Neptune Fires DPW Director After His Critical LGBTQ Facebook Remarks

NEPTUNE TOWNSHIP, NJ — At their meeting Monday, the Neptune Township Committee voted to fire the town's Department of Public Works Director David Milmoe.

While nobody from Neptune Township gave a reason why Milmoe was fired, the Township Committee made their decision after comments Milmoe made on Facebook making fun of gay people were brought to light.

It was Tap Into Neptune that first reported Milmoe's comments.

This year, he wrote in one comment to a friend"… you're becoming a gay firefighter now? Next you'll be playing the flute at rest stops."

In another comment, which he wrote in 2011, Milmoe used a derogatory slur for gay people (f—).

Before the Township Committee took the vote, Milmoe spoke at Monday's meeting. He apologized for his comments, which he said were a private online conversation between friends. He also pleaded with the town Council to allow him to keep his taxpayer-funded job, for which he is paid a yearly salary of $146,547. You can watch Milmoe's apology here; he starts speaking at 1:38.

"I have no ill-will towards anyone," Milmoe said, adding that he has family members who are in the LGBTQ community. "The thought that I said or did something to give people the impression that I am anything other than fully embraced of the LGTBTQ+ community is heartbreaking to me."

"I acknowledge that my careless off-duty post on a timeline of a friend who lives in Georgia may have upset Neptune residents, which is the absolute last thing I would ever want to do," he said. "I want to publicly apologize for the post, especially if it gave anyone the very wrong impression that I am anything other than welcoming of the LGTBTQ+ community. I am not a perfect man, I am a work in progress and every day I strive to be better for myself, my family and the residents of this town."

"And I will take the lessons learned from this situation with me every single day," he said. "I ask the committee tonight before you cast your vote, you judge me on the hard work, dedication and devotion that I have had and continue to have for this town, rather than an error I made that may have given the wrong impression of who I am."

When Milmoe was done speaking, multiple people in the audience clapped.

After his public apology and pleading for his job, the Twp. Committee took the vote to terminate him.

• Deputy Mayor Robert Lane - voted yes to fire him
• Committeeman Derel Stroud - voted yes to fire him
• Committeeman Kevin McMillan - voted against firing him
• Committeeman Keith Cafferty - voted against firing him
• Neptune Mayor Tassie York abstained

An abstention counts as a "yes" vote, according to the Asbury Park Press, so the resolution to terminate his employment passed.

Milmoe was also Neptune's assistant coordinator of the Office of Emergency Management. Before he was fired, he was suspended last month without pay, the Asbury Park Press previously reported.