Two days after he was arraigned on a charge of filing a false tax return , Sussex County Commissioner William Hayden was once again a no-show at the latest Commissioner Board meeting on Sept. 10.

"We are paying for an empty seat," complained one Sussex resident during the meeting's public comment session, referring to Hayden's record of chronic meeting absences since he was accused of lying about his military record, claiming to be a wounded Navy SEAL while campaigning for office in 2022.

Hayden never served in the military, according to New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, whose office charged him in July.

Last May, a former donor to Hayden's campaign filed a complaint with the New Jersey State Police, alleging the Republican violated the state's Stolen Valor Act , which m

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