The Brick woman who set off an Internet firestorm after she was kicked off the dating app Tinder for using the service to promote the presidential candidacy of Bernie Sanders is stepping back into politics – this time as an appointed member of the Brick Township Housing Authority Board of Commissioners.
Robyn Gedrich, 24, was appointed to the authority’s board last week by the township council. Since the Tinder controversy, Gedrich campaigned as an independent Democrat for a seat on the Ocean County freeholder board, but was not successful. Gedrich will be one of seven commissioners to serve on the board of the authority, which provides federally subsidized housing for senior citizens and the disabled in a complex off Chambers Bridge Road.
Gedrich, who told Shorebeat she volunteered at the Housing Authority in high school, is looking forward to the opportunity.
“After enjoying volunteering at Brick Township Housing Authority during my years at the Brick Township Public Schools, it’s an honor to be appointed to serve as a commissioner,” she said. “To quote Shirley Chisholm: ‘Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth.'”
Gedrich said her goal as commissioner is “to provide an empathetic, honest, and unbiased view to all my decisions.” She also said she would do her best to “ensure that those housed through the authority continue to be treated fairly and compassionately.”