Web posting puts official on hot seat in Freehold
Councilman Le Vine says he will not resign from local government
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer

Marc Le Vine

FREEHOLD - The Internet, a modern tool that makes life easier in many ways, was the source of a cultural blow-up in Freehold Borough last week.

Advocates for the borough's Latino population took issue with a statement posted by Councilman Marc Le Vine several months ago on a message board that is part of a Web site operated by the local group Pressuring Elected Officials to Protect Our Living Environ-ment (PEOPLE).

Le Vine helped to found the group in 2003 in response to quality-of-life issues such as residential overcrowding, a strained school system and overtaxed services.

In November, Le Vine posted a comment on the PEOPLE message board in response to an article written by Heather MacDonald in the City Journal. His comment apparently went unnoticed by most people until last week when advocates for the borough's Latino population revealed its existence and called the message "racist" and "bigoted." They called on Le Vine to resign from the Borough Council.

The councilman said he would not step down from his elected position.

The story by MacDonald that Le Vine was responding to was titled "Hispanic Family Values?" with a sub-heading, "Runaway Illegitimacy is Creating a New U.S. Underclass." MacDonald's story states that the "explosive growth of the Hispanic U.S. population does not bode well for American social stability." She wrote that nearly half of the children born to Hispanic mothers in the United States are born out of wedlock and that figure is increasing.

She wrote, "Given what psychologists and sociologists now know about the much higher likelihood of social pathology among those who grow up in single-mother households, the Hispanic boom is certain to produce more juvenile delinquents, more school failure, more welfare use and more teen pregnancy in the future," the article stated.

Le Vine, in part, wrote the following in response: "I have observed many of these orientations and trends, firsthand, during my time in the light industrial staffing industry. There is definitely a very promiscuous flavor in at least part of Hispanic culture. I must also admit that this is somewhat prevalent in many other peoples of lower socioeconomics, too.

"All of this is highly problematic in a society in which these people often expect to subsidize their mistakes in growing large families that they cannot afford to support on their own. It does seem to be true, in my own experience, that a little less of this promiscuous behavior is seen among Mexicans while much more is found among Dominicans, as one example," the councilman wrote.

After a wave of media coverage descended on the borough in response to the Latino advocates' outcry, Le Vine emphatically stated that he will not resign. He asked people to examine his record of service dating back to the 1990s. He said it was not his intention to offend anyone and said he would apologize to anyone who was offended by his posted comments.

"It took a great deal of digging to find those statements on the [PEOPLE] site," Le Vine said. "We need to focus on the business of Freehold Borough and put all this behind us in order to focus with a clear head. I am not a racist. None of my policies as a person have indicated those type of thoughts. I have an excellent relationship with the immigrant community. I have worked to help the immigrant population by proposing and implementing the bicycle safety program and have provided over 150 [reflector] vests and I have worked hard to provide safe housing for our residents. No one should have to live in a closet or be exploited by landlords."

Frank Argote-Freyre, of Freehold Borough, is chairman of the Monmouth County chapter of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey. He said Latino leaders want Le Vine to apologize in a public forum.

The council had a meeting scheduled for March 5.

"He's lost any moral authority as a councilman. He has zero credibility within the Latino community," Argote-Freyre said. "How will a member of the Latino community go to him with a community issue now? He has no understanding of the Latino community. He is a disgrace. If he had an ounce of sense he would resign. We want him to come out and say 'I was wrong for branding an entire group of people as promiscuous.' His comments are bigoted and racist and he must come clean."

In an interview with Keith Woods, dean of faculty at the Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, Fla., Woods called Le Vine's statements "broad and sweeping." He has led programs dealing with race and ethnicity for the past 12 years at the institute.

"When you make statements like that based on an ethnic group, I don't know if it's racism, but it is certainly prejudicial," Woods said. "When you take the attributes of individuals or a subculture within this group and apply them to everyone who falls into the range of that ethnicity it is prejudicial. It is a huge statement to make to a group as large as Dominicans and Mexicans. You cannot, with any sense of accuracy, speak to groups that large and apply that universally with limited experience. If you are a Dominican or a Latino and someone who is making those statements is also making public policy, you have a right to be concerned. He needs to answer to the concerns of people. Will these narrow views of groups affect his public policy or not?"

Lucilio Santos, president of the Dominican-American Council, Hacken-sack, said Le Vine is not educated about Latino issues.

"I think it is very sad that a person in his position makes comments like that about a community," Santos said. "He needs to come to Washington Heights or Passaic and look at the small businesses there. The majority of these businesses are owned by the Dominican community. You cannot make generalized statements about one community. If he wants to debate this issue then he needs to be educated about the issue."

In a prepared statement, Mayor Michael Wilson said, "The story which has attracted front page attention detracts from the progress Freehold has made and paints an inaccurate view of the Freehold in which we live. Mr. Le Vine's observations were his personal observations and not those of the mayor and council. His observations were made on a forum that is not associated with Freehold Borough.

"While I do not share those observations, I recognize his First Amendment right to express them. As a councilman, Marc has never advocated policy or practices of a discriminatory nature. Furthermore, he spearheaded many initiatives to assist our immigrant community, including a bicycle safety program that not only included education, but distributed reflective vests to help protect riders," Wilson said.

The mayor said municipal officials will continue to address the real problems of overcrowding and unsafe living conditions.

"These problems are not race or culture based, but arise from the overwhelming scarcity of affordable housing in New Jersey. Freehold will proceed with a pragmatic approach to solving its problems, one devoid of race or cultural based considerations which have no place in our discussions," Wilson said.

needs to come to Washington Heights or Passaic and look at the small businesses there. The majority of these businesses are owned by the Dominican community. You cannot make generalized statements about one community. If he wants to debate this issue then he needs to be educated about the issue."

In a prepared statement, Mayor Michael Wilson said, "The story which has attracted front-page attention detracts from the progress Freehold has made and paints an inaccurate view of the Freehold in which we live. Mr. Le Vine's observations were his personal observations and not those of the mayor and council. His observations were made on a forum that is not associated with Freehold Borough.

"While I do not share those observations, I recognize his First Amendment right to express them. As a councilman, Marc has never advocated policy or practices of a discriminatory nature.

"Furthermore, he spearheaded many initiatives to assist our immigrant community, including a bicycle safety program that not only included education, but distributed reflective vests to help protect riders," Wilson said.

The mayor said municipal officials will continue to address the real problems of overcrowding and unsafe living conditions.

"These problems are not race- or culture-based, but arise from the over-whelming scarcity of affordable housing in New Jersey. Freehold will proceed with a pragmatic approach to solving its problems, one devoid of race- or cultural-based considerations which have no place in our discussions," Wilson said.