Jackson Councilman Marty Flemming announced at the group’s bi-monthly meeting held this evening that he is resigning his position. At a previous Council meeting, Flemming resigned from the Council President position but said he was remaining on the Council, allowing his ally Steve Chisholm to become Council President. Now, he is departing entirely and is expected to move his residency out of Jackson.
Flemming’s resignation comes after a Lakewood Alerts investigation revealed that Flemming is no longer a Jackson resident and is legally not allowed to be serving on the Township Council or any other government body.
With Flemming’s departure, the Council is now split 2-2 between pro-Reina councilmembers and pro-Flemming councilmembers. In such cases, Mayor Reina serves as the tie-breaker when the Council nominates someone to fill the vacancy created by Flemming’s resignation. Thus, it is expected that whomever is appointed to the Council seat will be a Reina ally.
Flemming previously ran for mayor against Reina, but was ultimately defeated thanks to a coordinated turnout effort by Jackson’s Orthodox Jewish residents, who used the election to solidify their standing as a powerful voting bloc in Jackson and Ocean County.