Mayoral Rivals Agree That Trump Not Welcome In Franklin

The two rivals for Mayor in last month’s election agreed on one thing: They would ban Donald Trump from Franklin if they could. Photo: Gage Skidmore.

The two rivals for the mayor’s seat agreed on one thing at the final Township Council meeting of 2015: Donald Trump is not welcome in Franklin.

In fact, both the current Mayor, Chris Kelly, and Mayor-elect, Phil Kramer, said at the Dec. 8 meeting that if they had the power, they’d ban the controversial Republican presidential contender from the township.

Kelly brought up the subject, referring to mayors in several towns across the country who have “banned” Trump from their locales.

It’s symbolic, of course; a mayor can’t ban people from a town. But Trump’s comments on the presidential nomination campaign trail – especially his latest comment about his wish to ban all Muslims from entering the country “until we are able to understand the problem and the dangerous threat it poses” – drew the wishful resolutions.

Kelly, who officiated his last meeting, mentioned Rick Kreisman, the mayor of St. Petersburg, Fl., who tweeted on Dec. 7 that he was “hereby barring Donald Trump from entering St. Petersburg until we fully understand the dangerous threat posed by all Trumps.”

Kresiman later said that he knew his tweet was “ridiculous,” but he was just matching Trump’s “ridiculous” utterances.

Trump’s statements are “simply outlandish,” Kelly said at the meeting. “He is beyond words.”

“Please don’t lump me in with him,” said Kelly, the council’s lone Republican.

Kelly said that if he could, he would ban Trump from the township.

“That sounds like a resolution,” Kramer said. “Second!”

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