JACKSON – Larry Schuster, who resigned from the Jackson Zoning Board of Adjustment one week after his recent appointment to the panel, has spoken publicly about the matter.
On Oct. 10, the Township Council appointed Schuster as an alternate member of the zoning board. He resigned before he attended his first meeting and said he did so due to family obligations.
Shortly after Schuster resigned, a comment he had made on social media about the Jewish community came to the attention of the public.
Schuster attended the council’s Oct. 24 meeting and addressed the situation before members of the governing body and the public.
“I am here tonight to let my voice be heard, as conflicts in my personal life have risen that cannot be changed and I will to this day stand behind my reasons for my resignation from the zoning board,” he said.
Reading from a statement, Schuster said, “At no time did anyone from the seated council contact me by phone or email since the day the members voted me in. At no time did any council member prior to my appointment contact me for any questions or inquiries.
“Bad jokes, that may have been taken out of context, that may have been seen as not good taste by some, but at no time did I directly attack the Jewish community or their religion. I attacked the legal issues on hand,” Schuster said.
“I will walk out of this meeting with my head held high with no guilt or remorse because I stand behind my words of not being anti-Semitic and when I walk through my door at home tonight I will kiss my Jewish wife,” he said.
