Embattled Keyport Mayor John Merla is now a Democrat, according to a June 8 Courier article, as well as a report in this week's Independent.
Merla, elected as a Republican, was nabbed in the FBI's "Operation Bid Rig" and faces eight counts of corruption charges. He maintains his innocence and intends to go to trial and fight the charges. He had previously beaten charges brought by then County Prosecutor John Kaye in the early 90's by going to trial.
Once considered a rising young star in our party, Merla was a candidate for Harry Larrison's open freeholder seat in December 2004, opposing Bill Barham, who was elected. Merla and others would be arrested the following February.
Some who supported Merla now say they would have supported Barham had they known of Merla's alleged corruption.
Merla had declared himself an independent last year; this year he becomes a Democrat. We wish him well in his new home.
9 comments:
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Credit where credit is due, Abe. The Independent wouldn't even know about that if it wasn't for my article.
Thanks, Matt. I have corrected the post.
i don't think the merla thing will be a slam dunk like o'grady was.
Thanks Abe.
i don't think he's going to have as passive a defense. whatever the outcome...who knows? i just don't think it's going to be as quick a trial.
this is the point where you say something really derisive. don't miss out now. something totally superflous and snarky...sort of like a softhanded little gop lawyer who matches perfectly.
this is based on our previous discourse of course. if i give a straight response, you still have to say something witty, in an oscar wilde kind of way, with a little throaty laugh at the end like after a martini lunch. you know...to furrow the old eyebrow...right?
Or maybe he will get sick just before trial. Spalliero did it again. It's Pavlovian, man.
whatever oscar. i wouldn't try to out-snark a hipster. way too old for that sort of thing.
Howard:
Vic can't regulate who becomes a democrat, as much as you folks can wave a wand and say someone can't be a republican.
it doesn't work that way. in america, people fill out a form and can elect to be a registered voter in a party.
vic controls his own appointments to the county party as well as who he supports as candidates personally. even in the case where a democrat were to run off the line in a primary and win then he still doesn't have anything to do with it until the county or him directly supports that person.
what does it say about vic? nothing at all.
and john, if he wins his case or loses his case it's up to the jurors. they determine guilt or the lack thereof at this point.
unless, that is, you are going to summarily sentence him to "blogger time" for creating a ruckus.
did your keyboard taste good?
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