REALLY?

Anna Little is one of the toughest people in politics today. A tireless grass roots organizer and campaigner, she challenged the Party Establishment, winning both the 2010 and 2012 Primaries off-line, and would have won off line for freeholder in 2007 if she chose to run that year.
She has gone up against some pretty tough customers, including Bill Barham, Fred Niemann, Adam Puharic and his Rasta sock-puppet and others. She was elected Mayor of Highlands beating a Democrat, an Independent and a write in (presumably sent in as a spoiler) orchestrated by country club RINOs on Navesink River Road in Middletown!
Sounds like she's just the kind of fighter we need in Congress.
So where does Art Gallagher get off thinking that he is going to prevail against Anna Little? Really?

DIRECTOR BURRY!

Happy New Year!

History was made yesterday afternoon with the unanimous selection of Lillian Beneforti Burry as the first woman to serve as Director of the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders. She is also the first Italian - American to lead the Board.

Director Burry's selection also puts to rest fears that her predecessor as director, Bill Barham, would continue to hold the post in a Larrisonian imperial directorship.

Rob Clifton, who was reelected at the last election, will be deputy director for 2008.

The Asbury Park Press article is here; in the hard copy of the paper an editorial decision was made to place the article not only "below the fold", but at the very bottom of the page. For all their crying about Bill Barham's second year as Director last year, I guess an actual change in the directorship is not really newsworthy in their eyes.

A big thank you to Bill Barham for his service as director for the past two years. This blog has sometimes been critical of Bill, but director is a tough job and we thank him for his time. We also thank Highlands Mayor Anna Little for her service as a freeholder during the same time. During her term on the Board, she was subjected to vitriolic attacks from a faction within our own party, the ultimate source of which is yet to be exposed. Freeholder Little handled these attacks with class and aplomb, and I'm sure we have not heard the last of Anna Little.

The Monmouth County Republican Blog wishes Director Burry, Deputy Director Clifton and the entire Board of Chosen Freeholders the best of luck in 2008!

Some Friday Randomness

Many of you have been following the news coverage of the dispute between the Board of Chosen Freeholders and the County Board of Elections vis-à-vis who has the authority to hire Election Board staff. (Here and here.)

We hate to say we told you so, but we told you so. Back in 2005, then-County Chairman Fred Niemann decided that he would make changes on the County Board. He began by replacing Commissioner Robin Lemesevski of Freehold Township with Howell Municipal Chair Norine Kelly. He followed up in 2006 by replacing Election Board Chairman Barbara Muzetska with Karen Haines of Middletown, his county headquarters office manager.
This threw the seniority on the Board to the Democrats, led by Leah Falk of Aberdeen Township. We now have the dispute leading into the February 5th Super Duper Tuesday Presidential Primary.

Giving the issue the flavor of The Jerry Springer Show is a near Rasta-esque comment by loose-cannon Chairman Adam Puharic publicly bashing an applicant for one of the positions to be filled, and by currency bashing the Board of Freeholders for recommending the applicant. This is standard Puharic policy, making foes where friends used to be, and it appears to go back to his days as a Municipal Chair, when he chose to use his power as Chairman to punish dissent, instead of healing, bringing people together, and fostering debate without resentment. Since becoming chairman, Adam has unnecessarily alienated many, including a former freeholder, at least two out of the three remaining Republican freeholders, the past sheriff and others.

We now come back to candidate screening, which may have the chairman really cycling up to a crescendo. Read Art Gallagher's analysis at More Monmouth Musings.

Have a nice weekend!

SILLY SEASON!

Well, "Silly Season" is now over, and now it's time for...
Silly Season???
Yes, campers, Election Season '08 is upon us faster than Santa can slither down a KY Jelly-slathered chimney. With the early Super Duper Tuesday Presidential Primary slated to go off on February 5th, there'll be no rest, as filing day is on December 10th. Other events will keep us Republicans very busy as 2008 draws near.

Freeholders Reorganization. Around the first week of January. Who will be the Director? Will the board follow the Harry Larrison tradition and choose Bill Barham for a third straight year? Or will they choose another freeholder to take the helm for 2008? Some have recommended Rob Clifton for the post, due to his recent reelection in a tough year and his conciliatory demeanor. However, Lillian Burry, the current deputy director, lobbied for the post at the last reorganization, and would have to be considered a tantalizing possibility this year. Barham, Clifton and Burry are the three remaining Republicans on the board; the other two members are Democrats Barbara McMorrow and John "Flippy" D'Amico. At this time it is unknown where their votes would fall.
Also, would the board vote to reappoint former Democratic Red Bank Mayor Ed McKenna's law firm as Assistant County Counsel? You know, under curmudgeonly County Counsel Malcolm Carton? If so, Red Bank Councilman John Curley is poised to throw his hat in the ring. More on that below.

Super Duper Tuesday. February 5th. The Presidential Primary. New Jersey has opted to move its presidential primary up from June so as to be more relevant in the presidential selection process. Here in Monmouth County, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney so far have a lot of support. We'll see who files next Monday and see where the support lines up.
So far, no information on whether Chairman Adam Puharic will require background checks on the presidential candidates.

Lincoln Day. Somewhere in the midst of all this will be Lincoln Day.

Primary No. 2. Yes, there will be two, count 'em, two primaries this year. The regular Jersey primary will go off as planned in June, with a filing date presumably in April. It is said that both Bill Barham and Lillian Burry are each looking for new running mates this year, and may oppose each other in a primary. A possible third ticket may be in the offing as well. If Democrat Ed McKenna is reappointed as an assistant county counsel, John Curley of Red Bank will run. It is not known which slate he will be on, though it's a safe bet that he will oppose Bill Barham. Presumably there will be some kind of a steering committee with the requisite background checks; so far no details on that.
Also no details as to whether or not there will be a Rasta-esque persona this year to trash opposition within the party.

Chairman's Election. Yes, the Chairman's Election. Adam's two-year term will be up in June, a week after Primary. Will he be challenged?

Welp, that gets us to the middle of 2008. More to come! And fasten your seatbelts folks - Howell will have a local election this year!

CARTON (CONTINUED)

Controversial and curmudgeonly County Counsel Malcolm Carton received more criticism today, this time from 13th District Assemblywoman Amy H. Handlin, a former freeholder. Apparently Carton treated then - Freeholder Handlin in a similar manner to her successor, Freeholder Anna Little.

Former Assistant County Counsel Robert J. Hrebek has also weighed in with his experiences with Carton.

Since our last post on Carton, the tips have been pouring in; it seems Carton has courted controversy since at least the 80's.

Carton has had a habit of giving poorly researched legal advice. In the early 80's, then - Freeholder Frank Self resigned. Carton advised him to direct his resignation to Director Harry Larrison, Jr. As a result, Long Branch Mayor Philip Huhn was appointed to Self's seat. Freeholder Huhn's vote was needed to provide a 2/3 majority for a bond issue. It was then revealed that freeholder resignations are to be addressed to the Secretary of State, rendering both Huhn's appointment and the bond issue invalid, as Self's resignation was defective there was no vacancy.

Carton's advice may also be at the root of recent controversy about Director Bill Barham's relationship with Hall of Records contractor Benjamin R. Harvey III, and may be the reason Barham directed Carton to seek an opinion from the State Attorney General's office; in effect a second opinion. It is not known whether Carton became uppity with Barham.

Also in the early 80's, Carton was considered a front - runner to succeed Democrat County Prosecutor (Now Superior Court Judge) Alexander "Hollywood Al" Lehrer to the point that some people called Carton "Mr. Prosecutor". County Chairman Frederick Kniesler had a different idea, and nominated John A. Kaye, who would go on to serve over 20 years in the post. Harry Larrison, who supported Carton, publicly objected in the press, and promised a "bloodbath", presumably meaning that he would work to oust Kniesler. The "bloodbath" never happened.

The Board of Chosen Freeholders will meet tomorrow night (March 22). Freeholder Little's complaints about the belligerent barrister will be on the Executive Session agenda. The freeholders are busy people; they have no time to play. Carton can do the Board, the Republican Party and the taxpayers a big, solid favor by submitting his resignation.

APP ATTACKS FREEHOLDERS

An editorial in today's (January 8, '07) Asbury Park Depress attacks the Board of Chosen Freeholders for selecting William C. Barham for a second year as Director. While the Monmouth County Republican Blog has favored rotating the leadership (We were leaning to Lillian Burry.) and has in fact been critical of Barham at times, we must challenge the APP on this issue.
Their motivation has not been and is not good government. Their motivation has been to elect Democratic freeholders. Period, end of story.
In order to bring about this goal, the APP and its editors, while hiding behind the screen of populism and good government, criticizes every action and policy of the county.
Now, let's have a go at their editorial [Bold & bracketed comments are mine.]:

Limit tenure of director

Before William C. Barham was elected Monmouth County freeholder director for a second straight year last week, board members were stalemated on whether the job should be rotated.
We agree with Freeholder Lillian Burry's position that no freeholder should serve as director for more than two consecutive years, though she was likely jockeying for the job in 2008. [Jockeying for the job. And this is a problem because? Wouldn't Burry as director meet your goal of rotation?] Burry campaigned on tenure limits when she ran with Barham in 2005. Barham has made it clear he doesn't want to surrender the title anytime soon.
"The director's job is more about what has to be done tomorrow than today," he said. "You have to see what needs to be done 20 years down the road." Actually, that's the job of the whole board.
Barham cited his qualifications in presenting the case that he should retain the position. Which ones? His employment with a construction firm now hundreds of thousands of dollars over budget and three years behind schedule on its renovation work at the County Hall of Records? [This project is nothing new. And you only report on it now?] Or being the handpicked successor of the late Harry Larrison Jr., who served as director for 21 of his 39 years on the board and was charged shortly before his death with soliciting bribes from two developers? [Simply because Larrison was charged with taking bribes doesn't mean that Barham takes bribes too. Guilty by association? Or does the APP know something we don't? If so, please report what you know to U. S. Attorney Chris Christie. Otherwise, knock off the National Enquirer garbage.]
Barham said the job's "not a political position, it's a working position with a lot of responsibility." No, it's not. It's about ego. [Ohhhh. So that's why the State Legislature provided for the selection of a Freeholder Director. Ego. Riiiiight.] He gets to run meetings and sign county documents. [Running meetings. That's the people's business. Signing county documents. Like multi-million dollar contracts? But none of that is a lot of responsibility. Noooooo.] Those are the only additional official duties of the director. [Welllll, if the directorship is not that important, why even bother with this editorial?]
Last year, though not all board members had publicly declared who they supported and Freeholder Ted Narozanick expressed interest in the job, Barham was able to produce a nameplate identifying himself as director immediately after the vote. [Maybe he had privately polled the membership beforehand and realized he had the votes. You need to count to three to get anything passed by the Board of Freeholders. In fact, last year, Barham actually got only three votes.]Craving the job that badly is unhealthy. [Unhealthy? Oh, like repeatedly slanted and inaccurate reporting? Hellooo Bald Avenger.]
Burry, who was voted deputy director last week, said she would support Barham this year, but that "I strongly believe two years is enough and someone new should be picked next year." Namely, herself. [And this is a problem because??? You have a problem with a second year for Barham, and you have a problem with Burry being interested in the directorship. Who, pray tell, does the Asbury Park Depress actually want for Freeholder Director??? And, no, you can't dig up Raymond Kramer.]
Barham said he won't go along with any restrictions on how many consecutive years a director can serve in the future. No surprise there. And Freeholder Robert Clifton, who has presented himself as a reformer but has moved in lockstep with Barham [Lockstep? Like on the vote to reappoint County Counsel Malcolm Carton? Come on, what does the APP take its readers for? Stupid? Note that most routine business votes on the Board are unanimous; the County Counsel is a pretty important vote; Clifton and Freeholder Anna C. Little were the dissenters.], would only say he prefers an unofficial agreement that directors not serve more than two years.
The other freeholders — Democrat Barbara McMorrow and Anna Little — should join with Burry and insist on a two-year limit for the director's job. [I would even go for a one-year limit. But anything the Board does can be undone by a later Board, making it an unenforceable gentlemen's agreement. The State Legislature can impose a limit on a director's terms, and even on a freeholders' terms.] And they should work to ensure that it goes to someone next year who doesn't regard the post as a birthright. [And who does the APP think that should be? If they really believed this issue to be important, and not simply an opportunity to sling mud, they could have made a recommendation prior to the reorganization, i. e., "We like ____ because...". ]

Rotating the directorship is a good idea, but it's not a be all - end all. For the Depress to act as though it is is disingenuous at best. They have set a policy wherein every action taken by the Board of Freeholders is wrong.
The Depress' goal is twofold: To elect a Democratic Board, and to be a "player" in the New Jersey political scene. Their parent company, Gannett, can be viewed as either a third political party, or a special interest group like the New Jersey Educational Association.
It is important in a free society to have a free press vigilant to governmental abuse. But when that press goes beyond vigilance and slants its reporting to suit an agenda, just how free are we?

DIRECTOR BARHAM AGAIN

Freeholder Director William C. Barham was selected this afternoon for another year guiding the county ship.
The Deputy Director for 2007 is Lillian G. Burry, replacing Robert D. Clifton. The other freeholders are Anna C. Little, Republican, and Barbara McMorrow, Democrat.
Outgoing Freeholder Theodore J. Narozanick was honored with a portrait, to be displayed in the Hall of Records. Ted was honored as "Freeholder Emeritus" a few weeks ago.
The vast editorial staff here at the Monmouth County Republican Blog wishes Director Barham, Deputy Director Burry and the entire Board the best of luck in 2007!

WHO WILL BE DIRECTOR FOR 2007?

!!!UPDATE!!!

According to today's (January 3, '07) APP, Director Bill Barham has the votes for another year.

Every year by state law the Board of Chosen Freeholders must select one of its members to serve as Director, and the time will soon be upon us.
Freeholder William C. Barham, the current director, has held the leadership for the past year, having succeeded Thomas J. Powers in the directorship. At the present time, it looks like two freeholders have emerged as contenders for the job. It is said that Barham would like another year at the helm, and Freeholder Lillian G. Burry is said to be actively interested in the directorship. Some GOP activists are said to like Freeholder Robert D. Clifton to be director, and Freeholder Anna C. Little as deputy director; it is unknown at this time whether Rob and Anna are interested. It is also not certain who has the votes to become director. One must be able to count to three. (votes)
What's your opinion? Who do you think will be director? Who would you like to see? Would a second year of Bill Barham bring continuity, or would we be in danger of an "imperial directorship" of one-man rule, as under the late Harry Larrison, Jr? Should it be rotated from year to year like the mayoralty in many towns? If so, who should be the next to step up? Lillian? Rob? Anna?
Let us know.

DIRECTOR BARHAM

This evening the Board of Chosen Freeholders chose William C. Barham of Monmouth Beach as Director of the Board; he succeeds Thomas J. Powers. Matawan's Robert D. Clifton was chosen as Deputy Director.
We at the Monmouth County Republican Blog support the Board's choice and wish the new director and deputy director well in 2006.

WHO WILL BE THE DIRECTOR?

With the retirement of Freeholder Director Tom Powers, the Board of Freeholders must select a new director from among themselves. Amy Handlin, the deputy director for 2005, is expected to resign once sworn in as a freshman Assemblywoman.
The two names being mentioned for the top spot are Freeholders Ted Narozanick and Billy Barham. Narozanick is supported because of his length of service with the county, dating back to the 1950s. Barham supporters cite their man's business experience, youth and the fact that he is part of the new generation of freeholders.
Both men are highly capable of doing the job; the county wins either way. That makes the choice that much harder. Let me know what you think.