Ex-councilman cuts ties to hate group

July 17, 2003

HOPEWELL, N.J. (AP) -- A former borough councilman who resigned last week after his membership in a national white supremacist group became public has now quit the group.

Marc Moran, 43, said Wednesday that he would no longer be associated with the National Alliance, a West Virginia group that promotes segregationist living and Aryan values. He was appointed to fill a vacant council seat on July 3, but the lifelong Hopewell resident served for less than two weeks before resigning on Saturday.

Moran, who denies being a racist or an anti-Semite, said he joined the group because he agreed with its views on illegal immigration and civil liberties. However, he now only has harsh words for the organization and says he was ashamed that he did not fully investigate the group.

"I took my membership card and I put it in an envelope and I mailed it back to them. I'm done,'' Moran said. "The things (about the group) I disagree with far outweigh the things I do agree with.''

Moran had written several essays -- many of which denounced cultural diversity and immigration -- that were posted on the Internet. The most recent essay was posted in December 2002.