Jack Ciattarelli Walked Away While the Jersey Shore Was Drowning — Now He Wants Your Vote

But Jack Ciattarelli? He turned his back.

Three separate times, in the teeth of a disaster, he voted against the very bills meant to rebuild communities and protect families. In 2013, he opposed the “Restore the Shore” funding, slated to send millions to battered towns like Seaside Heights and Long Beach Island  . In 2015, he stood among the minority against Assembly Bill A4139, which offered a three-year shield against foreclosures and evictions—measures passed not with carelessness, but with bipartisan urgency. Again, in 2016, he voted “no” on the Disaster Victims Protection Act, while families were still picking up the pieces  .

Think about that: while floodwaters were still fresh in so many basements, Ciattarelli’s answer was indifference disguised as fiscal discipline. That’s not stoicism. It’s cold-hearted.

Contrast this with leaders who show up—not just in words, but in deeds. Rep. Mikie Sherrill fought tooth and nail in Washington to cancel over $30 million in community disaster loans. She pushed HUD not to claw back relief funds homeowners needed. She secured $11 billion for the Gateway Tunnel Project to repair Sandy-wrecked infrastructure. That’s what “showing up” actually looks like.

Cheney once said leadership is about making people believe you can deliver. With Sandy, though, Ciattarelli made people believe the state had forgotten them. He didn’t just fail to help. He actively voted to deny help. That’s not a misstep. That’s a defining record.

Now, as hurricane season looms, ask yourself: do we put someone in office who walked away once, or someone who ran toward crisis even when it wasn’t glamorous?

Let memories, and actual votes—not vague promises—guide you. Because those who abandon communities when they’re drowning aren’t about to swim when things calm down.