Mayor Stephen Reid is the subject of a lawsuit alleging that borough tried to cover up a conflict of interest in his dual roles as mayor and chief lobbyist for a legal weed opposition group.
The lawsuit, filed by marijuana legalization advocate and blogger Patrick Duff, alleges that the borough of Point Pleasant Beach redacted Reid's private email addresses from records obtained by Duff in an Open Public Records Act request.
Reid, 54, has worked as the executive director of New Jersey Responsible Approaches to Marijuana Policy since May. He was elected mayor of Point Pleasant Beach in 2015 after a term on the borough council.
In one email obtained by Duff, a former owner of four California medical marijuana dispensaries, the borough clerk "emails Reid at his government email account and a redacted email account, asking him to tend to something anti-marijuana related.
"If this redacted account is his lobbying account (or even his personal account that he may use for lobbying activities), it is clear evidence that Reid is effectively using the clerk as a secretary for his lobbying business and having her pass information that benefits his lobbying client," the complaint states.