garbage out there every weekend and Monday. Politicians who wish to chat can easily find a stream of voters coming around the bend.

"It's the best place in Mullica to meet people. It's considered our town center. We have no shopping centers or other large places where a large number of residents would come through," said Deputy Mayor Bernard Graebener, a Democrat who is up for re-election with Mayor Michael St. Amour.

A recent change to allow more flexibility in the township's dump-stumping policy, however, has some Republicans and other residents complaining. The Township Committee voted 4-1 Oct. 12 to repeal a law prohibiting campaigning inside the dump and eliminating a requirement that all campaigners wear a safety vest.

Committeeman Bill Kennedy, the lone dissenter, thinks politicking should be restricted to the exit for safety reasons. Kennedy said he has seen cars bottleneck at the transfer station during election season when he goes to throw out his trash on Sundays.

"Campaigning at the entrance and the exit - it just stops people from going in the way they want to go in and stops them on the way out," he said. "It doesn't make much sense. It backs traffic down Weekstown Road."

Republican committee candidate Jim Brown agreed that dump campaigning can be dangerous, and he and his running mate, Larry Riffle, have been reluctant to petition for votes at the station.

"When you're there, you're stopping people from coming through the gate. The hill is 50 miles per hour, if you look the other way it's so easy to cause an accident there," Brown said.

Graebener and St. Amour, who voluntarily wore safety vests this weekend, said they did not see any safety issues because there is a wide gap between the roadway and the waste station entrances. They added that campaigning is protected under the First Amendment.

"The Republicans had such a hold of Mullica for so long, anything we've done to get our word out, they tried to stop as a possible concern," St. Amour said. "They're trying to keep people like mushrooms in the dark and not allow any dissent to come out."

Tom Monzo, a former Democratic mayor and longtime resident, said he thinks campaigning should be prohibited from the transfer station altogether to avoid car accidents and halt political jockeying for better spots. He said that recommendation was made in a 2006 township internal memo and a 2009 study done by an outside safety consultant.

"If you follow the advice in the safety report, you'll have a level playing field: Neither of you will have an advantage or disadvantage," he said.

Contact Michelle Lee: 609-272-7256

Democrats/incumbent Mayor Michael St. Amour (left) talks to Tom Monzo of Mullica (right) about the legality of passing out leaflets at the exit of the Mullica Transfer station. Sunday October 24 2010 Mullica politicians have changed the policy for politicking at the Weekstown Road dump so campaigners can stand at the entrance and exit without a safety vest. Some Republicans say that could be a safety hazard and it goes against a JIF safety study. The Democrats say dump campaigning is safe and within their First Amendment freedom of speech. (The Press of Atlantic City / Ben Fogletto)

Photo by: Ben Fogletto

A campaign sign on Elwood Road near Old Egg Harbor Road featuring Democrats/incumbents Mayor Michael St. Amour and Committeeman Bernard Graebener has had the faces cut out. Sunday October 24 2010 Mullica politicians have changed the policy for politicking at the Weekstown Road dump so campaigners can stand at the entrance and exit without a safety vest. Some Republicans say that could be a safety hazard and it goes against a JIF safety study. The Democrats say dump campaigning is safe and within their First Amendment freedom of speech. (The Press of Atlantic City / Ben Fogletto)

Democrats/incumbents Committeeman Bernard Graebener (center) and Mayor Michael St. Amour pass out leaflets at the exit of the Mullica Transfer station. Sunday October 24 2010 Mullica politicians have changed the policy for politicking at the Weekstown Road dump so campaigners can stand at the entrance and exit without a safety vest. Some Republicans say that could be a safety hazard and it goes against a JIF safety study. The Democrats say dump campaigning is safe and within their First Amendment freedom of speech. (The Press of Atlantic City / Ben Fogletto)