
Under Mayor Baile’s watch, one of the most important positions in municipal government, the City Administrator, was filled by a part-time police chief. The City Administrator is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of city government and ensuring accountability and efficiency. Yet the Baile administration appeared comfortable treating this critical position as a part-time responsibility.
Transparency has also suffered. During Baile’s tenure, the city’s weekly crime report disappeared. Requests under New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA) for information such as public employees’ names and salaries have often gone unanswered. Questions involving shootings and other serious incidents have likewise been met with silence.
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Meanwhile, residents attending council meetings are routinely reminded by Democratic Mayor Baile that criticism of public employees could result in legal action. Such warnings have a chilling effect on free and open public discussion, the very cornerstone of local democracy.
BAILE IS STILL A DEMOCRATIC COUNTY COMMITTEMAN
Perhaps most puzzling of all is the Republican Committee’s decision to endorse a man who remains a Camden County Democratic Committeeman, a position he has held for years. Had Baile simply voted in the Democratic Primary, he likely would still be running as the Democratic nominee for mayor today.
The endorsement raises a fundamental question: What exactly does the Gloucester City Republican Committee stand for?
Political parties are expected to champion their principles, support candidates who share their values, and offer voters a meaningful choice. By endorsing a longtime Democratic Party official who has presided over rising taxes, diminished transparency, and increasing public frustration, local Republican leaders have accomplished the opposite.
The endorsement is not merely surprising. It is a remarkable surrender of principle, leaving many Republican voters wondering whether their party leadership has forgotten who they represent.
Earlier this year, Fanning challenged the Camden County Republican chairwoman, Kimberley Stuart, for her position. The final was Stuart 127 votes, Fanning 62.
On the left is Ed Cirluso, a current Democrat city councilman-at-large, running against the Democratic incumbent mayor, Dayl Baile. Cirluso received both the Camden County Democratic Committee endorsement and backing from Democrats in Gloucester City.