Bill Shea, the young retired State Trooper with a disability pension who is challenging Freeholder Director John Curley for a seat on the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders, called for a 20% across the board reduction in county government spending yesterday. Shea’s running mate, former Hazlet Mayor Kevin Lavan, said Shea’s proposal “is not out of the realm of possibility” and would depend on the results of a county audit.
Shea and Lavan were speaking yesterday to the Asbury Park Press Editorial Board where they appeared along side Curley and Freeholder Serena DiMaso. DiMaso and Lavan are competing to complete the unexpired term of Assemblyman Rob Clifton who resigned in January upon taking office in Trenton. DiMaso was elected by the GOP County Committee to serve in the seat until the general election results are certified.
Curley and DiMaso said such cuts would be impossible to achieve, according to APP. They said such cuts would annihilate small county departments and cripple to county’s efforts to reduce municipal spending with shared services.
Monmouth GOP Chairman John O. Bennett III emailed a new “final draft” of proposed bylaws this afternoon. For the most part the draft released today is a match for the previous “final draft” released last week.
A quick read revealed one minor change to the candidate selection process that MMM suggested last week…an “open seat” seat is now defined as an office with no Republican incumbent. Previously “open seat” was undefined.
Bennett’s bylaws, both drafts, contain a major change that MMM’s research and investigative staff missed last week. He is proposing that that Chair and Vice Chair be elected annually. From Article IV, section 1:
The County Chairman and Vice Chairman shall be elected at the annual meeting called in accordance with law as described in Title 19. In the event a vacancy occurs in the position of County Chairman or Vice Chairman, a meeting of the County Committee shall be held within forty-five (45) days of said vacancy to fill the unexpired term. (emphasis added)
The term of the Monmouth County Chairs of both parties has been two years since the Florio Administration.
Bennett told MMM that the change was unintentional and that he realizes that the bylaws as proposed are not perfect. He said he intends to serve for two years. He plans on amending the bylaws at a convention in March of 2013.
The currently proposed bylaws will be up for adoption at a convention of the GOP County Committee that will take place on Saturday, September 29 from 9am-11am at Colts Neck High School.
Monmouth GOP Chairman John O. Bennett III is to be applauded for his endeavors to keep his campaign promises. In particular, his efforts to codify bylaws, a nagging issue that has stymied several previous chairmen, are worthy of praise.
A windbag is someone who talks too much yet contributes little of value. Someone who complains yet offers no solutions. At MMM we’re not windbags.
We have no intention of telling Bennett how to run the party or select candidates. He should do what he thinks is best in how he structures the party and selects candidates. If he does well, we’ll praise him. If he screws up, we’ll be all over him with glee. Not because we want him to fail, but because the web traffic will go through the roof. This is a business after all.
It is in the spirit of not being a windbag and in driving traffic to this site, that we offer a solution to the bylaws problem that will let Chairman Bennett run the party and select candidates how he sees fit. More importantly, our solution will not hamstring future chairs with unintended consequences of the bylaws as proposed.
Monmouth GOP Chairman John O. Bennett has announced that a convention of the County Committee will be held on Saturday September 29 at Colts Neck High School for the purpose of adopting party by laws and to”rally for our candidates.” Previously, a new State Committeeman was to be elected at the convention to replace Bennett, but he has decided not to resign from that office.
Bennett has distributed his proposed by-laws for the county party to members of the county committee. A copy can be found here.
To Bennett’s credit, this “final draft” has been adjusted substantially to address the reactions that incumbent office holders had to his original proposed rules for nominating candidates that he unveiled last week at meetings with county elected officials and legislators, the as yet unofficial board of directors and the municipal chairs.
The original proposal for candidate selection would have given no consideration to incumbents. Anyone who submitted a letter of intent and appeared before a steering committee could have challenged an incumbent at nominating convention. This proposal, combined with the chairman’s instructions, not in the by-laws, that incumbents restrict and adjust their fundraising activities, left most county elected officers and some legislators feeling angry and vulnerable. This “final draft” has addressed the incumbents concerns, to a degree. Good thing too. Bennett was in danger of being as relevant to incumbent office holders as Chairman Bill Dowd was to Bennett when he was a senator. Not very.
FREEHOLD, NJ – It is with profound sadness that Monmouth County announces the untimely passing of William K. “Bill” Heine, the county Director of Public Information.
Bill’s untimely passing was the result of natural causes.
Bill had been employed with Monmouth County as the chief spokesman and department head of the Monmouth County Public Information and Tourism Departments since 2005.
Bill also championed many charitable endeavors to include many food drives for the Monmouth and Ocean Food Bank and the Howell Little League.
Bill was recently honored for winning a nationwide photography contest sponsored by the National Association of County Information Officers for his photograph taken during a 10th anniversary memorial service for 9-11. He was the recipient of many other state and national awards for his work in the county’s public information program.
Prior to his employment with Monmouth County, Bill served as the spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance and State of New Jersey Public Defenders Office. He was also a reporter and editor for the Asbury Park Press from 1980 to 1997.
Bill was a consummate professional and touched many people on both a personal and professional level. Bill’s keen wit, intellect and attention to detail will be sadly missed by everyone who came into contact with Bill. He worked on many projects to recently include formulating a communications strategy for all of county government operations. Bill worked very closely with the five freeholders and the county administrator.
Funeral arrangements have not been confirmed at this time. Information will be posted to the county website when they become available.
Sister Elizabeth Garvey, the Executive Director of the Bayshore Senior Center in Keansburg passed away on Monday. She was 82 years old.
Sr. Elizabeth was a graduate of Red Catholic High School and Georgian Court University where she earned an MA in Education. She entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1950. Following a 28 year ministry in education she devoted the last 31 years to serving the senior citizens of Monmouth County’s bayshore.
Her love, compassion and commitment had a profound and positive impact on the lives she touched. Sr. Elizabeth inspired love, compassion and commitment in others.
Victor Scudiery, Chairman of the Senior Center’s Board, struggled for words to describe his loss. “She was a good friends and I loved her dearly. We worked together through some very tough times.”
John McCarthy, a Hazlet business owner who also serves on the board said Sr. Elizabeth was ” a beautiful beautiful person with a spine of steel. She never gave up. When she walked into a room she commanded the presence of everyone there.”
Senator Joe Kyrillos said, “Susan and I loved and respected Sister Garvey and will miss her very much. She touched many loves in our community and was a speical person, a force for good. May God bless her.”
Visitation is until 7PM this evening at St. Ann Church in Keansburg. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow the visitation.
Governor Chris Christie will be holding a press conference on the Asbury Park boardwalk tomorrow afternoon, Monday August 20.
Following his meeting the press at 3PM, Christie is scheduled to greet boardwalk patrons and beach goers along the boardwalk and emphasize the importance of clean beaches and waterways to the New Jersey shore economy.
The Monmouth County Republican Committee will convene in September, either on the 22nd or the 29th depending on venue scheduling, for the purpose of adopting by-laws, electing a new GOP State Committeeman and electing a county party board of directors, according to Chairman John Bennett.
Bennett is resigning from the state committee.
“I’m working hard and keeping my promises,” said the Chairman who celebrated the 25th anniversary of his 39th birthday at a fundraiser in Sea Bright yesterday.
Politickernjis reporting that the entire borough council of Farmingdale is resigning tonight and that tonight’s scheduled council meeting has been canceled for lack of a quorum.
According the Politickernj, the governor appoints a new council in this circumstance.
Politickernj reported that all of the resigning council members are Republicans. Monmouth GOP Chairman John Bennett is the borough attorney.
Mayor Jay Morgan, who has not resigned, could not be reached for comment.
Chairman Bennett told MMM that the resignations have been happening over the last month. One council member, a Democrat per Bennett, resigned a month ago and a new Democrat was appointed but not sworn in. Two Republican council members resigned last Tuesday and the remaining three Republican council members resigned last night.
Bennett also said that the borough clerk/administrator resigned effective August 1 and that the code enforcement officer resigned, came back and resigned again within the last month.
“You’ll have to ask them,” Bennett said when asked why the exodus, “I can tell you that it is not over anything illegal, it is a matter of personalities.”
Farmingdale is a .523 squre mile patch, population 1329, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, that is completely within the borders of Howell Township. Prior to 1903, Farmingdale was part of Howell.
Howell Mayor Bob Walsh says it is time for Farmingdale to be absorbed back into Howell.
The borough does not have its own police department. The State Police provides Farmingdale’s police services. The borough has an elementary school. High school students residing in the borough attend the Freehold Regional High School District.
Walsh noted that a Farmingdale resident was a Monmouth County Freeholder back in the 30’s or 40’s, and that Howell has never had a Freeholder. MMM suggested that if he could manage to take back Farmingdale, he could drop that complaint.
Anna Little, with good reason, has been taking credit for John Bennett’s election as Monmouth GOP Chairman. If not for Little endorsing her benefactor and encouraging the County Committee members who are also Tea Party activists to vote for Bennett, Christine Hanlon would be Chairwoman.
Little’s reward, whatever it is, will come sometime after she loses to Frank Pallone in November.
The biggest change that Bennett has made since taking over the helm of the Monmouth GOP six weeks ago is to start to make good on his campaign promise to raise the money necessary for county campaigns. He has informed the Monmouth GOP ticket of Freeholders John Curley and Serena DiMaso, as well as County Clerk Claire French, not to worry about rasing money for the fall campaign. He has instructed office holders not on the ballot this fall, including the legislative delegation and the sheriff, all of whom have campaigns next year, to suspend their fund raising activities effective August 1 so as not to compete with his efforts for the current campaign.
