JOE AZZOLINA BRIDGE

Senate Bill No. 2073 Designates bridge on Route 36 over Shrewsbury River (a/k/a Highlands Bridge) as "Captain Joseph Azzolina Memorial Bridge."
This bill was recently introduced by Senators Sean Kean and Joe Kyrillos (primary sponsors), and Bob Singer as co-sponsor. A-2938, an identical bill in the Assembly, was sponsored by Mary Pat Angelini and Declan O'Scanlon.
Referred to the Assembly Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee.

MIDDLETOWN: THE NEW HOWELL

Middletown Township is Monmouth County's largest municipality in population; it's also right up there in land area. It stretches from the tip of Sandy Hook all the way to Lincroft, nearly on the doorstep of Western Monmouth.
Politically, it is a must-win in order to carry the county.
But all is not right in the Middletonian behemoth. A long-simmering party split has in recent years reached a slow boil, with the Democrats under local boss Joe "King" Caliendo benefiting in the process, and by currency, the county Dems.
What once was fought out in the primary and forgotten by Labor Day has now become a full-time pursuit. The two factions would get together, with Joe Azzolina hosting Pete Carton's local GOP Headquarters on Joe's property on Route 35. That's all a distant memory now; the HQ building has been bulldozed for lo these several years now.
Caliendo has benefitted big time in the last two years, with two of his Democrats being elected to the Township Committee. One more and all the GOP infighting will be moot.
Last year, things got really bizzare. Joe Azzolina, the longtime Republican legislator and former municipal chair, publicly backed the local Democrats in a mailer. And, from the other faction, Planning Board Chairperson Judith Stanley-Coleman backed a write-in candidate in Highlands, and is said to be supporting the local Democrats there this year. And that's not even in Middletown!
Wow! You just can't make this stuff up, campers!
With all these Republicans backing Democrats, it's no surprise that the Democrats are making gains.
In spite of a political scene that seems like a cross between The Jerry Springer Show and the bar scene from Star Wars, the local GOP seems to have been doing a pretty decent job governing the township, which makes it all the more imperative to maintain the Republican majority there, as well as keeping the vote pluralities high for the freeholders and top of the ticket.
I'll close with Art Gallagher's poignant question, which Democrats hate to be asked and can't answer: "Where in New Jersey are Democrats doing a better job governing than Republicans are doing in Middletown and Monmouth County?"

TRIBUTE TO JOE AZZOLINA

Today marks the swearing-in of the new State Assembly, and one fixture from Monmouth County will sadly not be among those taking the oath. Capt. Joseph Azzolina will retire from the Assembly, due to a close loss in the June 2005 Republican Primary. He will be succeeded by Freeholder Amy H. Handlin.
Azzolina has been compared to the late British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill. Although of different generations, the two men bear a striking physical resemblance, and both men are known for their eminently quotable, plain-spoken (and sometimes salty) demeanor. What you see is what you get. Both are war heroes as well as statesmen.
Azzolina was one of the most senior members of the Legislature at the time of his retirement, having served, with a few breaks in service, since January 1966. Elected to the Assembly in the 1965 election, Azzolina served in the lower house until 1972, when he took a seat in the State Senate. He served in the Senate for a two-year term; he was defeated for re-election in the 1973 Democrat landslide. A 1977 Senate campaign likewise proved unsuccessful.
Azzolina returned to the political scene in 1985. Running with the late Joann Smith of Old Bridge, he and Smith defeated incumbent Democratic Assembly members William Flynn and Jacqueline Walker. The 13th District has remained in Republican hands ever since. Azzolina ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 1987, and had another hiatus from the legislature; he returned in 1992 and served admirably until the end of the last term.
Azzolina has built a record as an effective legislator, but his successes are not only political. He served in the Navy and Naval reserve for over forty years. He built a family-owned mom & pop grocery store into the multi-store Food Circus corporation. His philanthropy is done the way it should be - quietly, without any self-aggrandizement. It's not about publicity, it's about helping people.
The Convention and Primary of 2005 were truly unfortunate indeed. It has been said that events were manipulated by two successive Monmouth County G. O. P. Chairmen to replace Azzolina with Handlin. Some said that he could not win in November due to controversy over the Town Center development proposed by members of the Azzolina and Scaduto families. While I most certainly would have advised the Assemblyman to handle the situation somewhat differently, in particular his address to the Middletown Township Committee, I believe that, district-wide, he would have overcome that issue and been reelected to the Assembly, especially in light of the lackluster pair of candidates the Democrats ran in '05.
So, whether you call him Assemblyman Azzolina, "Joe Az", "The Captain", "Mr. A", "The Old Man (Not to his face!)" or simply Joe, The Monmouth County Republican Blog salutes Joseph Azzolina and the many years of service he has provided. He will be missed in Trenton, but I know he will be a fixture in Monmouth County Republican politics for many years to come, and he will continue to serve his fellow man.