Self-described working class NJEA head (who’s made millions) is running for governor

I had to replay the video a few times to make sure I wasn’t tripping on acid, Save Jerseyans.

“Most people don’t expect a high school science teacher to run for governor because working folks are supposed to be able to get into positions where the decisions are being made,” explains Sean Spiller in his gubernatorial announcement video dropped on Friday.

Spiller’s “working class” messaging is obviously tailored for a Democrat primary, but his attempt to brand himself as an average working joe is no less absurd than if Taylor Swift referred to herself as a struggling artist.

Bullshit. Piles of it.

As head of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), Spiller has pulled down over $3 million in gross benefits since he took the reins of the state’s most politically powerful public sector union and used member dues to finance the run-up to his campaign.

Then there’s the allegedly illegal benefits – thousands of dollars worth – which he’s accused of taking as Mayor of the People’s Soviet Republic of Montclair. Even Tom Moran spanked him for it:

When deposed in this case, Spiller took the Fifth because of a parallel criminal investigation by the state Attorney General’s Office. Now he’s asking a judge to keep that deposition secret. Spiller doesn’t want the public to see all the questions he won’t answer: Like, if he was really spending at least 35 hours a week being mayor, as he certified under oath to get these benefits, how was he also working full time for the union, earning a whopping $360,000? Spiller’s lawyer told us “he denies any wrongdoing” and is trying to keep the transcript confidential “to avoid any misrepresentation” of his taking the Fifth, “out of an abundance of caution.” But he can’t hide this from constituents. He’s the mayor.

None of the $2 million in ads which his union invested in advancing his candidacy can or will explain it.

The average New Jersey teacher earns… $70,000?

Few, I suspect, have any idea that they’re subsidizing a “working class” millionaire’s vanity project which only becomes the more absurd when you hear that the same guy whose union is more responsible for driving property taxes than any other single force in the state is now promising to help you “afford to live where you want to work.”

I’m tempted to register as a Democrat just to vote against this fraudulent clown, folks. He’s that awful.

Matt Rooney
About Matt Rooney 8621 Articles
MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.