Chintall Praises Police, Schools, Says It's Time to End Political Fight

After meetings with both school and police officials, West Deptford Mayor Ray Chintall praised the efforts of both in working to combat drugs locally, and said in a statement Tuesday that it's time to move away from political bickering resulting from controversial comments made by committeeman Sam Cianfarini.

“The overall message that these words were part of is lost as it is communicated from one individual to another, outside of the original meaning,” Chintall said of Cianfarini's reference to West Deptford High School being labeled by some outside the district as “Heroin High.”

Chintall said it was clear at the meeting Cianfarini was simply raising a concern, as is typical of what Chintall called the “open dialogue” style of staff meetings.

After that meeting, Chintall said he talked with Cianfarini about the potential interpretations and misinterpretations, especially for political gain, and made sure to speak with both the committeeman and police Chief Craig Mangano about the exchange during the meeting, to make sure they were all on the same page.

“We, as a community...have a responsibility to be vigilant, always on guard, to protect our youth, from bullying to drug abuse,” Chintall said.

As school officials and police have also pointed out, the mayor said the effort is clearly there—whether in random drug testing, the D.A.R.E. and the Municipal Alliance programs or youth sports programs—to prevent students at the high school and throughout the district from turning to drugs.

“West Deptford is a community that works hard in the battle against drugs,” Chintall said. “That should not be tarnished by the actions of a few individuals who abuse drugs, or who champion their personal cause out of closed meeting.”