Council, mayor join call for Gale to resign
Remarks ‘do not reflect the views or the spirit’ of borough
The words are strong, and the message couldn’t be more clear.
North Wales borough council voted unanimously Tuesday to condemn county Commissioner Joe Gale’s recent comments on Black Lives Matter, and called for him to resign.
“Like many, I was upset when I first learned about it. It was bad enough that he actually issued such an inflammatory statement,” said Mayor Greg D’Angelo.
“But the last straw for me personally was when I read that he said what he said about Police Commissioner Outlaw — that was very disparaging, and totally uncalled for,” he said.
Last week Gale issued a statement denouncing the riots in the wake of the death of George Floyd, referring to “Black lives Matter” as a hate group, and saying of the Philadelphia police chief “the name Outlaw fits her to a tee.” The comments drew protests in Norristown and at Gale’s home, a formal censure from his fellow two commissioners, and statements of condemnation from across the county, including a joint letter from North Penn-area officials and from Upper Gwynedd’s commissioners on Monday night.
D’Angelo told borough council Tuesday that he first planned to write a letter to Gale expressing his disagreements, then ask council to sign it, before settling on a formal mayoral declaration that council could adopt.
“The more I thought, the more I realized I needed to do something more, because this was bigger than North Wales borough — and actually bigger than the county,” he said.
The proclamation is included in council’s meeting materials packet for June 9, and states that Gale “has created a hostile working environment” within the board of commissioners, “has substituted his personal agenda for an agenda that serves the residents of Montgomery County, including the residents of North Wales borough,” and “has rendered himself ineffective as a county commissioner.”
“Whereas: on June 1, 2020, Commissioner Gale issued a statement that was racially inflammatory and also disparaged the character of Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw; and Whereas: the inflammatory comments by Commissioner Gale do not reflect the views or the spirit of North Wales Borough,” reads the proclamation, before condemning the statement by Gale.
“Furthermore, as Mayor of North Wales Borough, and on behalf of its governing body and its residents, I call on Commissioner Joseph C. Gale to do what is best for North Wales Borough and for all of Montgomery County by submitting his resignation,” reads the letter.
D’Angelo told council that he had considered asking Gale to revoke or rescind his statement and apologize, but felt the commissioner’s prior actions called for a stronger response.
“Frankly, if Joe had been a good commissioner, and I could be sure that he would issue a sincere apology — not one of those non-apologies that celebrities and politicians give — I would feel that he could remain. I would accept that,” he said.
“We know that he won’t apologize, and he really hasn’t been a good commissioner, not just for North Wales Borough but also for the county,” D’Angelo said.
Councilman Jim Cherry said he hadn’t been following the controversy closely, largely because his tree service business has been busy since last week’s storms.
“I got off of Facebook, I turn the news off, all I do is tree work and fish,” Cherry said.
D’Angelo then read Gale’s original statement and his response, and council members Sal Amato and Wendy McClure moved that council support the condemnation as a formal resolution.
“Mr. Gale absolutely has the right to say what he wants. He needs to consider his position of leadership before he turns to these disparaging remarks,” said McClure.
Councilman Mark Tarlecki asked what others had voiced their opposition to Gale, and D’Angelo described the protests and motions across the county. McClure asked what would happen if Gale resigns, and solicitor Greg Gifford said the minority party would make a recommendation to the President Judge of Montgomery County, who would swear in replacement commissioner “until the next possible election.”
Tarlecki asked if Gale’s issuing his statement on county letterhead could cause a legal issue, and Gifford said his understanding is that it’s still being researched.
“It’s not illegal, but there’s a potential ethics violation if they deem it wasn’t county related. It’s a difficult one, because he’s claiming certain things in his speech,” Gifford said.
“He’s condemning something, and then doing the same thing in his letterhead. That’s where you may have an ethics violation, but that’s what they’ll look into,” he said.
McClure added that she had read numerous letters and statements denouncing Gale, largely in The Reporter, while Cherry joked the board’s virtual meeting “is about as much online as I get right about now.” Council then voted unanimously to adopt the letter as a resolution.
Several council members also complimented borough police and the local organizers of a peaceful protest in Weingartner Park on Sunday. D’Angelo thanked council President Jim Sando for suggesting the protest move from the original planned location at Main and Walnut Streets, and joked that he was glad the crowd understood issues with his knees prevented him from kneeling with them.
“All I can say is, now on this ninth day of June 2020, as Mayor of North Wales Borough — and on behalf of my knees— I thank you,” D’Angelo said.
McClure said she hopes those who attended look into serving on the various borough boards with vacancies, including the parks and recreation board, zoning hearing board, and historical architectural hearing board.
“We scramble for people to be on our committees, and those folks were awesome, all of them. I think we just need to somehow recognize them, and really to invite them to be more active participants,” she said.
North Wales borough council next meets online at 7 p.m. on June 23; for more information visit www. NorthWalesBorough.org.