District 3 Councilman Howe condemns Van Gorder

City Councilor Andrew Howe. | Laura Bailey file photo

Posted By: Staff October 9, 2023

In a recent Facebook post, Andrew Howe, a city councilor in District 3, denounced Board of Education candidate Jennifer Van Gorder after last week’s revelation that she posted an antisemitic image to Facebook in May of 2021.

“I am writing this to express my extreme disgust with the screen shots shared on social media from someone with whom I share a ballot,” writes Howe who is running for re-election.

“Antisemitism and any other forms of religious intolerance have no place in this city and certainly not on the Board of Education. I stand against these views and disavow Jennifer Van Gorder as a candidate on the Republican ticket.”

Van Gorder has been in hot water since she was tapped to be a Board of Education candidate by Mayor Jeff Caggiano and endorsed by the Republican Town Committee in July.

Howe is the second councilor to come out against Van Gorder. Last Tuesday at the NAACP candidate forum, Howe’s District 3 running mate Cheryl Thibeault told the audience that she asked for Van Gorder to withdraw via email.

Democrats and several current Board of Education members have been vocal in repudiating Van Gorder not only for the recent post but also for actions over the past few years, as an advocate for anti-masking and as an anti-masker, often engaging in confrontational behavior.

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