January 23, 2026
"Discrimination, Plain and Simple": New Wave of Discrimination from Democratic Council in Bridgewater
THIS IS THE SPEECH DELIVERED BY FORMER COUNCILMAN FILIPE PEDROSO AT THE JAN. 22, 2026 COUNCIL MEETING.
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I am a proud Republican.My party was founded in 1854 by anti-slavery activists and rose to national leadership with Abraham Lincoln. Republicans led the fight to end slavery, secured voting rights regardless of race through the 15th Amendment, championed women’s suffrage with the 19th Amendment, and strongly supported the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
That is a record of equality—not symbolism, not slogans, but action. It is a history I am proud of.
I live by these principles in my own life. For example, [the REALTOR who]* helped me buy a house here in Bridgewater [did so] long before anyone made her sexual orientation a political issue. I hire, work with, and befriend people from every background based on merit and character, not labels.
I put those principles into practice as Council President. In 2016, I invited religious leaders from Bridgewater’s four major religious groups to our reorganization meeting. Three participated—historic at the time. When I was Council President again, five years later, all four took part. Bridgewater is beautifully diverse, and our government should be inclusive.
But inclusion must never come at the expense of equality.
When government prioritizes people based on identity rather than qualifications, inclusion turns into prejudice—and prejudice is the opposite of equality. That is why I am concerned about what I am seeing from the new Democratic majority.
At the January 5th reorganization meeting, Councilwoman Isla described herself as the “first Muslim” elected to the Council. Is that true? No one knows—and that’s the point. Throughout my years on the Council, no one ever asked me about my religion, and I never asked anyone else about theirs. It did not matter. It should not matter. Equality means judging people by character and qualifications, not assumptions based on appearance.
Just days later, at the January 8th Council meeting, Council President Geiger declared that [a recent appointee]* was likely the first member of the LGBTQ community to serve. Again—how would anyone know? No one should be asked their sexual orientation for public service, and no appointment should ever be influenced by it. Favoring someone because of sexual orientation is no more acceptable than discriminating against them for it.
Government must be blind to these characteristics. Anything else is prejudice.
Yet it has become apparent that Council President Geiger, Councilwoman Isla, and Councilman Bucko are making appointment decisions based on identity considerations—sexual orientation, appearance, and special-interest alignment—rather than by merit. That is discrimination, plain and simple. Discrimination, racism, and sexism have no place in America, and they have no place in Bridgewater.
The Democratic majority removed two highly experienced members of the Zoning Board of Adjustment—Jeff Foose and Don Sweeney—not because of performance, but to prioritize identity-driven appointments. Bridgewater lost two proven defenders of our neighborhoods, our character, and our quality of life. In their place, the Democrat majority advanced individuals aligned with overdevelopment interests, putting ideology and symbolism ahead of substance.
The Zoning Board has enormous influence over Bridgewater’s future. Decisions driven by prejudice and special interests risk permanent harm to the township’s character.
I am genuinely disappointed by what this governing body has become. In 14 years serving with Republican council members, I had various disagreements—but I never witnessed prejudice or discrimination, as I do now from the three new Democrat council members.
In fact, Councilwoman Isla herself acknowledged that, even before taking office, Bridgewater had a welcoming nature. In her speech a few weeks ago, she said Bridgewater “has never felt distant to me… a community that has welcomed families from every background, including mine.”
Let’s keep Bridgewater that way.
I urge the 3 Democrat Council members to stop judging people by labels and start governing by principles. Focus on qualifications. Focus on what is best for Bridgewater.
That is how I served for 14 years — and that is how this Council should serve now.
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* A name was used during the live speech but is omitted here to protect a private individual’s privacy. Although Council President Geiger named the individual at the January 8 meeting, information obtained after the speech led me to conclude that redacting the name is appropriate, as the substance and context are unaffected by its inclusion.
