NORTHFIELD — More than 30 members of the public chided Atlantic County Freeholder John Carman during Tuesday’s freeholder meeting for posting a meme about the Women’s March on Washington on his Facebook page.
Carman looked every person in the eye and sat emotionless as he heard from women and men about his posting of a picture of a woman cooking soup with the caption, “Will the woman’s protest be over in time for them to cook dinner?”
But the freeholder did not apologize.
“I grant you that I made a bad choice. It was in bad taste, the joke I posted,” he said to the packed room at the Stillwater Building. “But it was just that. It was a joke … nothing serious about it, and it doesn’t reflect my sentiments.”
Carman, who has a wife and daughter, added that he learned how strong the women in his family are, and said they looked at it and weren’t offended.
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Most of the women in the room walked out and exited the building after he said that.
Many who spoke during the meeting said the issue was compounded because he posted it during the Saturday march.
Kristin Lis, of Egg Harbor Township, held up a box of macaroni and cheese and told Carman to “cook your own damn dinner.”
Another speaker, Mainland Regional High School senior Emily Palmer, cried as she addressed the freeholder.
“I wanted to take it upon myself to do something, to feel like I’m helping,” she said.
Some speakers came to Carman’s defense.
Joanne Carman, John’s wife of 40 years, said she knows who her husband is and that he has always been respectful to women.
She also said she was not offended by the meme and that America has lost its sense of humor.
Some of Carman’s friends stood up and pointed to his experience in helping veterans. They said he participates in several demonstrations in support of veterans every year.
Other speakers said they were disappointed because Carman brought negative attention to Atlantic County.
“You embarrassed the people of Atlantic County,” Ventnor resident David “Doc” Livingston said. “When you sit up there, you have a big responsibility.”
Chairman Frank Formica said the offense was real and that the lesson is now in the spotlight. He added the freeholders take sensitivity classes when they are elected.
Freeholder Ernest Coursey said he heard from his constituents in Atlantic City and Pleasantville, and told Carman a lot of people were upset.
But he also said he hoped a lesson was learned and that the board could move forward.
“Keep in mind that we are all human beings,” Coursey told the crowd. “I think he got the message.”
