Are the policies and actions of President Donald Trump fair game for a protest in small-town Middlesex Borough? Mayor Jack Mikolajczyk and the Borough Council heard two sides of the argument during their Tuesday, May 12 meeting’s public comments.
These days, Republican officials tend to avoid commenting about Trump. The mayor and council did likewise after watching their meeting get contentious for a few minutes.
The impromptu debate hints at this fall’s political dynamic. Middlesex is heading for a contested November council election, and local Democratic leadership would like to drag Trump into the fight. With his depressed poll numbers, rising inflation and gas prices, and no end to an unpopular war, the local GOP would no doubt prefer to keep the Republican president out of it.
At issue during the council’s meeting, was the No Kings protest held in front of the Ronald S. Dobies municipal building on Saturday, March 28. The local rally, one of thousands held that day across the country, was sponsored by the respective Democratic organizations of Middlesex Borough and Dunellen. About 75 people attended.
As protestors lined Mountain Avenue during the 90-minute rally, some carried homemade signs adorned with slogans. The sayings tended to rip Trump.
One said, “Impeach President Shitler.” Another said, “No Kings – F*** Trump.” But the vast majority were benign, with sayings such as: “Hate Will Not Make Us Great,” “It’s So Bad Even The Introverts Are Here,” and “We Dumped Tea For Less.”
Ann Marie Kleiber, a Middlesex Republican Organization voting district rep, criticized the No Kings event during the council session’s public comments. Kleiber said she was responding to statements at a prior meeting made by Vincent Rouse, a Democratic 2026 council candidate.
Speaking to the council in April, Rouse called the rally “a great success.” He added, “It was not a platform of hate or division, but it was a peaceful and respectful demonstration of residents exercising our right to be heard.“
Kleiber had a different take. “You can sugarcoat it all you want,” she told the council. “This was a negative, community dividing event. A lot of residents spoke out, not wanting this in our town. From the inside, it probably appeared peaceful. But from the outside, it looked anything but.”
“The language on the signs lining the sidewalks was offensive and disgusting,” Kleiber added. “Having such language in the presence of children is reckless. What kind of message does that send to them? Not only to the children at the event, but children passing by in cars, either walking or on bicycles. They see that offensive language. What are they supposed to think?”
“Do we really want to be teaching that?” Kleiber asked. “I’ve lived in this town for 30 years and all the events have been positive and community-building until now. Think of all the lifelong residents that have been here. They don’t want to see that.”
What Middlesex property owners will really dislike seeing is their August tax bill. It will be an eye-opener. A 7% increase in the school portion will be the largest imposed by the Board of Education in years. The borough portion of the total bill, while smaller, is rising 7.5%. Since 2022, the municipal portion of the tax bill has risen 29.1% under total Republican control of the council.
When those new tax bills arrive in the mail, you’ll probably hear plenty of offensive language. Budget and tax references might be in very small print in this year’s GOP campaign mailers. Middlesex’s 2026 Republican council candidates already have enough to explain to prospective voters without Trump. Is the callout of the No Kings event a strategic distraction?
Kleiber and other Republicans might also have missed that at least one Trump supporter got in some off-color language of his own during the rally. One vehicle slowed down as it passed the protesters, window rolled down, and the driver yelled, “f***ing retards.”
Then there’s the president himself. The day before Kleiber’s comments, Trump publicly referred to the White House as a “shit house” prior to his efforts to renovate it. Hey kids, did you catch that on the news while searching for current events items?
Local Democrats might think they have a winning hand by continually chanting Trump sucks, but that’s not enough. What are their solutions to borough government’s headaches? How would they limit future tax increases and maintain services if given the opportunity?
Is there too much Democratic focus on Trump and not enough on Middlesex? Yes, Republican-controlled Washington, D.C. is dysfunctional. That doesn’t necessarily mean GOP-ruled Middlesex should be viewed the same way.
Townsend and Rouse disputed Kleiber’s assertions of No Kings divisiveness during the May 12 meeting.
The Middlesex rally was an opportunity for people to “stand in solidarity” against federal policies “that are affecting them in a negative way,” Townsend said.
“This federal administration is divisive every time you turn on the freaking news,” Townsend said. Without naming Trump, Townsend accused the federal administration of “trying to destroy communities.”
Townsend invited Kleiber to join an issues-based discussion. “Stand with us against the crap we’re seeing each and every day,” Townsend concluded. “We’re trying to bring people together. I don’t know what you’re doing, but that’s what we’re doing.”
Rouse said he saw “no nasty signs” at the rally. He added that It was a “peaceful day” and that all opinions should be respected and honored.
Meanwhile, as Kleiber suggested, we can all ponder what children truly might have thought of the No Kings rally. It’s a good bet they weren’t even phased by it. Kids hear worse language in the schoolyard and read more vile stuff on Tik-Tok. Perhaps a few were even doing so while they drove by the protest in the backseat of their parents’ car.
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