ByLaws: Keep them simple

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.

As we wrote yesterday, we think there are some issues in the bylaws draft.

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.

Keep them simple.

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Monmouth GOP convention called for September 29. Bylaws to be adopted

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.

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Chairs

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Monmouth GOP Unity on display in Tampa

PolitickerNJ.com anticipated an injured ego storyline in the aftermath of (John) Bennett’s June victory over intra-party rival Christine Hanlon.

But it wasn’t there.

“Christine and I are friends, and she’s been so helpful,” said Bennet, whose party dominates Monmouth.

In June, (Christine) Hanlon lost a bid for the Monmouth GOP chairmanship by a narrow margin to former state Sen. John Bennett.

“John and I are friends, and I support him,” Hanlon told PolitickerNJ.com.

“Monmouth is not Bergen,” assured (Brian) Nelson.

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Bennett: Monmouth GOP will have a convention in September

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.

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Gopal slams Bennett, Little over Christine O’Donnell appearance

Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal issued a scathing statement to Politickernj condemning Monmouth GOP Chairman John Bennett and 6th District Congressional nominee Anna Little for their decision to bring Christine O’Donnell to Monmouth County for a Little fundraiser next week.

“The Monmouth County Republican Party and their star candidate Anna Little are teaming up with the most extreme candidate ever to run for the U.S. Senate – an individual who openly talked about her involvement in witchcraft and who rejected the most basic theory of science, evolution,” Gopal said. “This is who extremist Anna Little and the Monmouth County Republicans are choosing to align themselves with and one has to wonder if they share Ms. O’Donnell’s views on evolution, witchcraft, women in the military and the countless issues in which she is out of touch with not just the residents in Monmouth County, but members of her own party. It becomes scarier everyday what a Congresswoman Anna Little would like.”

Gopal cited several of O’Donnell’s quotes made on Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect TV show and the FoxNews O’Reilly Factor in making his case that O’Donnell is detached from the mainstream.

“Who do they think they’re going to get to pay $2500 to meet that lunatic?” Gopal said when reached by MMM.

Neither Bennett nor Little were immediately available for comment.

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Unity or Strange Bedfellows in the Monmouth GOP?

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.

But how will he raise the money?

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Gopal Slams Monmouth GOP, Freeholder Burry, Over Brookdale Scandal

Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal released the following statement yesterday afternoon after former Brookdale Community College President Peter Burnham pled guilty to theft by deception and official misconduct:

“Earlier today, Brookdale Community College President Peter Burnham pled guilty of stealing tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money. The web of corruption surrounding this case is just another example of Monmouth County Republican cronies profiting at the taxpayers’ expense.”

“Mr. Burnham, along with Brookdale Community College’s then Board President Howard Birsdall and Brookdale’s Board Attorney John Cantalupo were all close allies and major political supporters of the Republican Party establishment here in Monmouth County. Mr. Cantalupo served as Freeholder Lillian Burry’s close confidant and official Campaign Treasurer in her 2005 and 2008 Freeholder campaigns. In this same time period, Mr. Cantalupo negotiated the terms of Peter Burnham’s lavish Brookdale contracts. This represents a clear conflict of interest, given that Mr. Cantalupo was Freeholder Burry’s right hand man. Perhaps this is why Freeholder Burry sat silently on the sidelines as the truth about Mr. Burnhams theft was being exposed.”

“As a result of the Republican-controlled Freeholder Board’s lack of oversight, student tuition increased at Brookdale Community College while their college president profited immensely. This is what happens when a chief advisor for the Republican Freeholders is negotiating salary contracts on behalf of a College President that is funded by these same Republican Freeholders. It is time for Monmouth County taxpayers to unite against the Good Ol’ Boys Network here in Monmouth County”

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Monmouth Democrats 2ndQ ELEC report not filed. Missing?

Monmouth GOP Team reports $83,000 cash on to hand

The Monmouth Democratic Party’s second quarter campaign finance report, due July 15th, has not been posted on the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission’s website as of this afternoon.  Dem Chairman Vin Gopal told MMM that the report was filed with ELEC, along with the report designating him as the new chairman, on July 10th.  Gopal said he would contact ELEC resolve the problem.

At the end of the first quarter, the Monmouth Dems had $6,305.14 cash on hand and was $78,025 in debt.  Over $60K of the debt was owed to then County Chairman Victor Scudiery.  Gopal said that the second quarter report “was pretty much the same, less than $10,000 on hand.”

The Democratic county candidates, Kevin Lavan and Bill Shea for Freeholder and Michael Steinhorn for Clerk, have $64.14 between them as of their post-primary reports.  Lavan and Steinhorn each told ELEC that they were not raising or spending money for the primary race.  Shea raised over $20K, but spent all but $64.14 in the uncontested primary.

The Monmouth GOP appears to be in better shape.  The GOP committee reported $34,790.31 in cash as of June 30th.    In their post-primary reports, Freeholder Director John Curley reported $22,554.81 in cash; Freeholder Serena DiMaso reported $11,401.19 and County Clerk Claire French reported $14,673.21.

Monmouth County  Republican Chairman John O. Bennett III has instructed all county and state elected officials, with the exception of this year’s candidates, to suspend raising money as of August 1 so as to not compete with his fundraising activities for the coming county campaign.  Bennett promised Curley, DiMaso and French that he would raise the funds necessary for the fall campaign.

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Bayshore Tea Party Promises Primaries

Monmouth GOP Chairman John O. Bennett III invited Bayshore Tea Party Group Co-Founder Barbara Gonzalez to speak at the GOP Unity Breakfast last Saturday.

Gonzalez and fellow co-founder Robert Gordon responded on Monday by issuing a statement to say something that Gonzalez forgot to say to the Unity gathering on Saturday:  Every Republican can expect a primary if they don’t do what the Tea Party wants them to do.

Here’s the statement:

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