Bristol Township Councilman Calls Resident 'Slithering Coward'

A fairly ordinary council meeting Thursday night took a detour into the bizarre when Bristol Township Council President Rick Pluta furiously lashed out over a potentially slanderous pamphlet that he said he discovered was distributed around town.

"You are disgraceful. You are disgusting to me," said Pluta as he openly addressed the anonymous author through the room's closed circuit television cameras.

WATCH: Thursday's meeting, including Pluta's comments, in its entirety here. 

The pamphlet in question was a newsletter that read "Alert: Bad Contractor" and signed by "a concerned citizen."

Pluta was the focal point of the paper that called him a cheat, incompetent and accused him of wasting taxpayer money. The letter recommended residents to "steer clear" of Pluta's contracting company, RM Pluta Contracting.

During the meetings time for "other business," Pluta addressed the newsletter, making certain to distance the township from his statements.

"These comments do not reflect the opinions of the council, the township, or its workers. They are mine and mine alone … [the author] is a slithering coward … I would love for this 'concerned citizen' to come out from behind their cloak of anonymity … This is defamation," shouted Pluta to the audience.

The pamphlet, according to Pluta, was distributed throughout various neighborhoods in the township. 

Penned by an unknown author, much of the newsletter centered around Pluta's actions regarding a particular residence on Spencer Drive in Croydon.

The homeowner, Mark Robinson, frequently came to the council meetings since early October, complaining about the repair work done by the township to his damaged curb which he felt was inadequate. Robinson's property was damaged in an Aqua America service line maintenance project last September.

"I asked for (the curb) to be fixed right, not half-assed. It's not a quality job," said Robinson at a Nov. 17 council meeting.

Council-elect Amber Longhitano was present at the meeting, and felt that the outburst was inappropriate and disrespectful.

"I understand his anger. It's a frightening experience to have your personal business aired publicly like that, but (the council auditorium) is not the place for this type conversation. You can't use your position as a personal pulpit," Longhitano said.