Jersey Style Appointments and Hearings

Monmouth County Prosecutor Peter E. Warshaw, Jr was nominated by Governor Chris Christie to become a Superior Court Judge on June 14.  The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold his confirmation hearing today.  He is likely to be confirmed by the full Senate before the end of the week, ending his 18 month tenure as county prosecutor.

First Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni is expected to be nominated to replace Warshaw as the chief prosecutor in Monmouth County.  Word in the legal community is that Gramiccioni, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney under Christie, was the governor’s first choice to become Monmouth County Prosecutor in 2010 but that he was 18 months short of the residency requirements.

Former Monmouth County Sheriff Joe Oxley, also former Monmouth GOP Chairman, was nominated to the Court on May 14. Oxley’s confirmation has yet to be scheduled by the Democratically controlled Judiciary Committee, due in part to a Star Ledger report that federal informant Soloman Dwek accused Oxley, Senator Joe Kyrillos and Assemblywoman Amy Handlin of trading favors for campaign contributions.  

Dwek’s allegations were revealed in discovery documents in the civil case of former Hudson County Assemblyman Louis Manzo who unsuccessly sued the U.S. Attorney’s office to recover $100K in legal fees that resulted Manzo’s 2009 Operation Bid Rig indictments. Manzo was accused under the Hobbs Act of accepting bribes from Dwek in exchange for future help in zoning and permit applications should Manzo be elected Jersey City Mayor.  Manzo was running for Mayor for the fifth time when the alleged bribe occurred.  Federal Judge Jose Linares threw out the charges on the basis that the Hobbs Act applied only to elected officials, not candidates.  The Appellate Court affirmed Linares’ ruling.

The discovery documents in Manzo’s civil case miraculously found their way to the Star Ledger in what Kyrillos called an “oppo (opposition research) dump” by U. S. Senator Robert Menedez’s reelection campaign.  Kyrillos is the GOP nominee to unseat Menendez and a minority member of the State Senate Judiciary Committee which reviews judicial nominations.

Expect the Judiciary Committee to schedule Oxley’s confirmation hearing in September or October as the general election campaign is heating up.  Democratic Senator Ray Lesniak has called for Dwek, who is in federal prison, to testify at Oxley’s hearing.  That would put Kyrillos, as a member of the committee and also accused by Dwek of trading favors for contributions, in a hot seat at the height of the U.S. Senate campaign.

In another potential twist in this tangled web, Gramiccioni was one of the federal prosecutors working on the Bid Rig investigations, including Manzo’s, according to Bob Ingle and Michael Symons in Chris Christie: The Inside Story Of His Rise To Power (page 90).  Should Gramiccioni be nominated Monmouth County Prosecutor, as expected, his nomination will also be subject to a Judiciary Committee hearing.

Gramiccioni’s wife, Deborah, is Governor Christie’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Cabinet Liason.

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Monmouth Courthouse to remain closed on Monday

The source of the illnesses that befell over 70 people at the Monmouth County Courthouse last week is still unknown and the the Court will remain closed on Monday, according a press release from Monmouth County’s Public Information Office.

Results of the tests performed by officials from the State Department of Health and Senior Services on Thursday and Friday are not yet available.

A New Jersey Judiciary announcement of how the Court will handle emergent matters can be found here.

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Monmouth Courthouse Closed Until At Least Monday

Freeholder Director John Curley said that tests performed by the County Department of Health have not determined the cause of the illnesses that befell employees and visitors at the Monmouth County Courthouse last Friday and again on Monday. 

The Courthouse will remain closed until at least Monday while the State Department of Health conducts its own tests starting tomorrow and through the weekend if necessary.

“Our people have come up with nothing,” said Curley, “the State really should have stepped in right away.  It’s a shame to spend all this money on a duplicate effort.”

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Monmouth County Courthouse to remain closed Wednesday

Further testing to be conducted for cause of illness

 FREEHOLD, NJ – The Monmouth County Courthouse will remain closed tomorrow for additional testing of allergens – substances derived from plants, animals or items that can be found on people’s desks. Once the testing is complete, the courthouse will be cleaned again.

“All the tests so far have ruled out the most probable causes for the symptoms that were reported by employees and other individuals with business at the courthouse,” said William K. Heine, director of Public Information for the county. “We have ruled out possible causes that could be related to housekeeping, construction and general building maintenance.”

Tuesday night, the courthouse was tested for the presence of dust, pollen and mold on carpeting, chair fabric, desk surfaces and underneath desks. Nothing out of the ordinary was found. Levels of dust, mold and pollen were lower inside the building than outside the building.

To date, the county has checked the construction area of the courthouse’s East Wing and found nothing that would contribute to the symptoms of illness reported by the employees. Likewise, the heating and ventilation systems have been checked for leaks and none were found. The air filters in entire building were changed over the weekend and again on Tuesday. The county has also determined that there has been no change in the regular cleaning of the building.

“The county continues to work with the state Judiciary to resolve this issue,” Heine said.

On Monday, more than 60 courthouse employees reported symptoms of illness that included shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations, rash and dizziness. A triage and treatment area was established outside of the courthouse where all individuals with symptoms were properly evaluated by emergency medical professionals. Thirty people were taken to area hospitals with symptoms that included rash or hives, elevated blood pressure and difficulty breathing.

After the courthouse was closed at 1 p.m. on Monday, the State Police Hazardous Materials Unit tested the building’s interior for 25,000 different compounds and found nothing that would have contributed to the reported symptoms of illness.  

The situation developed on Friday when 17 courthouse employees reported the same general symptoms of illness. Several individuals were confirmed to be diagnosed with allergic reactions. The affected area of the courthouse was thoroughly cleaned last weekend.

 “If a courthouse employee or anyone having business at the courthouse is experiencing any of the symptoms, we encourage them to go to the emergency room or their private physician,” Heine said. “We also ask that they contact the county health department at 732-431-7456 to report any symptoms.”

It is believed that there is no danger of person-to-person transmission. Anyone who was inside the courthouse since Friday should launder the clothes that they wore separately from other items. Individuals should also shower with soap and water as well.

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Courthouse Contamination Mystery Continues

UPDATE 4:59PM

Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden told MMM that the Courthouse will remain closed on Wednesday, June 20.    Golden said that tests for over 3000 possible airborne contaminants came back negative.  Additional test are being performed.

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Freeholder Director John Curley told MMM that all tests performed today to find the what caused 77 people to fall sick at the Monmouth County Courthouse yesterday have come up negative.

Curley said the officials conducting the tests are now taking a second look at the possibility that the cut flowers that were suspected of causing the sicknesses on Friday may also have been the source of the problem on Monday.

No announcement has been made regarding the courthouse opening or remaining closed tomorrow.

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Courthouse contamination still a mystery

Monmouth County officials remain stumped about what caused the reported sicknesses at the courthouse on Friday and again yesterday.  The courthouse is closed today as testing for the source contaminant continues.

Freeholder Director John Curley told MMM that he received a report at 8am this morning indicating the facility had been tested for chemical contaminants overnight.  The test came back negative.  Curley said the facility is being swept for mold and pollen today.

Sheriff Shaun Golden said that all systems have been checked and rechecked and that environmental testing is being conducted today.

A message on the Court’s website states that General Equity at the Hall of Records and the Probation offices at Mechanic Street, Freehold and in Ocean Township are open today.

Bail can be posted at the Monmouth County Jail.  Temporary restraining orders will be handled by the local police.

Child support payments can be mailed to NJFSPC, PO Box 4880, Trenton, NJ 08650-4880 or dropped off at the 30 Mechanic Street, Freehold office.  Probation payments will also be received at Mechanic Street.

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Monmouth Democratic Nominating Convention Preview

The Monmouth County Democrats are holding their nominating convention on Thursday, March 22 at the Bayshore Senior Center, 6:30 PM.

Michael Steinhorn of Rumson is the only candidate who has filed to run for County Clerk.  He is expected to be nominated to run against Republican incumbent M.Claire French. Steinhorn was the nominee for County Surrogate last year.

Former State Trooper Bill Shea, a candidate last year, and former Hazlet Mayor Kevin Lavan, a candidate for Assembly last year from the 13th district , will be freeholder candidates. 

There are two freeholder seats up this year;  a full term that is being defended by incumbent Republican Freeholder Director John Curley and an unexpired term that will be defended by Freeholder Serena DiMaso.  DiMaso was elected by the Monmouth Republican Committee to fill the vacancy created by Rob Clifton’s election to the State Assembly.

The Democrats have yet to determine which seats Shea and Lavan will challenge.

Former Freeholder Amy Mallet has not ruled out re-seeking the office that she lost last November.  Asked repeatedly by MMM if she was going to make an run for freeholder either at the convention or in the primary, Mallet said, “no, not at this time,” and “I am not running as of now.”   Asked to give a definitive answer, she declined.

Two candidates have thrown their hats into the ring for the nomination to take on Congressman Chris Smith in the 4th congressional district. Former Monmouth County Surrogate Patricia Bennett, now an elder law attorney in Red Bank and Spring Lake businessman Brian Froelich will compete for the Democratic endorsement on Thrusday night.  

Froelich has a website and says he’s filed with the FEC to be a candidate. He would not rule out a primary challenge should he lose to Bennett on Thursday, saying, “I intend to win at the convention and have not thought beyond that.”

Bennett could not be reach for comment.

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Poof! KaBoom Fireworks Gone

The annual spectacular Red Bank fireworks will not happen this July, according to a report in the Red Bank-Shrewsbury Patch.

“Following a several month-long process of examination and discussion, the KaBoom executive committee has concluded that KaBoom as we know it is not sustainable in the current economy, taking into account escalating costs to maintain public safety coupled with the increasing costs of products and services related to the event,” KaBoom Committee Chairman Tim Hogan said in a release. “KaBoom is a victim of its own successgiant water slide. Each year brought increasing numbers of visitors to Red Bank, especially as towns throughout New Jersey cancelled their own Fourth of July fireworks displays. Our security costs doubled in the last three years, and although we raised more money in 2011 than ever before, we continued to incur a deficit with each succeeding year.”

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No Impropriety Found With Gabrielan’s County Job

Freeholder Director John Curley said that county administrators have reviewed Randall Gabrielan’s financial records with the Monmouth County Historical Commission and that “everything was found to be in compliance.”  Curley had requested the review last week upon learning of the news that Gabrielan had been signing purchase orders as an official of the Middletown Library for sales of books that he made to the library.

Gabrielan submitted his letter of resignation as president and trustee of the Middletown Library, dated tomorrow, to Mayor Tony Fiore this morning.

Gabrielan is paid $34.75 per hour for his county job as Executive Director of the Monmouth County Historical Society, earning over $36,000 and pension credits in 2011, according to Curley.

“That’s a good question,” Curley said when asked why the Historical Commission has a paid executive director, “That will be a topic of discussion at the upcoming budget meetings.”

The Freeholder Director noted that Gabrielan’s predecessor at the Historical Commission, the late George Moss of Rumson, peformed the executive director duties of the commission as a volunteer.

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Middletown Library President Resigns

Randall Gabrielan. Photo Credit: visitmonouth.com

Randall Gabrielan’s tenure as president and trustee of the Middletown Library is over.

Gabrielan submitted his resignation to Mayor Tony Fiore this morning, almost three weeks after Fiore asked him to step down.   Fiore asked for the resignation on January 25 upon discovering that Gabrielan, an author of history books about local area towns, had been signing purchase orders as an officer of the library for sales of his own books.

“In his letter of resignation Gabrielan admitted that he was wrong and that he understood my position in asking for his resignation,” said Fiore, “I appreciate that he did the right thing for the Middletown Library and taxpayers by stepping down.   I also appreciate his many years of service to the library.”

Gabrielan, who earns $36,000 per year as the Executive Director of the Monmouth County Historical Commission, could not be reached for comment.

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