Obama diverts $1 billion in Sandy funds away from New Jersey

Kyrillos and Holzapfel cry foul

Sen. Joe Kyrillos

President Barack Obama announced that he is diverting nearly $1 billion in Hurricane Sandy recovery funds away from New Jersey and New York to fund a nationwide resiliency competition that will ostensibly help the winning communities build infrastructure to deal with the impacts of climate change.

Obama announced the competition last weekend at the University of California Irvine’s commencement, according to The Star Ledger. 

“In some parts of the country, weather-related disasters like droughts and fires and storms and floods are going to get … harsher and they’re going to get costlier,” Obama said during the speech. “That’s why today I’m announcing a new one billion dollar competitive fund to help communities prepare for the impacts of climate change and build more resilient infrastructure across the country.”

State Senators Joe Kyrillos (R-Monmouth)and Jim Holzapfel (R-Ocean)l condemned the diversion of recovery funds away from their constituents.

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Golden Announces His Leadership Team

Shaun Golden

Monmouth County’s new Republican County Chairman Shaun Golden announced his leadership team this afternoon in an email to GOP  County Committee Members.

Golden’s Regional Vice Chairs are Mary DeSarno of Wall Township, Christine Hanlon of Ocean Township, Tony Fiore of Middletown and Rob Nicastro of Howell.

The Diversity Council, which is still in formation, is Chaired by Juan Malave of Howell.  John Costigan of Howell is the liaison to the NJGOP.

Ron Gravino is the Treasurer. Wayne Pomanowski is the Sgt-At-Arms and John Lane is the Parliamentarian. Tom Szymanski is the Executive Director.

Golden invited all County Committee Members and volunteers to attend a 2014 Campaign Kickoff on Saturday, June 28, 10am and Party Headquarters, 2 Monmouth Ave, Unit B3 in Freehold.  A light breakfast will be served.

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Middletown Planning Board Rejects Trinity Hall Application

All Girls School Says It Will Appeal

Trinity Hall, the all girls private school currently operating from Croydon Hall in the Leonardo section of Middletown Township, had its plans to develop a campus in the Chapel Hill neighborhood of the Township rejected by the Planning Board at 1am this morning, according to a report in The Asbury Park Press.

The board of trustees of Trinity Hall plans to appeal this decision, according to a press release posted on the school’s website.  They are confident in the merits of their case and anticipate this decision will be reversed. The Middletown Planning Board had directed the application be submitted without variance from the ordinance and that Trinity Hall accept reasonable additional conditions or amendments, which the application did follow.

“As a Middletown resident and Trinity Hall board of trustees member I am disappointed in the decision of the Middletown Planning Board, which seems arbitrary and contrary to Township ordinance,” said Donna Winchell. “The school is committed to being a good neighbor and has given back to the community through almost 500 hours of community service in just nine months.”

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Assembly bill would make sex with animals a crime

A bill that criminalizes bestiality passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee yesterday by a 6-0 bipartisan vote.

Illustration by Megan Archer

 Use, or cause or procure the use of, an animal or creature in any kind of sexual manner or initiate any kind of sexual contact with the animal or creature, including, but not limited to, sodomizing the animal or creature.  As used in this paragraph, “sexual contact” means any contact between a person and an animal by penetration of the penis or a foreign object into the vagina or anus, contact between the mouth and genitalia, or by contact between the genitalia of one and the genitalia or anus of the other.  This term does not include any medical procedure performed by a licensed veterinarian practicing veterinary medicine or an accepted animal husbandry practice.

Penalties for those convicted include fines up to $15,000 and imprisonment for as long as five years. Additionally, the bill directs the courts to impose Community Service for up to 30 day at a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or a municipality”s animal control program.  Is that a good idea?

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Christie dancing with the star

Governor Chris Christie danced with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show last night and said that “hypothetically” he could beat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential election.

The appearance made me feel nostalgic for the #Stonger Than The Storm ad campaign and Jay Leno.

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, June 13-15, 2014

By Greg Kelly

Friday, June 13

• Air Supply at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

• Fine Art & Craft Show at Monmouth Mall (Eatontown) – MORE INFO

• Campfire on the Beach at Sandy Hook – MORE INFO

• Butler at NJ Repertory Theatre (Long Branch) – MORE INFO

• Oceanport Lions Club Strawberry Festival – MORE INFO

• NJ Seafood Festival (Belmar) – MORE INFO

• All My Sons at Center Playhouse (Freehold) – MORE INFO

• Hit the Road, Jack at First Ave Playhouse (Atlantic Highlands) – MORE INFO

• Third at Two River Theater (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

• Atlantic Highlands Farmer’s Market – MORE INFO

• Kids Night Out (Fair Haven) – MORE INFO

• Dr. George Sheehan 5k Classic (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

• Laugh 4 a Cause with Mike Marino (Middletown) – MORE INFO

• Spring into Summer Book Sale (Shrewsbury) – MORE INFO

• Ocean Grove Tent Revival Meeting – MORE INFO

• Nelson Riveros Trio (Matawan) – MORE INFO

• Online Travel Planning Class (Middletown) – MORE INFO

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Golden Wins!

GOP Chairman Shaun Golden

Monmouth County Shaun Golden has been elected Chairman of the Monmouth County Republican Committee.

Golden defeated incumbent Chairman John Bennett 335 votes to 282.

UPDATED: June 11, 2014

There was brief confusion when County Clerk Claire French presented the results to Bennett. Bennett misunderstood the results and thought he had won. He and his daughters started to celebrate but were quickly corrected.  Bennett then announced that Golden was the new County Republican Chairman and left the room with his family.

Golden thanked the convention and promised to conduct his new office with dignity and honor.

Unaware that MMM already had published the vote count, Golden declined to release the results to The Asbury Park Press, saying he would release them today.

Golden did not announce his choice of Vice Chair. Rather, he will announce a leadership council and a diversity team to reach out to ethnic groups that traditionally do not vote Republican before the week is out. Members of the leadership team will serve as “co-vice chairs” with one of them holding the title as a formality.

Golden is retaining Executive Director Tom Symanski’s employment with the Party. “Tom has done a good job and we worked well together on the campaign last year,” Golden said this morning, ” we’ll give him more direction and support going forward.”

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The Polls Are Open

Voting has commenced at the Monmouth County Republican Convention.

Credentials were issued to 626 County Committee members who are choosing between incumbent Chairman John Bennett and Sheriff Shaun Golden.  Registration and credentialing remains open .

The theme of the evening has been unity, and the nominating speakers, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon for Bennett and Freeholder Tom Arnone for Golden, stressed that all Republicans must come together when the voting is complete.

Both candidates repeated the themes of their campaign’s during their speeches to the convention, with Golden emphasizing his energy and growing the party with enhanced communication and outreach to diverse demographics, and Bennett emphasizing the successes of his two years in office and his 40 year career in politics.

Bennett did not raise the issue of a conflict of interest for a Sheriff being Chairman, as he had through most of the campaign.

Sheriff Shaun Golden

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Monmouth GOP Convention Tonight

The Monmouth County Republican Committee will convene to elect a Chairman this evening at iPlay America in Freehold, at 7PM.

Only credentialed County Committee members will be permitted to vote.  County Committee members are urged to arrive at 6PM in order to check in and receive their credentials.  Only Republicans on the County Committee list generated by the Superintendent of Elections will be credentialed.  Municipal Chairmen and Chairwomen are urged to verify that their accurate and complete list of committee members is submitted to Superintendent Bertha Sumick this morning.

In lieu of a debate, the candidates for Chairman of the Monmouth County Republican Committee have agreed to a round of Cosmic Battle Laser Tag at 5:30PM. Arrive early! You don’t want to miss the Cosmic Battle!

Just kidding.  The amusements are on the opposite side of the building from the Event Center where the convention will be held.

iPlay American is at 110 Schanck Rd, on the southbound side of Route 9.  When you enter the parking lot look for signs for the Event Center, which is on the far side, the north side, of the building.

There are five restaurants inside the iPlay America complex, one of them just next to the room where the convention will be held. Arrive early and relax with other Republicans from throughout the county.

Get directions to iPlay America here.

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Costigan exits on a high note

Howell GOP Municipal Chairman Juan Malave and Monmouth GOP State Committeeman John Costigan celebrate Malave’s election.

Monmouth County Republican State Committeeman John Costigan, the GOP Municipal Chairman of Howell Township for six years, and Vice Chair under the late Noreen Kelly for six years before that, convened the reorganizational meeting of the Howell Republican Committee this evening and promptly placed the name of former Councilman Juan Malave into nomination as the new Municipal Chairman.

Costigan lost his County Committee seat in last Tuesday’s primary.  The incumbent slate of Council Members, supported by Malave, beat back a primary challenge from a slate believed to be backed by Costigan.  Costigan denied backing the challengers but said he was glad they were running.

Many Republicans throughout Monmouth County were expecting Costigan to attempt to retain his Chairmanship, despite losing his seat. But the State Committeeman chose to bow out in a gracious gesture of unity by nominating Malave.

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