The mayor of a small Sussex County municipality is defending the display of a Trump reelection flag by parading firefighters in full uniform, even though the department’s tax-exempt status prohibits such campaigning.
Franklin Borough Mayor Nicholas Giordano said he saw nothing wrong with the Franklin Fire Department carrying a “Trump 2020 Keep America Great” flag at the Sussex County Firemen’s Association Inspection Day and Parade on Saturday, a 99-year-old march honoring firefighters. The Franklin Fire Department is registered as a tax-exempt, section 501(c)(3) organization, and under federal law is not allowed to support or oppose candidates for elective public office.
“Do they have a right as a group to support the president of the United States? Sure they do,” Giordano, a Republican, told NJ Advance Media following a borough council meeting Tuesday night.