2012 DEMOCRAT CAMPAIGN FINANCE

    The County Democrats' third quarter ELEC reports are in! Due on October 15, it was received in Trenton on October 24.
    It appears that they have been running their losing County Clerk and Freeholder County Commissioner campaigns out of the county organization accounts, as none of their county candidates ELEC reports show anything of substance. Freeholder County Commissioner candidate Kevin Lavan had only filed a D-1 back in July. William Shea filed his 29-Day Pre-Election (R-1) on October 10; his 11-Day Pre-Election was due on October 26 but is nowhere to be found. The 20-Day Post-Election Reports are due on November 26. The joint candidates committee, Shea & Lavan 2012, has only filed a D-2 and an A-2, both on October 10. Michael Steinhorn, their candidate for County Clerk seems to have been their only candidate who actually filed his reports on time, with a D-1 and an A-1 on Oct. 10, and an 11-Day Pre-Election filed on November 2.
    48 hour notices were required for contribution over $1,200.00 received between October 24 and November 6, none are filed. But then the Democrats in Monmouth County have played fast and loose with the definition of 48 hours before.
    We were wondering whether there would be any changes brought about by their new chairman boss, Vin Gopal, who is not the G. O. P.'s pal. Well, basically, same old stuff: Labor bucks, wheeling and whatnot. In other words, meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
    We will know more if they file their fourth quarter reports in January; also from the final county candidates reports.
    Let's look in...

1199 SEIU NYS Political Action Fund gave the Democrats $500.00 on Aug. 22. Last year they gave Amy Mallet's campaign $2,000.00.  Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is known for thuggishness, often supplying goons to physically disrupt events. These are bad dudes. The "NYS" stands for New York State. That is a separate state to the north of New Jersey; again we must reiterate, New York is a separate state. This is an out of state campaign contribution.

The Committee to Elect Sheila Oliver contributed $1,000.00 on Sept, 25. Sheila Y. Oliver is the Speaker of the New Jersey Assembly and represents the 34th District. That's in Essex County.

The Election Fund of Thomas P. Giblin Inc. gave $400.00 on Sept. 17. Thomas P. Giblin is Sheila Oliver's running mate in District 34, and is a mainstay of the Essex County Democrats.
Former Freeholder County Commissioner John D'Amico a/k/a "Flippy", contributed a total of $750.00 in four installments of various amounts. He just won't go away.

June Fallon, wife of former interim Democrat freeholder Charles D. Fallon, gave $400.00 on Sept. 14. Charles Fallon was one of many corrupt public officials busted by then-U. S. Attorney Chris Christie. Fallon, an accountant, had been bribing then-Hudson County Executive Robert C. Janiszewski to the tune of $2,000.00 a year, totaling $8,000.00. In return, Janiszewski would give county contracts to Fallon's accounting firm. Fallon would then do Janiszewski's tax returns so as to hide the bribes. One hand soils the other. Fallon pled guilty and was fined.

Norman Kauff contributed $500.00 on Sept. 17. Kauff was a longtime Scudiery lieutenant and is a major player in Western Monmouth and Bayshore Democrat circles.

Marlboro Councilman Frank LaRocca contributed a total of $420.00 in four installments of various amounts. LaRocca was an unsuccessful candidate for County Democrat Chair Boss against Gopal back in June. Nice to see them getting along. LaRocca is a law partner of Mayor Jon Hornik; let's take the time to give a shout out to all those Republicans for Hornik who we have to thank for this.

Local Union 400 IBEW PAC Fund gave $2,000.00 on August 14, and another $1,500.00 on Sept. 18. They're located on Route 138 in Wall Township.

The Middletown Democratic Party donated a total of $1,850.00 in three installments.

The Monmouth - Ocean Central Labor Council gave $400.00 on Sept. 17.

Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union No. 9 of Manalapan contributed $1,000.00 on August 29.

ARE MONMOUTH COUNTY REPUBLICANS CHEATING?

    That was the title of the front-page above the fold article in Sunday's Asbury Park Press, which at times appears to be more of a 527 for the Democrats than a journalistic organ. In it they point out that for 30 of the last 33 years the Monmouth County Republican Party has won the Column 1 ballot position.
    The Press has a history of running this type of article for the purpose of bolstering their editorials endorsing Democrats for county office, in this case Michael Steinhorn for county clerk over Claire French. Such articles are often long on emotion and short on facts. Predictably, The Press consulted with a college professor for an expert opinion.
    The fact is, the selection of ballot position is set forth by state law, N. J. S. A. 19:14-12. It is all spelled out in minute detail and has been for decades. If The Press has a problem with how this is done, let them address it to the New Jersey Legislature. If Steinhorn feels that the selection process has in any way been compromised, it is his duty to report it to law enforcement and not just whine.
    Let's now look at a couple of passages from the statute:
     "Any legal voter of the county or municipality, as the case may be, shall have the privilege of witnessing the drawing."
     Ok, so it's done in public. That's easy. So was Mr. Steinhorn or any of his Democrat running mates present for the selection to see that it was on the up and up? Was County Democrat Boss Vin Gopal (who is not the G. O. P.'s pal)? For that matter, did the Asbury Park Press send a reporter to cover it? Not much of a watchdog, are they? More yip than woof.    
     "The drawing for the positions which the names of candidates and bracketed groups of names of candidates, nominated by petition for office, and for the columns which the political parties which made nominations at the next preceding primary election and for the general election shall occupy upon the general election ballot, shall be held at 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the eighty-fifth day prior to the day of the general election."
    The 85th day prior???? That's August 13th! Two months ago! Yet they only print it now? Could The Press be more interested in performing an October surprise than in reporting the news? Hardly investigative journalism.
    The Press, while reporting that the G. O. P. got column 1 for 33 out of the past 30 years, fails to make the connection that this translates into additional votes. Who had Column 1 during the 3 consecutive years when Barbara McMorrow, John D'Amico and Amy Mallet were elected Freeholders? How about when Ellen Kärcher defeated John Bennett for the 12th District Senate seat (not to mention the Dems sweeping the Assembly seats at the same time)? Democrats elected a lot of people to various offices during the 1980s. Running from column 2, Congressman Frank Pallone carried every municipality in his district for at least a decade until 2010 when Anna Little handily carried the Monmouth portion if the district and made serious inroads in Middlesex. And if having the first column was that important Why is Pasquale Menna the mayor of Red Bank and Jon Hornik the mayor of Marlboro?
    There was a time when the print media was openly partisan. You had Republican papers and Democrat papers, but they were open about their biases. You could "see them coming". Too, there usually wasn't a media monopoly in a market. Republican, Democrat and non-partisan papers competed for readership.
    Later, newspapers for the most part shed their party labels and became equal opportunity journalists. Both sides knew that if they didn't act properly it could be made public in the paper.
    For about a quarter century the trend has been toward the media carrying water for the Democrat Party and for left-wing causes. This differs from the old days of partisan newspapers because they are masquerading as unbiased. Additionally, newspapers are often owned by large corporations or trusts, creating a monopoly in a market. There is no daily competition anymore to the Asbury Park Press. None.
   

UNION COUNTY BUCKS COMING IN

Is Union County the Democrats' idea of "where Democrats are doing a better job governing than Republicans?"
Well?
We've been monitoring the Monmouth County Democrats ELEC Reports and sure enough, they are getting some big bucks wheeled in from their Union County bosses.* The Democrats have been very coy with their filings, with separate filings for County Commissioner (neé Freeholder) candidates Amy Mallet and Bill Shea and Surrogate Candidate Michael Steinhorn, as well as a joint Mallet-Shea account. They try to hide behind sworn statements for the candidates and run the show out of the Monmouth County Democrats account. Most of these are from the Monmouth County Democrats account, except for that from Joseph Cryan, who contributed directly to Friends of Freeholder Mallet.
The Dems are obviously utterly unfazed by criticism of their wheeling. It's just what they do.
Checking the 48 hour reports, we find big bucks from two out of three 20th District (Union County) legislators. On October 26 the Assemblywoman Annette Quijano Election Fund contributed $5,000.00. Two days later, on October 28, the Election Fund of Senator Raymond J. Lesniak contributed $10,000.00. The third representative from that district, rootin' tootin' double-dippin' Undersheriff/Assemblyman Joseph Cryan, made his $1,000.00 contribution directly to Amy Mallet's campaign on September 18. Quijano's predecessor, child-porn impressario Neil Cohen has contributed to legislative races in the past.
Union County's neighbor to the north, Essex, has also shown its generosity through the largess of Assembly Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver (D-34). On April 12 the Committee to Elect Sheila Oliver gave $1,000.00 and on July 7 she ponied up another $500.00.
Between Union and Monmouth Counties lies Middlesex, always fertile ground for wheeled bucks. On July 8 the mysterious Sayreville-based Democracy in Motion PAC contributed $5,000.00; they gave another $10,000.00 on September 15. This contributor first appeared here in 2009. Also from Sayreville is 19th District Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski; on February 10 the Election Fund of John S. Wisniewski contributed $1,000.00 and another $2,500.00 on September 15.
This is what has surfaced so far. Certainly more will come to light after the election. Meanwhile, we will be delving into their Big Labor contributions.

*Of course, with the Democrats, down is up and up is down and wheeling isn't wheeling, so I guess the money isn't really wheeled. Or something.