POINT PLEASANT BEACH - Mayor Stephen Reid is the subject of a lawsuit alleging that borough tried to cover up a conflict of interest in his dual roles as mayor and chief lobbyist for a legal weed opposition group.

The lawsuit, filed by marijuana legalization advocate and blogger Patrick Duff, alleges that the borough of Point Pleasant Beach redacted Reid's private email addresses from records obtained by Duff in an Open Public Records Act request.

Reid, 54, has worked as the executive director of New Jersey Responsible Approaches to Marijuana Policy since May. He was elected mayor of Point Pleasant Beach in 2015 after a term on the borough council.

In one email obtained by Duff, a former owner of four California medical marijuana dispensaries, the borough clerk "emails Reid at his government email account and a redacted email account, asking him to tend to something anti-marijuana related.

"If this redacted account is his lobbying account (or even his personal account that he may use for lobbying activities), it is clear evidence that Reid is effectively using the clerk as a secretary for his lobbying business and having her pass information that benefits his lobbying client," the complaint states.

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The lawsuit also notes that Reid's 2018 financial disclosure forms — required of any appointed or elected official in New Jersey — do not list NJ-RAMP as a source of income.

In an interview, Reid said the 2018 forms were signed before he was hired as the group's director and could not alter the forms after they were signed and submitted. The 2019 forms will include NJ-RAMP as a source of income, he said.

“Before I take on any clients I always ask my borough (attorney) if there’s a conflict. I was told ‘absolutely not,’” Reid said. “This is just nonsense. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m the executive director of NJ-RAMP.”

Watch a video of a Press editorial board meeting with NJ-RAMP in a video at the top of the page.

Duff's complaint cites an opinion column authored by Reid and published online at APP.com on May 25. The column, submitted via Reid's private email on May 24, was in response to a May 22 article about the marijuana tourism boom in Colorado and its potential effects on New Jersey tourism.

In the column, Reid identified himself as mayor but made no mention of NJ-RAMP. He signed a contract with the group on May 23, Reid said.

In December 2017, Point Pleasant Beach became the first to pass an outright ban on marijuana sales, including medical marijuana and recreational marijuana dispensaries. The move was preemptive, knowing that Gov. Phil Murphy was a few weeks from inauguration and he'd run on a platform that included legal weed.

The move catapulted Reid as one of the state's chief marijuana legalization opponents. He soon became the executive director of NJ-RAMP, an affiliate of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, the most powerful legal weed opposition group in the country.

MORE: Will NJ legalize weed — and will it beat NY, PA to the punch?

“If we passed an ordinance after I was the executive director, it would have been a problem,” Reid said. “This is my job. I represent a lot of different clients but this is one client I was really excited about because I really feel for this issue and I feel I’m on the right side of it.”

While he is staying on as the group's executive director, Reid terminated the lobbying relationship with NJ-RAMP last month, after he announced his campaign for the Republican nomination for the open Assembly seat in the 10th Legislative District.

The seat will be vacated by Assemblyman Dave Wolfe, who isn't running for reelection after 27 years in the Legislature.

MARIJUANA MAILBAG: Do you have questions about the marijuana legalization — the timeline, the process, the industry, etc.? Email Mike Davis with your questions for a recurring marijuana legalization mailbag.

Mike Davis; @byMikeDavis: 732-643-4223; mdavis@gannettnj.com