Democratic Freeholder Candidates Slam Lucas Farm Deal

The Democratic candidates for Monmouth County Freeholder are not waiting to get into campaign mode.

Brian Froelich and Lawrence Luttrell were endorsed by the Monmouth County Democratic Party last Saturday.  Today they issued a statement blasting the “all-Republican monopoly on the Freeholder Board” over the 3-2 split decision to pay Manalapan Township Committeeman Andrew Lucas $1.152 million for the development rights to his farm.

Froelich and Luttrell also promoted Lucas to a “GOP boss.”

 

“Once again, the all-Republican monopoly on the Freeholder Board has  exercised its power against the interests of Monmouth County residents,” said Froelich. “This time, the Freeholders granted a $1.15  million-dollar payday to one of their own in the guise of ‘farmland  preservation.’ Whether it is preservation bonuses, pension privileges,  or old-fashioned patronage, this Board continues to remind us that  absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

 

“Clearly, there is an apparent conflict of interest with this land deal,” added  Luttrell, a former prosecutor. “This November, Monmouth County residents will have a chance to elect fair-minded watchdogs that will restrain  this biased and unbalanced Freeholder Board. Shame on Freeholder Serena  DiMaso for voting to give taxpayer money away to one of her political  cronies. This needs to change in November.”

General election for Monmouth County Freeholder takes place Tuesday, November 5th.

• Tweet

Lucas Farm Purchase Approved By Manalapan, Freeholders

Andrew Lucas will finally get his $1,152,000.

After almost three years since the Manalapan Township Committee Member purchased a 97 acre farm in Iron Ore Road, the Manalapan Township Committe and the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders approved the funding of their respective portion of the purchase of the development rights to the property.  Manalapan is paying $186,969.10 of the purchase price. Monmouth County is paying $277,920. The balance is coming from State coffers for the purpose of Open Space preservation.

Manalapan’s all Republican Committee approved their funds, 2-1, on Wednesday evening, according to ManalapanPatch.  Committeeman Ryan Green voted no. Deputy Mayor Jordan Maskowitz abstained.  Mayor Susan Cohen, the Monmouth GOP Vice Chair, and Committeeman Donald Holland voted to approve the purchase.  Lucas recused himself from the proceedings.  Maskowitz and Lucas are both up for reelection this November.

The isssue was heated at the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders meeting last night, with John Curley accusing his fellow freeholder, Lillian Burry, of colluding with Lucas. Lucas hosted a fundraiser for Burry at the farm in 2011, according to the Asbuy Park Press.   The APP said the exchanges between Curley and Burry were so intense that Freeholder Director Tom Arnone called multiple recesses.  Arnone voted with Curely against the purchased.  Gary Rich and Serena DiMaso joined Burry in voting for the purchase.

Democratic Freeholder candidate Lawrence Luttrell asked Burry to recuse herself.  County Counsel Andrea Bazer advised Burry that she had no conflict that would prevent her from voting.

Former Middletown Democratic Township Commitee candidate Linda Baum also spoke against the purchase on ethical grounds.

The issue has been controversial for years because, while he recused himself from voting as a committee member on the purchase, Lucas participated in deliberations about the transaction.  The State Local Finance Board approved the ethics of Lucas’ participation due to the fact that he sought the advice of the Township’s attorney.  In their opinion, the Finance Board indicated that they would be issuing new rules to cover future similar circumstances.

• Tweet

Freeholders Promoting Jersey Shore Tourism

By Monmouth County Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arone

It is now February and the question on Monmouth County residents’ minds is what is The Board of Chosen Freeholders doing to help restore the shore since undergoing the wrath of Super Storm Sandy. Let me begin by saying that the Board’s primary goal at this time is to get the word out to as many people as humanly possible that the Jersey Shore is thriving and up and running. How is this being accomplished? To mention just a few things, for starters our  Department of Tourism is pulling out all the stops in one enormous effort to ensure that we can expect to see not only the usual visitors that frequent the shore communities in Monmouth County  but engage and encourage new visitors to see what Monmouth County has to offer.

For instance last month a Tourism Representative attended the Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Show in Valley Forge PA.  There were over 200 vendors present at the show. Attendance at the show which was held Saturday-Sunday January 26^th and 27th was estimated to be well over 2,000 people. The Monmouth County presence was aimed at letting people know we are still the place you want to be. This past week our Department of Tourism was present for the Atlantic City Boat Show at the Atlantic City Convention Center.  Attendance at this 5-day show was estimated to be over 3,000 people. A concerted effort was made by our stellar tourism team to make sure that everyone present was made fully aware that Jersey Shore is flourishing and Open for Business.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Lucas Farm Purchase Stalled in Manalapan

Manalapan Township Committeeman Andrew Lucas’ $1.152 million sale of the development rights to a farm in owns in the Township was not approved by his colleagues on the committee this evening.  The motion to approve the Township’s $187,000 contribution to the the purchased failed on a 2-2 vote.

Committeeman Ryan Green first moved to table the purchase due to incomplete documentation.  Committeeman Jordan Maskowitz voted with Green to table the purchase.   Mayor Susan Cohen and Committeeman Donald Holland voted against tabling.   Cohen and Holland then voted to approve the purchase. Green and Maskowitz voted no.  Lucas the fifth member of the committee recused himself from voting on the purchase of his own property.

Green told MMM that Lucas left the dais when the matter came up and left the building.  Lucas did not return for the remainder of the Township Committee meeting.

Green said he has not decided how he would vote when and if the documentation for the sale is completed.

Monmouth County’s portion of the purchase is on the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting of the Board of Chosen Freeholders.  The Freeholders will not proceed without Manalapan’s portion of the purchase being approved, according to Freeholder Director Tom Arnone.

Lucas, Manalapan’s former mayor and a former GOP candidate for freeholder, purchased the farm which had been slated for development in March of 2010 for an undisclosed amount. Soon thereafter he started the process of selling the development rights, for $1.152 million, through funding through the State, County and Township. Lucas participated on Township Committee discussions of his application.

The purchase approved by the Freeholder Board in May of 2011 was held up by an ethics complaint filed by former Manalapan Mayor George Spodak.  The State Agriculture Development Committee conditioned its funding on an satisfactory ethics review of the transaction.  Local Finance Board Chairman Thomas Neff wrote Lucas in September of last year to inform him that his application had been approved because he consulted with the Manalapan Township Attorney about his application.  Neff’s letter also said that the Board would use Lucas’s case to provide clear guidance to future office holders to recuse themselves from applications that they have an interest in.

Arnone and Freeholder John Curley have announced that they oppose the purchase of the Lucas farm.  Freeholder Lillian Burry supports the purchase. Deputy Director Serena DiMaso and Freeholder Gary Rich have not announced how they would vote on the purchase should it make it out of Manalapan.

• Tweet

Golden, Arnone and DiMaso Annnounce Re-election Bid

Former Congressional candidate is seeking Democratic nomination for Freeholder.  Democrats still looking to fill their Monmouth County slate

Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden, Freeholder Director Tom Arnone and Deputy Freeholder Director Serena DiMaso announced yesterday that they are seeking the Republican nomination for their offices and re-election as a team.  There is no known opposition to the incumbents for the GOP nomination.  The party will award the organization’s “line” for the June primary at its nomination convention on March 23.

Freeholder Director Tom Arnone, Deputy Director Serena DiMaso and Sheriff Shaun Golden

In a joint statement the team cited the county’s reduced spending, its response to Superstorm Sandy, and the positive business climate as the accomplishments of their first terms.  Golden and Arnone are completing their first full term in office.  DiMaso was elected by the Republican County Commitee in January of 2012 to fill Assemblyman Rob Clifton’s seat when Clifton moved to the Assembly. She was elected by the voters last November to complete the term.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Gilmore’s Cleaning Up

Ocean County GOP Chairman Geroge Gilmore is among a handful of connected lobbyists hired by AshBrit, the Florida company that won the sole state contract for Superstorm Sandy clean up, who was making sales calls to municipal officials looking for lucrative non-bid clean up work after then storm, according to an article in The Star Ledger this morning.

MMM was the first to report that former Corzine staffer Maggie Moran and her firm, M Public Affairs, was selling AshBrit’s premium priced services to Sandy ravaged municipalities.  The Ledger report expands the list of lobbyists working for AshBrit in New Jersey to Gilmore, former Corzine cabinet member Kris Kullari, and former Assembly Republican director Jon Bombardieri.

AshBrit has been widely praised for the quality of the clean up work it hired subcontractors to perform.  Their no-bid pricing is the issue.  AshBrit charged $100 per ton for debris removal. Towns that didn’t hire AshBrit got the work done for $26 per ton.

“If this isn’t a classic example of how everything is connected in New Jersey politics, I don’t know what is,” said state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), who was Corzine’s running mate in 2009 when Moran managed his re-election campaign.

MMM is generally not a fan of Weinberg, but we are with her on this issue. Excess profits paid to AshBrit for making phone calls and signing contracts could have been used to rebuild infrastructure, house the displaced, etc, or not borrowed from China in the first place.

Gilmore got another new job last month. Just as MMM predicted last June during the Monmouth GOP Chairman’s race, Gilmore’s firm was appointed Assistant Monmouth County Counsel by the Board of Freeholders during their reorganization meeting.

Despite his threats to due so, John Bennett has not sued MMM for making that prediction.

• Tweet

The Director’s Corner

By Thomas A. Arnone

January is closing in and February is fast upon us. Good news for the survivors of Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey.  You now have until March 1, 2013, to register for disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Monmouth County residents as well as all residents in New Jersey can register online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or via smart phone or tablet at m.fema.gov. Registration is also available by calling 800-621-3362. The toll free telephone numbers operate from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. seven days a week. The deadline was extended one month at the request of the State of New Jersey. Through Wednesday, January 23^rd, more than 57,500 storm survivors have been approved for help through FEMA’s Individual Assistance program in New Jersey. FEMA disaster assistance for individuals and families can include money for rental assistance, essential home repairs, personal property and other serious disaster-related needs not covered by insurance. Additionally, the Small Business Association has also set March 1^st as the date for homeowners, renters and business owners to complete and return SBA disaster loan applications. Visit www.sba.gov for more information. SBA’s Disaster Assistance Program provides long term, low interest loans to homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Freeholder Director Tom Arnone kicks off the year

By Monmouth County Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

Here we go. It’s 2013 and we are out of the starting gate! January 3^rd marked the beginning of a brand new year in Monmouth County with the annual re-organization meeting. To help kick things off, we were privileged to have had Mario Delano, a young man who is a senior at Ocean Township High School attend the meeting and who did a tremendous job singing the Star Spangled Banner. The meeting could not have gotten off to a better start! Thank you to Mario Delano for taking part in the 2013 Reorganization Meeting and for sharing his gift. The meeting was well attended by dignitaries from every level of government including the Lieutenant Governor, Kim Guadagno.  On a personal note, during the Re-org Meeting, it was announced that I have been given the honor to serve as Director of The Board of Chosen Freeholders for the year 2013. I welcome the challenge and very much look forward to the upcoming year. Having said that, I would like to thank fellow Freeholder John Curly for the fantastic job he did while serving as Freeholder Director for 2012 and congratulate him on being re-elected for his second term. I would also like to congratulate fellow Freeholder Serena Di Maso on her successful re-election and for also being selected to serve as the Deputy Director of this year’s Board. Lastly, congratulations to M. Claire French, our fabulous County Clerk, on her successful re-election. Together we can and will continue to make a difference for the betterment of Monmouth County and its residents.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Tom Arnone will be Monmouth County Freeholder Director

Serena DiMaso will be Deputy Director

Freeholders Tom Arnone and Serena DiMaso with Sheriff Shaun Golden

Freeholder Tom Arnone will be elected Director of the Freeholder Board when Monmouth County’s government reorganizes  tomorrow, 4PM, at the Biotechnology High School in Freehold.  Freeholder Serena DiMaso will be Deputy Director.

Arnone, the former Mayor of Neptune City, is entering the third year of his first term on the board.  DiMaso was first elected to the board last January by the Monmouth County Republican Committee to replace Rob Clifton who had resigned to take his seat in the State Assembly.  She was elected by the Monmouth County voters last November to complete that term.  She is expected to seek her own full term in November with Arnone who is expected to seek a second term on the board.

Posted: January 2nd, 2013 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Monmouth County, Monmouth County Board of Freeholders | Tags: Rob Clifton, Serena DiMaso, Tom Arnone | 2 Comments »

• Tweet

Monmouth County Freeholders Join “Jersey Shore Open” Campaign

By Thomas A. Arnone

Super storm Sandy and the following nor’easter may have dealt us quite a blow, but I am pleased to report that the county is actively working to get our businesses up and running as we move toward the next year and the next tourism season.

Through a coordinated effort, we are encouraging visitors to return to Monmouth County’s beaches, parks, historic sites, cultural attractions and shopping venues.

We are doing this by actively participating in the “Jersey Shore OPEN” campaign. This is a grass roots effort to encourage businesses to display a specially created “Jersey Shore OPEN” sign for Monmouth County. This regional approach will help further our many public relations efforts to spread the word that Monmouth County is recovering and open for business.

I encourage your business to join this campaign. By displaying this sign, your local business can clearly show that you are open and supportive of other Monmouth County tourism efforts. You can download the sign from the county website at www.tourism.visitmonmouth.com. The “Jersey Shore OPEN” campaign is a joint program with Ocean County Tourism and the Jersey Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Tourism is important because as an industry it supports thousands of jobs and typically generates nearly $2 billion in business activity for the county. We are confident that Monmouth County will return to prominence as one of the best family vacation spots in the state.

I will convene a roundtable meeting with mayors from various municipalities in January. We will address the 2013 tourism season and offer the help and assistance of the county’s tourism division. Our local leaders will be of great assistance as we focus and target the county’s 2013 promotional program.

The county’s 2013 tourism promotion activities will include creating focused radio, print and internet promotion on recovery efforts and business and attraction reopening. We are also expanding social media efforts to promote and engage visitors and residents. Keep in mind that we will also distribute the 2013 Visit Monmouth Travel Guide  that is the cornerstone of the county’s efforts to promote Monmouth County as a tourism destination.

Monmouth County will also participating in targeted, key travel shows such as the Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Show, the Atlantic City Boat Show and the Montreal Hunting and Camping Show. These travel shows are uniquely suited to the visitors who enjoy vacationing at the Jersey Shore.

Remember, the county tourism division is here for you. If you have out of town visitors, call 732-431-7310 and they will put together a packet of information to help you entertain your guests. Likewise, if you have a business that relies on tourism, the office can help you connect with many ways to reach visitors. Together we will strengthen our economic vitality and restore the wonderful quality of life that Monmouth County enjoys.

Happy Holidays and get ready for a great 2013.

• Thomas A. Arnone is Freeholder Deputy Director Monmouth County and Liaison to the Department of Public Information and Tourism

• Tweet