Departing Sayreville mayor concerned for safety as councilwoman's killing remains unsolved

SAYREVILLE – Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick decided not to run for another term when her daughters came to her and said, "Mommy, we don't want you to do this anymore."

Her daughters worry every night. she said, in the wake of threats the mayor has received following the killing of Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour in February.

"It's a hard decision for me because I believe so passionately in this town, but I love my family more than anything in the world and sometimes a good leader knows when it's time to step down," the mayor said at the April 10 Borough Council meeting.

Kilpatrick said one of the threats was in a letter opened by the municipal clerk's staff and read to her by Police Chief Daniel Plumacker.

"That letter was so heinous that it had to be immediately turned over to authorities in order to be processed for forensics and so forth to find out where it originated from," Kilpatrick said.

The anonymous letter, which was handwritten in red, was "filled with swastikas and racial slurs," Kilpatrick told MyCentralJersey.com.

"I was called an 'n-lover.' Sentences were punctuated with swastikas. The letter included comments like I heard that one of your (racial slur) was murdered and something to the effect that more of you need to go," she said.

Kilpatrick said she was so shaken by the letter that she contacted police because she believed she needed increased security around her home and for her family.

Although the letter was directed to her specifically, she asked police if council members believed they also needed increased protection, they should have it as well.

The incident is under investigation, she said.

In neighboring Old Bridge, Adam Valvo, 54, was recently sentenced in Superior Court to six months in the county jail on a bias intimidation charge for sending a racist email to former Old Bridge Township Councilperson Edina Brown on March 7, 2021.

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Kilpatrick said this is not how she planned her political career would go.

"It's unfortunate," she said. "I just had more aspirations and I feel like I started to make a difference. I went into my elected positions because I wanted to do more for the residents, and I wanted to make this an even better place for my family and everyone else's family. That passion is still there and if the time is right, I will be back."

Kilpatrick said she is grateful to the people who have supported her and her family and those who have promised to support her in the future.

As a mother, who has two children and has a public profile, receiving a threatening letter "makes you pause," she said.

She said she also has concerns about the current political environment in the borough.

"It's not what government is supposed to be about here," the mayor said. "We're all up here because we want to do what's right for this town and we don't want to worry about getting in our cars and whether or not we're going to make it home or not."

Kilpatrick said she is also concerned for the safety of council members, borough employees and residents at Borough Hall.

The unsolved murder of Dwumfour remains a dark cloud over Sayreville.

Dwumfour was found dead in her vehicle with several gunshot wounds by Sayreville police officers who went to Samuel Circle off Ernston Road after receiving 911 calls at 7:22 p.m. Feb. 1 of gunshots fired, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone.

Authorities have yet to offer details about the case or even hold a news conference about the progress of their investigation.

During her time in elected office, Kilpatrick said she has received emails and letters and seen social media she described as "nasty, borderline threatening, gross, disgusting."

Since Dwumfour's death and her memorial, Kilpatrick said she has received even more disturbing letters and calls.

"That's not what public service is supposed to be about," she said.

She said she's spoken to Borough Business Administrator Glenn Skarzynski and the police chief about increasing security at Borough Hall.

There should be uniformed officers there, the mayor said.

"Nothing can truly be stopped if somebody wants to do something, but we should offer each and every person in this building at least the peace of mind of knowing we did everything we could to make sure that this would be a safe place," Kilpatrick said.

She asked that the police department conduct a security assessment of all borough buildings.

She said it needs to be done "quickly, but not hastily."

"We need security and more so now than ever as we await to find out what happened with Eunice, but the world, whether Eunice was murdered or not, is not the place it used to be," Kilpatrick said.

Kilpatrick said she still has at least 11 more Council meetings to hold before the end of her term.

"So when I stand up here, I stand up here for you. I stand up here for my daughters," she said. "Listen. Stay involved."

Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com

Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Sayreville NJ mayor concerned for safety after councilwoman's killing