The Monmouth County Republican Convention was held earlier today at Freehold Township High School, attended by over 400 people. The official Party endorsements were given for the 2014 candidates.
Congressman Chris Smith was given an acclamation endorsement in the Fourth Congressional District. Hari Eppanapally having withdrawn his name from the race, Anthony E. Wilkinson in the Sixth CD was also given an endorsement by acclamation.
Four U. S. Senate hopefuls participated in the convention; Richard Pezzullo, Brian Goldberg, Murray Sabrin and Bob Turkavage. Jeffrey Bell did not participate. Goldberg and Turkavage were eliminated in the first round of balloting. In the runoff, Pezzullo bested Sabrin for the Monmouth County endorsement.
For Freeholders, Director Lillian Burry and Deputy Director Gary Rich held off a close challenge by Howell Councilman and former Mayor Bob Walsh. After the winners were announced, Walsh endorsed Burry and Rich and urged all to get behind the slate.
The time is now to set our sights on defeating the Democrats this November.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
2014 CANDIDATES PART II: FREEHOLDERS
This year's election cycle has Freeholder Director Lillian Burry and Deputy Director Gary Rich both seeking reelection. Normally having two incumbents running should be a case closed matter, but this year we have a challenger in the race by the name of Howell Councilman and former Mayor Bob Walsh.
Walsh is challenging both incumbents, who have been running as a team as well as sending out their own individual flyers. The former Howell mayor has asserted that the Monmouth County Republican Party's brand is "tarnished"; when this was reported last month in More Monmouth Musings it generated somewhat of a "Howellanche" on Mr. Gallagher's blog.
Walsh and other critics of Burry and Rich say that the past scandal involving Brookdale Community College, and the recent indictment of former Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas for a fraudulent land deal have tainted the freeholders. It has been pointed out that the freeholders were not involved with either scandal, and in fact could be considered, as the governing body of the county, to have been victimized as well. Bob Walsh, for his part, has been cautioned to tone it down; should he win Saturday's convention vote, he would have to run with either Burry or Rich, whoever got the other nomination.Having two freeholder candidates not on the same page with each other weakens the ticket and leaves an opening for the Democrats (remember the Democrats?) to get back on the Board of Chosen Freeholders, putting bosses in Elizabeth (Joe Cryan) and Camden (George Norcross) in control.
Burry has been on the Board since 2006 and previously served as Director in 2008 and 2010. Prior to being a freeholder she served on the Colts Neck Township Committee and as Mayor of Colts Neck, and was earlier a member of the Matawan Borough Council.
Rich is completing his first term as a freeholder. He had previously served on the Spring Lake Borough Council and earlier on the Lake Como Borough Council.
Walsh is no stranger to being a challenger. Due to a party split in Howell, he challenged the local organization by running and winning as an independent for an unexpired township council seat. After reelection, again as an independent, he was elected Mayor as an independent and served as mayor from 2009 through 2012 when he didn't seek reelection. It was during this time that Howell politics realigned, including a rapprochement between Walsh and his predecessor and erstwhile adversary, Joe DiBella.
Walsh is challenging both incumbents, who have been running as a team as well as sending out their own individual flyers. The former Howell mayor has asserted that the Monmouth County Republican Party's brand is "tarnished"; when this was reported last month in More Monmouth Musings it generated somewhat of a "Howellanche" on Mr. Gallagher's blog.
Walsh and other critics of Burry and Rich say that the past scandal involving Brookdale Community College, and the recent indictment of former Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas for a fraudulent land deal have tainted the freeholders. It has been pointed out that the freeholders were not involved with either scandal, and in fact could be considered, as the governing body of the county, to have been victimized as well. Bob Walsh, for his part, has been cautioned to tone it down; should he win Saturday's convention vote, he would have to run with either Burry or Rich, whoever got the other nomination.Having two freeholder candidates not on the same page with each other weakens the ticket and leaves an opening for the Democrats (remember the Democrats?) to get back on the Board of Chosen Freeholders, putting bosses in Elizabeth (Joe Cryan) and Camden (George Norcross) in control.
Burry has been on the Board since 2006 and previously served as Director in 2008 and 2010. Prior to being a freeholder she served on the Colts Neck Township Committee and as Mayor of Colts Neck, and was earlier a member of the Matawan Borough Council.
Rich is completing his first term as a freeholder. He had previously served on the Spring Lake Borough Council and earlier on the Lake Como Borough Council.
Walsh is no stranger to being a challenger. Due to a party split in Howell, he challenged the local organization by running and winning as an independent for an unexpired township council seat. After reelection, again as an independent, he was elected Mayor as an independent and served as mayor from 2009 through 2012 when he didn't seek reelection. It was during this time that Howell politics realigned, including a rapprochement between Walsh and his predecessor and erstwhile adversary, Joe DiBella.
Friday, March 14, 2014
2014 CANDIDATES
Let's start with the candidates for U. S. Senate, of which there are at least five vying to go against incumbent Cory Booker. We will start with the ones with a Monmouth County connection.
Richard Pezzullo is a resident of Freehold Township and was a Major in the U. S. Army Reserve. He has worked with the United Taxpayers of New Jersey.
Brian Goldberg of West Orange Township is a 1991 graduate of Freehold High School (he doesn't specify Boro or Twp.). He is general manager of the family business, Beyond Concrete, located in Old Bridge Township.
From Freehold we go all the way to Bavaria, where Murray Sabrin was born in Bad Wörishofen. Son of Holocaust survivors, the Sabrin family came to America while Murray was a small child. He is a resident of Fort Lee.
Former FBI agent Robert "Turk" Turkavage is a resident of Cranford Township and was an independent senate candidate in 2012 (the website is from his independent run, he does not appear to have one yet this year).
Although not as far away as Bavaria, Virginia has been the home of Jeffrey Bell since the early 1980s. He was the GOP nominee way back in 1978, having defeated incumbent Sen. Clifford P. Case in the primary; Bell was then defeated by Democrat Bill Bradley in the general. He ran against Rep. Millicent Fenwick for the 1982 nomination and was defeated, after which he moved to Virginia. He has rented a home in Leonia for this year's run.
For Congress we have more of a quandary. Congressman Chris Smith clearly presents no quandary. A proven vote getter, he is the dean of the New Jersey delegation and his stellar record on veterans issues and human rights is well known.
The Affiliated website lists two congressional candidates, both presumably for the Sixth District. They are Anthony Wilkinson and Hari Eppanapally. A search of their names is inconclusive. We found no reference to any 2014 congressional campaigns for either man. Anthony Wilkinson is a common name, and searching brings up thousands of results, and for thousands of people. Eppanapally is not a common name, and while searching his name shows his past connections with liberal Democrat Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, there is nothing to be found on a 2014 House run.
Advice to these guys: Get known. Get a website, and/or a blog. Reach out to party leaders as well as the rank and file.
Next, the Freeholder race.
UPDATE
Art Gallagher of More Monmouth Musings has picked up the ball and researched both Hari Epanapally and Anthony Wilkinson.
Richard Pezzullo is a resident of Freehold Township and was a Major in the U. S. Army Reserve. He has worked with the United Taxpayers of New Jersey.
Brian Goldberg of West Orange Township is a 1991 graduate of Freehold High School (he doesn't specify Boro or Twp.). He is general manager of the family business, Beyond Concrete, located in Old Bridge Township.
From Freehold we go all the way to Bavaria, where Murray Sabrin was born in Bad Wörishofen. Son of Holocaust survivors, the Sabrin family came to America while Murray was a small child. He is a resident of Fort Lee.
Former FBI agent Robert "Turk" Turkavage is a resident of Cranford Township and was an independent senate candidate in 2012 (the website is from his independent run, he does not appear to have one yet this year).
Although not as far away as Bavaria, Virginia has been the home of Jeffrey Bell since the early 1980s. He was the GOP nominee way back in 1978, having defeated incumbent Sen. Clifford P. Case in the primary; Bell was then defeated by Democrat Bill Bradley in the general. He ran against Rep. Millicent Fenwick for the 1982 nomination and was defeated, after which he moved to Virginia. He has rented a home in Leonia for this year's run.
For Congress we have more of a quandary. Congressman Chris Smith clearly presents no quandary. A proven vote getter, he is the dean of the New Jersey delegation and his stellar record on veterans issues and human rights is well known.
The Affiliated website lists two congressional candidates, both presumably for the Sixth District. They are Anthony Wilkinson and Hari Eppanapally. A search of their names is inconclusive. We found no reference to any 2014 congressional campaigns for either man. Anthony Wilkinson is a common name, and searching brings up thousands of results, and for thousands of people. Eppanapally is not a common name, and while searching his name shows his past connections with liberal Democrat Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, there is nothing to be found on a 2014 House run.
Advice to these guys: Get known. Get a website, and/or a blog. Reach out to party leaders as well as the rank and file.
Next, the Freeholder race.
UPDATE
Art Gallagher of More Monmouth Musings has picked up the ball and researched both Hari Epanapally and Anthony Wilkinson.
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