GIBADLO IS IN THE RACE

Monmouth County Democrats tonight chose J. Greg Gibadlo of Middletown Township as the replacement on their freeholder ticket for the dearly withdrawn Leonard Inzerillo, who went away. Gibadlo is considered close to Middletown Democratic Party boss Joe "King" Caliendo, a very influential man in Monmouth County Democratic politics. The Dems apparently feel that Gibadlo is their best shot against popular Republican Freeholder Anna C. Little.
The vast editorial staff here at the Monmouth County Republican Blog have it on good authority that the Dems' selection has been approved by George Norcross, Joe Cryan, Ray Lesniak and the Bozo-coiffed Gov. Jon Corzine.

ANSWER TO FREEHOLDER TRIVIA

Monmouth County Freeholder Charles I. Smith, Sr. (1903 - 1978), of Upper Freehold, was elected to the Board in the 1960 election. His running-mate, who was reelected, was incumbent Freeholder Earl L. Woolley, who had served on the Board since 1949.
Charles I. Smith lived on the family farm on Route 526 between Allentown and Imlaystown.
Freeholder Smith was initially named as Freeholder in Charge of Public Welfare, but later would serve as Freeholder in Charge of Highways. An important act during Freeholder Smith's five - year tenure was the creation of the award - winning Monmouth County Park System.
He resigned from the Board effective February 1, 1966, and was replaced later that month with a 39 - year - old committeeman from Neptune Township named Harry Larrison, Jr., who would go on to serve nearly 39 years as a freeholder.
Charles I. Smith would later be appointed as County Road Supervisor; he was held in high regard by County Highway Department staff. He died in 1978.

MALCOLM CARTON REAPPOINTED

Veteran County Counsel Malcolm Carton was reappointed to his position last night by a 3 - 2 vote of the Board of Chosen Freeholders. Freeholders Robert Clifton and Anna C. Little provided the dissenting votes.

According to the Asbury Park Press, Clifton and Little said they both voted against Carton's appointment because they supported change for the county counsel position."There is a new freeholder board and I felt it would have been a great time to bring change,'' Clifton said.

This recalls another 3 - 2 vote in 1988 where Carton was reappointed on the votes of Freeholder Director Harry Larrison, Jr. and Democratic Freeholders John D'Amico and John Villapiano, with Republican Freeholders Tom Powers and Ted Narozanick dissenting.

Other attorney appointments went to Rick DeNoia of Little Silver, the Hanlon & Niemann Law Firm and Democratic Red Bank Mayor Ed McKenna's firm. Little and Narozanick both voted no on Niemann's firm, and Little also voted no on McKenna.

FREEHOLDER TRIVIA

Okay, something lighthearted here, and at the same time an opportunity to test your knowledge of your Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Our party has had majorities on the Board for most of the past century, and many fine men and women have served and currently serve, providing good Republican government to this great county.
Manalapan Township Committeeman Andrew F. Lucas is one of our candidates this year, along with Freeholder Anna C. Little.
Andrew is a farmer, and would be the only farmer on the 2007 Board.

Trivia question:
Who was the most recent farmer to serve on the Board, and when did he serve?

Join us for a grand re-opening of the Monmouth County Republican Headquarters

A "Wireside Chat" from Chairman Adam Puharic

Dear fellow Republicans:
When I received the honor to serve as your chairman, I assembled an administration with three specific objectives to lead us towards victory in November:

1. Professionalize the fundraising and raise the bar on ethics in politics.

2. Establish a board of directors to help steer the party towards a better future.

3. Unify the party and build within it a spirit of service and dedication to Republicanism

I am happy to report that our Director of Operations Michael Borg, and our Administrative Manager Heather Bachman have been working feverishly to recreate our Monmouth County GOP headquarters as a resource center for volunteers, and a classroom where candidates and chairs can receive useful information on running winning campaigns.

I am proud to invite you to our grand re-opening of Monmouth County Republican Headquarters on Saturday, August 26th at 10am. Assemblyman Bill Baroni will conduct an educational lecture breakfast session at 11am on the topic of campaign election law compliance. Every Saturday, we will host an educational lecture breakfast on topics relevant to party workers and loyalists.

If you ever wanted to be involved in GOP politics, or to learn more from the experts who know how to win elections – this is your opportunity.
To participate, please call Heather Bachman at (732) 431-6664. I look forward to seeing you there.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Adam Puharic, ChairmanMonmouth County Republican Party
www.MonmouthRepublican.org
info@MonmouthRepublican.org
732.431.6664

FARBER IS O - U - T!

Embattled state Attorney General Zulima V. Farber, an ally of Hudson County Democratic boss and appointed U. S. Senator Robert Menendez, resigned last evening effective August 31.
Farber is just part of a long string of embarassments coming out of the Democratic administration in Trenton.
Former Gov. James "Machiavelli" McGreevey, an embarassment himself, appointed Peter Harvey as Attorney General, replacing David Samson. Harvey was most notable for his apparent obliviousness to the whirl of political corruption around him and instead concentrated on such things as holding a hip-hop voter registration summit. Harvey served through the administrations of McGreevey and Richard Codey.
When the bozo-coiffed Gov. Jon Corzine took office, many Jerseyans were hopeful that he would appoint a bona-fide crimefighter to the office, in the mold of an Elliot Ness or Rudy Giuliani. Instead we got serial traffic scofflaw Farber.
Farber is a woman who is most at home going against the grain, and she soon became notable for her opposition to mandatory penalties for political corruption.
This past May, a man who sounds like a nursery-rhyme character, Hamlet Goore, whose name sounds like a nursery rhyme character, another serial traffic scofflaw who happens to be Farber's live-in boyfriend, was stopped by local police. The rest is well-known history.
The result of that motor vehicle stop was an investigation which found Farber guilty of three state ethics violations, leading to her resignation yesterday.
On September 1, First Assistant Attorney General Anne Milgram will take over as acting AG. Corzine says he will act fast to name a permanent replacement. Don't act fast, Governor. Don't act half - fast. Act smart. Don't screw it up a second time.

IS HE STRONGER NOW?

Most of you have probably already read about the fact that the Recall Howell Mayor Joseph DiBella movement has fallen short of the required number of signatures to place the recall question on the November ballot.
Over the past several months, some Republicans have speculated that, if DiBella survived the recall effort, he would emerge stronger politically. With the recall question off the ballot, is this the case? Does this help or hurt the local GOP candidates in Howell this November? How about the County?
Let us know your opinion.

COUNTY HAS ROLE TO PLAY IN CONSOLIDATING SERVICES

Op-ed Column by Freeholder Anna C. Little

Asbury Park Press

August 6, 2006

For years, the governor's office has blamed New Jersey's skyrocketing property taxes on local government. I am pleased Gov. Corzine is taking ownership of the remedy because, clearly, the state is the only authority with the ability to bring about widespread change in our tax system.
However, some of his proposals show that the Democrats in Trenton still don't get it. They seem to believe that big government is the answer to society's ills.
READ MORE HERE...

LENNY SINGS THE BLUES

"The internal dispute in the county Democratic Party likely will do little to improve its chances of breaking the more-than-20-year grip Republicans have held on the freeholder board." ...The Asbury Park Press.

UPDATE!

Today's (August 4th) Asbury Park Press reports that Inzerillo has filed his reports with ELEC. Now Lenny and Vic can stop fighting, sing Kumbaya, and go on to November and give a nice gracious concession speech.

In a severe blow to their hopes to gain a toehold on the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Monmouth County Democrats, led by County Chairman Victor Scudiery, have withdrawn their support for candidate Leonard Inzerillo.
Inzerillo, a losing 13th District Assembly candidate in 2003, was criticized in this blog (here and here) for a lack of reports filed with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC).
Lack of ELEC reporting appears to be a habit with the Democrats; some have even called it policy.
An angry Chairman Scudiery has called for Inzerillo's withdrawal from the race; Inzerillo has refused, accusing Scudiery of bossism.
The Monmouth County Democratic Party. The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight. Whatever. One would think that with the blogging explosion here in Monmouth County these people would be monitoring this blog, Seward's and others like ours. It's called opposition research.
As I've said many times before (Everybody, together. With feeling.):

IT'S NOT GOING AWAY, LENNY!

MONMOUTH COUNTY REPUBLICAN HEADQUARTERS MAKES CALL TO ARMS!

A Message From Chairman Adam Puharic:

Fellow Republicans:

Now that our Monmouth County Republican Headquarters is open, it is time to put your Republican spirit into action. Hence, we are calling on all of you to show your support by volunteering to our location at 16 West Main Street in Freehold.
This coming week, we have both phone calls and letters that need to go out at the fastest pace possible. Thanks to our new Administrative Manager, Heather Bachman, we are open from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM and are ready to enter some evening hours to coincide with your schedules.
If you want this Republican ticket to be successful in November, now is the time to act! We will not be successful without your help.
To sign up for a shift, contact Heather Bachman at 732-431-6664 or by email at info@monmouthrepublican.org. Together, we can provide wins for all our candidates and victory for the Republican Party.

Adam Puharic, Chairman
Monmouth County Republican Party
www.MonmouthRepublican.org
info@MonmouthRepublican.org
732.431.6664

UH - OH

Today's Asbury Park Press reports that the Bozo-coiffed Governor Jon Corzine wants to study New Jersey Hospitals. This is the guy who tried to tax hospital beds $50.00 per day.

According to the article, "Corzine said he wants to form a hospital study commission similar to the one used by the federal government when deciding whether to close military bases."

Uh - oh.

Corzine's comparing apples and Brazil nuts here. A military base is a facility opened by and operated by the government. If it is determined to be obsolete by the government, it is then closed by the government. Hospitals, with some exceptions, are private institutions established to provide services on basis of need in a given area. Key word here is need. Need is why there isn't a Wharton Tract Hospital. While hospitals do receive state aid, our American system of medicine remains in the private sector. Much as Corzine and his hand-picked U. S. Senator Robert Menendez may wish otherwise, New Jersey is not a province of Canada yet.

The article also states, "The New Jersey Hospital Association says that 40 percent of the state's hospitals lost money last year and the average hospital earned a 1 percent profit."

Interesting. It would be very interesting to see how the influx of illegal aliens to New Jersey has contributed to that. The Press article does not mention that. California has lost at least 60 hospitals because of the financial impact of uninsured illegal aliens and their anchor babies. While here in New Jersey state aid goes toward treating the uninsured, the Press article was otherwise short on numbers. We certainly have enough native-born uninsured without importing more.

Closing a hospital may make sense to a roomful of bean counters like Corzine, until one of those bean counters finds he now has to travel 15 more miles to bring his grandmother to the ER. Maybe those bean counters need to concentrate more on making hospitals profitable.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with setting priorities on the distribution of state aid. That's actually a good thing. But we know all too often what happens when the long, hairy arm of government reaches into places where it doesn't belong.

I smell trouble here. This bears some watching.

TIMES SQUARE ON THE TOWN SQUARE, or ARCH STREET COMES TO MAIN STREET

By Times Square I don't mean the Times Square of today. No Disney or anything like that. What I mean is the pre - Giuliani Times Square. Strip clubs, X - rated theatres, brothels. A place you wouldn't bring the kids.
Arch Street was Philadelphia's answer to Times Square.
Although New York and Philly have cleaned up their erstwhile "red-light" districts, look out, it's here.
No, you won't see streetwalkers strolling Freehold or Red Bank. It's a lot more subtle than that. A look in The Asbury Park Press classified Business & Service Directory under "Massage" will reveal that much more than "therapy" is offered. The Saturday July 22 issue advertises "AAA NUDE 24/7"; a bit further down the page a "shemale" is advertised. "DOM Avail" can also be found. While I'm sure many of the other advertisers are legitimate, the ones referenced above would appear to refer to some type of prostitution.
Let's take another look at the page. Seven advertise as "Asian", another two as "Oriental". Another advertises as "Ukrainian Massage", while yet another under the heading "East European" promotes their "Russian, Ukrainian, Latvian Staff".
How is nationality relevant?
Well, normally it isn't. Let's take a look, however, at the world of prostitution. It's no longer limited to the fresh-faced Midwestern girls leaving the cheerleading squad and farm life behind, coming to New York and hooking up with a right-out-of-Hollywood-type pimp, usually black, wearing a loud suit, wide-brimmed hat with an arching plume and driving a loaded pink Cadillac. Nor is it any longer under the kindly eye of a matronly "madam".
Often what you have today are international rings luring unsuspecting young women with the promise of a life of opportunity in the United States. Unfortunately, they are forced into a life of slavery, often as prostitutes or domestics. Some women or children are forced to work in sweat shops. Many of these women come from Eastern Europe or the Far East.
This is called human trafficking.
Many of these international rings use the profits to fund other illegal activity; some may even fund terrorism.
What to do? Well, obviously, if there's any doubt about a business, don't patronize it. Report suspicious activity to the police. If you'd like a massage, stick to reputable practitioners; many of these can be found at your gym, or referred by a chiropractor's office.
In our area, Congressman Chris Smith, a champion of human rights in the spirit of Lincoln himself, has been a national leader in the fight against human trafficking.

EMINENT DOMAIN DEBATE TURNS UGLIER

UPDATE -- July 22

The Halper family has left the property.

--

"(Clara) Halper expressed frustration with Judge James P. Hurley, whom she said called for the Halpers to leave peacefully today to reduce the chances of someone being harmed. Sheriff's officers will be on hand today to enforce the eviction order, if necessary.
'Do I take that as a threat when he says someone is going to get hurt?" she said. "Can you imagine a judge telling you this?'" ...From The Asbury Park Press.

Now, whether Hurley actually said that or not is utterly beside the point. The fact remains that it is a wonder that with all the eminent domain abuse nationwide that nobody (That I'm aware of.) has been hurt or killed. When I try to put myself in the shoes of the homeowner facing loss of their property, sometimes after being in a family for generations, for the purpose of a developer making money, I can't even fathom the horror they must be going through. When I try to put myself in the shoes of the developers, politicians and judges who steal people's homes and property, I would think that they would have to spend their lives looking over their shoulder and sleeping with one eye open. The Monmouth County Republican Blog in no way shape or form advocates turning to violence in this or any other issue. There are legitimate groups like The Castle Coalition which were formed to protect private property.

Eminent domain was set up for very limited purposes; for public uses. The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution states: "...nor to be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." That's public use, not some ethereal public so-called benefit as the eminent domain skells say.

The Founders worded this very carefully. Public use specifically meant roads, bridges, parks and public buildings. It did not mean taking a farmer's land and modest home so a wealthy planter could build a plantation, no matter how well-connected the planter. The Founders specifically wanted to protect the private property owner from siezure by government for the benefit of some lord or baron, as was a problem under the British regime.

Here in Monmouth County, the City of Long Branch under the administration of Mayor Adam Schneider (D) is the number 1 poster child for eminent domain abuse, but the issue has reared its ugly head in other towns as well. That list can grow much longer when you include such below-the-radar abuses as using the threat of eminent domain to force an owner to negotiate. With such a sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, many owners feel they have no choice but to sell.

Thirteen months after the U. S. Supreme Court's diabolical Kelo decision, some states have enacted reforms; New Jersey's reforms so far have languished in the Legislature.

Many bills have been introduced; Monmouth County's Assembly members Jen Beck and Sean Kean are among the leaders in eminent domain reform in New Jersey. Former State Senator and Assemblyman Joe Azzolina has also weighed in on this.

One theory given as to why reform has been held up is that with Democratic majorities in both houses of the State Legislature, policies are weighted towards the cities, which are largely under the control of Democratic bosses. A number of these cities have redevelopment programs with just the kind of eminent domain abuse that needs to be reformed. Delaying enactment of reforms only buys time for these projects and the players involved.

The Halper family farm in Piscataway Township, may actually be considered a legitimate use of the eminent domain process as the township wants the land for open space, however the issue runs a lot deeper than that. This is the very property which became embroiled in the "Machiavelli" scandal, which involved none other than former Governor James Edward Hyde McGreevey himself. It might not be a bad idea for Piscataway to just drop it.

THE SHUTDOWN OF NEW JERSEY'S GOVERNMENT WAS A FAILURE OF POLITICS OVER PUBLIC SERVICE

A Recent Column By Chairman Adam Puharic

The headlines of this past Thursday told about New Jersey lawmakers reaching a “deal” or a “compromise” on the stalled and bloated budget. But those terms are not appropriate. This was a sham and a travesty. Democrats in Trenton shut down our government to fight over which of our taxes they would raise.
As the new Monmouth County Republican Chairman, I am stunned by the uniform response by fellow residents of every political stripe. Outrage. May I remind the Democrats in the legislature that they were elected to represent the best interests of the people, not to play a child’s game of “winner-take-all.” Was it ever in our interests to shut down revenue generating casinos and parks?
With all of the political grandstanding and rhetorical ramblings of this past week, the Governor and Democratically-controlled legislature are hoping you the taxpayer won’t notice that 800 pound elephant in the room – that cutting spending is the real answer.
They are wrong. Monmouth County residents know a bad deal when they see it. This is the biggest budget in state history and New Jerseyans will be paying more in taxes than ever before. Governor Corzine is not balancing a budget, he is increasing spending by almost $3 billion, and paying for it with over $2 billion in new taxes. This includes $1.1 billion in a sales tax hike that impacts lower income workers most severely. Politicians laugh off the estimated $275 dollars this will cost every family, but for my household this represents one week’s worth of groceries. Clearly, our children deserve those resources more than the dual pensioned political class in Trenton.
We have been told to accept this tax hike because it will lower our property taxes. I thought the millionaires tax enacted by Democrats would do that. Instead, every day 115 New Jerseyans leave our state for the lower taxes and sensible governing of the so-called “red states.” What the Governor and his legislature fail to realize is that with this “freedom flight,” New Jersey continues to lose ground on economic opportunity, new job creation, and improving standards of living. There is a truism that Democrats in Trenton don’t want to tell you. New taxes never created a job, never helped a young family to invest, or save for their children’s college.
There was another way, a better way. The Assembly Republicans, with leadership from many of our outstanding Monmouth County legislators proposed $2.2 billion in real budget cuts. They made the hard decisions that we elected them to make, including calling for an end to dual pensions, and deep cuts from the over 1,200 politically appointed positions in non-essential roles. Hats off to Senators Palaia and Kyrillos, and Assemblymen and women Steve Corodemus, Sean Kean, Sam Thompson, Amy Handlin, and Jennifer Beck for voting NO on this abomination of a budget bill.
At the county level, our Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders responded to New Jersey’s budgeting woes by keeping the taxpayer squarely in their priorities, and holding the line on spending. The Freeholders slashed a proposed $18 million increase in county spending by more than half without sacrificing jobs or services. County government is being streamlined to improve efficiency and stem future increases. Republican leadership recognizes that you can manage spending, growth and change without punishing our overburdened taxpayers.
When you run a household, and you decide to irresponsibly increase your spending, you can not automatically turn to your employer and demand a raise. This is a recipe for the unemployment line, and a pink slip. In fact, a pink slip would be the right idea for a Governor who used Republican principles of self-reliance, entrepreneurship, and investment to improve his own life, but magically transforms into a tax and tax again politician when given the opportunity to govern. New Jersey deserves better.
Thankfully, in Monmouth County we have leaders and public servants in the Monmouth County Republican legislative delegation, a great Board of Republican Freeholders, and competent, outstanding Republican candidates on all levels of office who understand this. It is more important than ever that we come together and elect Rosemarie Peters, Andrew Lucas and Freeholder Anna Little this November.

THE VOTES ON THE STATE BUDGET

From the Asbury Park Press

Senate
Democrats

Yes: Adler, Bryant, Buono, Codey, Coniglio, Doria, Gill, Girgenti, James, Kenny, Lesniak, Madden, Rice, Sacco, Sarlo, Scutari, Smith, Sweeney, Turner, Vitale, Weinberg
No: Kärcher
** Sen. Ellen Kärcher said she later switched her vote to yes. That change is not yet recorded in the Legislature's computer system.
Read all about Kärcher's explanation here.
---

Republicans

Yes: Gormley, Martin
No: Allen, Asselta, Bark, Bucco, Cardinale, Ciesla, Connors, Inverso, Kavanaugh, Kean, Kyrillos, Lance, Littell, McNamara, Palaia, Singer
-----
Assembly
Democrats

Yes: Barnes, Burzichelli, Caraballo, Chivukula, Cohen, Conaway, Conners, Cruz-Perez, Cryan, Diegnan, Egan, Epps, Fisher, Giblin, Gordon, Green, Greenstein, Greenwald, Gusciora, Hackett, Johnson, Lampitt, Manzo, McKeon, Oliver, Payne, Pou, Prieto, Quigley, Roberts, Scalera, Schaer, Sires, Stack, Stanley, Steele, Truitt, Vainieri Huttle, Vas, Voss, Watson Coleman, Whelan, Wisniewski
No: Albano, Mayer, Moriarty, Panter, Stender, Van Drew

---

Republicans

Yes: Blee
No: Baroni, Bateman, Beck, Biondi, Bodine, Bramnick, Carroll, Connors, Corodemus, Dancer, DeCroce, Doherty, Gregg, Handlin, Holzapfel, Karrow, Kean, Malone, McHose, Merkt, Munoz, O'Toole, Pennacchio, Rooney, Rumpf, Russo, Thompson, Vandervalk, Wolfe
Not voting: Chatzidakis

SETTLEMENT AGREED ON, STRIKE CALLED OFF, TAXES TO GO UP

"This is the budgetary equivalent of a game of three-card monte."...Sen. Robert Littell (R-Sussex)

"How ludicrous is it that in this theater of the absurd, we're raising the sales tax to provide direct property tax relief while cutting rebates at the same time."...Sen. Joseph Kyrillos Jr. (R-Monmouth)

"The public is denied the opportunity to see what's going on while it's going on. Instead of having government under glass, we have government under a rock."...Assemblyman Richard Merkt (R-Morris)

"This was all about Democrats behaving badly.''...Assemblyman Kevin O'Toole (R-Essex)

Just as a union will call a strike for higher wages, the Bozo-coifed Gov. Jon Corzine had called a strike for higher taxes. The budget was approved early this morning, and the strike called off.
The disagreement among Democrats was not whether to raise taxes, but on which taxes to raise.
And raise them they did. A Republican proposal which would have cut spending by over $2.2 billion (With a B) was never even given serious consideration. Instead, Democrats raised taxes by $1.5 billion (With a B), and even made sure to throw in some pork for loyal supporters.
Sounding more like a union activist than the leader of state government, Corzine had declared his solidarity with public employee unions. This was totally expected, as Carla Katz, President of Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1034, is Corzine's former girlfriend; she had her mortgage paid off by Corzine. Local 1034 surprisingly went on to endorse Corzine.
He was just rewarding his supporters.
In addition to the casinos, Corzine's government shut-down even affected flood victims along the Delaware River.
So, the shutdown has ended, the state will be reopened by Monday and everything will be back to normal.
Till next year.

PROLIFERATION OF POLITICAL BLOGGERS

Monmouth County has experienced a proliferation of political blogs. Both parties are represented, but so far we Republicans seem to be ahead on this.

Some blogs have flourished, while others seem to have fallen by the wayside.

The Monmouth County Republican Blog has been active for over a year. Lew Alcindor started Right Inside Monmouth Politics in November 2005, but has only been intermittently active. In January of this year, William H. Seward started More Monmouth Musings, and has been very active posting since then. Two blogs were set up by someone posting as Ronald Reagan, believed to be the nom de blog of Dan Gallic, the shadowy former executive director of the Monmouth GOP. Both blogs went dormant but one has been reactivated; it has been a repository of namecalling and hopeless negativism and will not be linked here.

Some folks running for office have started blogs under their own names. Freeholder Anna Little began a blog back in February; sadly she has not kept it up. I hope Anna reactivates her blog for the campaign and posts pertinent Freeholder information. (Hint hint hint!) I'd like to see Surrogate Candidate Rosemarie Peters and Freeholder Candidate Andrew Lucas get into the blogging act, too. On the local level, so far we have Borough Council Candidates Art Gallagher from Highlands and Charles Cocuzza in Union Beach.

Some journalists have blogs, too, and often post on political subjects. Jackie Corley, formerly of Courier, would have to be considered the pioneer in this category, with Bayshore Journalista and Jersey Blog Beat. Courier publisher and sometime Democrat Jim Purcell has The Inside Clamdigger, where he posts on news up in the Bayshore; he also posts on Airborne issues. Courier probably has more blogs per capita than the other Monmouth papers; there's Matt McGrath with Matter of Fact; other Courier bloggers with varying degrees of political content include Doug Irvin (Who recently left the paper.), Rich Kohler and Mike Kenny. Of these blogs, the only one officially affiliated with Courier is Matter of Fact. Over in Howell we have Kathy Baratta, who is administrator at HowellNJ.com. She covers Manalapan for the News Transcript, but the blog is not affiliated with the paper. The Asbury Park Press has recently launched its own family of bloggers, including Bob Ingle, Editorial Page Editor Randy Bergmann, editorial writers Clare McDowell and Larry Benjamin, and columnist Rev. Michael Riley.

The Democrats have begun to get into the act too. A few months ago the Monmouth County Democratic Blog was started by Old Hickory, but that seems to have gone dormant. Middletown Democratic Boss Joseph "King" Caliendo has started Democrats Calling, and the Democrats also have Donkeys Rule! on their blogroll. Assemblyman Michael Panter (D-12) has a blog, as did Bill Flynn and Mike DaSaro, the unsuccessful Democratic candidates in the 13th District last year. It is generally believed that so far the Democrats lag behind the Republicans in blogging.

If I missed anyone's blog (preferably of a political nature), please leave a comment with the blog's address. I will add the Republican ones to my sidebar links.

A MOM ON A MISSION

Those of you who live in the 6th Congressional District have probably already received a mailing or phone call from the Leigh-Ann Bellew for Congress campaign.
Leigh-Ann is running against entrenched Democrat incumbent politician Frank Pallone, and has hit the ground running. This will be a tough campaign, and it will not be won by sitting around watching TV. Leigh-Ann knows that you can't be "Pallone Lite" and expect to win; she's right on the issues. She believes in the issues she stands for; you'll know that if elected, she won't be a RINO or DIRC.
The House of Representatives was intended to be a citizen-legislature. Unlike Pallone, Leigh-Ann Bellew is not a career politician, and will be a citizen-legislator for the 6th District.
If you live in the 6th District and Leigh-Ann's campaign reaches out to you, lend a hand. If you haven't heard from her yet, why not reach out at 732-692-6443.

MERLA A DEMOCRAT

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.

LAST WEEK'S CHAIRMAN'S ELECTION

It has been a week since Adam Puharic has been elected as our County Chairman, and there have been many theories as to how or why.
In a nutshell, he got more votes.
Why?
Well, a number of reasons. First, let's look at the field of candidates. For starters, you had no organized, united opposition to former chairman Fred Niemann like you had against Niemann's predecessor Bill Dowd in 2004 with Monmouth GOP for Change. Instead, you had a pretty large field of possible candidates, which seemed to change on a daily basis. This group represented a wide array of views within our party. Two early entries were former Freeholder Ed Stominski and Neptune Planning Board member Mel Hood. Stominski and Hood teamed up as a slate.
A possible consensus candidate emerged in Sheriff Joe Oxley, only to withdraw from the race. Oxley's withdrawal brought Red Bank GOP Chairman Jim Giannell into the race. Giannell has a reputation for grass-roots organization and coalition building.
Towards late May, former Undersheriff Adam Puharic was mentioned as a possible candidate; he soon declared as a candidate, as did Millstone Township Committeeman Elias Abliheira. Abilheira would withdraw and endorse Puharic.
Giannell and Puharic would soon emerge as the front-runners in the race.
How did Puharic come from behind for such a resounding victory?
Again, there was no organized opposition to Niemann's chairmanship; when Niemann bowed out a major issue was removed from the race. A major obstacle to Giannell consolidating support was Stominski's candidacy, as both men drew support from the same base.
Philosophy was not a factor here as it was in Bergen County, where you had Reagan conservatives versus Whitman-type RINO's. Giannell and Puharic are both well-known as conservatives.
Many Republicans had concerns that Puharic would be a continuation of the Niemann regime, with Dan Gallic, PACs, etc. Puharic assured committee people that he was his own man, and most believed that. He was not a part of the inner circle of "bunker boys."
Finally, let's take a look at the recent choices made by the County Committee: Freeholder Anna Little and Freeholder Candidate Andrew Lucas. Both were "come-from-behind" candidates, and more importantly, both are from the youth of our party. After years of a continually aging leadership, Monmouth County Republicans have been turning to the youth for the future of our party. Anna Little is 38, Andrew Lucas is 28 and Adam Puharic is 35. Puharic's election continues that trend.
(The trend towards youth is actually a return to past practices. Harry Larrison was 39 when he first went on the Board of Freeholders, Ted Narozanick was 27 when elected to the Englishtown Borough Council and about 37 when he first came into county government.)
It is no secret that this blog supported Jim Giannell; however the committee has spoken. Adam is the Chairman, and it is important for our entire party that he do a great job. We wish him the best of luck in leading our party.