Police Separate Public Works Director, Resident During Heated Exchange at Council Meeting

The township's public works director and a 2011 Township Council candidate had to be separated by police during a tense confrontation near the end of Monday night's Council meeting.

Len Moffa hopped up from his seat in Council chambers and moved toward Darren Gladden after the Valleybrook man made a comment about trash cans at sports fields in the township.

"You know the services are going down. We can't get 'em to put trash cans in the parks," Gladden said. "You know what I mean? To let our coaches and our parents clean up after themselves—"

"That's not true!" Moffa exclaimed, cutting off Gladden as he approached the microphone where Gladden was speaking. "I listen to this every single meeting. Every meeting I listen to this."

"You know what, Lenny—sit your (expletive) down," Gladden countered.

Council President Glen Bianchini repeatedly banged his gavel in an attempt to bring the situation under control as police officers, including Chief W. Harry Earle, started to move toward the two men.

The shouting match continued, though.

Gladden: "Sit down!"

Moffa: "Every single meeting—"

Gladden: "Do something!"

Moffa: "We work our butts off in the department."

Earle escorted Moffa into the Mayor's Office and three officers led Gladden out of the municipal building, but it did not end the verbal sparring.

Gladden yelled back: "Do your job!"

"I do my job!" Moffa responded. "I'm tired of hearing your lies. That's it, I've had enough. You're lying!"

"Yo! Yo! Yo! Lies?" Gladden yelled.

Gladden attempted to make one final statement as he was escorted out of Council chambers—it appeared to be about Moffa's actions moments earlier—but Bianchini cut him off, threatening to clear the room.

Moffa and Bianchini declined to comment on the confrontation, following the meeting, when approached in the parking lot behind the municipal building.

Reached by telephone for comment, Gladden said, "It's a crying shame that we have a public works leader in our town who has to go and try to intimidate a citizen."

Monday's marked the second consecutive Council meeting Gladden commented about a lack of trash cans at a sports field. It was also the second time since early 2011 that Moffa left a Council meeting following a heated exchange with Gladden—the first over snow-removal efforts in Valleybrook.

Gladden, who ran as an independent candidate in the 2011 election but mustered only 495 votes, indicated he would be visiting the municipal building on Tuesday to explore his options regarding Moffa's actions.

Gladden claimed Moffa "chest-bumped" him, but said the public works director did not touch him with his hands during the altercation.

Mayor David Mayer, who left Council chambers before the meeting ended, did not respond to a request to comment.

During his closing remarks, Councilman Dan Hutchison commended those residents who remained through "some of the more uncomfortable moments." 

Hutchison was the lone township official to offer an explanation for Moffa's reaction to Gladden's comment.

"Lenny cares. What you saw this evening was passion. This is a man who is working seven days a week and trying to do that job the best he can with the resources that he's been given," the councilman said. "So, please understand that."

The incident, which lasted about a minute, occurred about 12 minutes after four Boy Scouts who sat up on the dais with Council for the meeting had left for the night.

Editor's note: Check back with Gloucester Township Patch Tuesday afternoon for photos from and a story about the Boy Scouts' visit.