Lucas Will Run In the New 12th

By Art Gallagher

Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas will be a candidate for the state legislature in the GOP primary from the new 12th district.

Lucas, who will make a formal announcement tomorrow, said he would defer to Assembly incumbents Sam Thompson and Ronald Dancer should either seek the vacant Senate seat.  In such case Lucas will run for Assembly.  Should neither incumbent Assemblyman run for Senate, Lucas will seek that seat.

Lucas said that he will not compete with Freeholder Director Rob Clifton for the Monmouth GOP line with the screening committee, but would  take the race to a primary.

“I think this will be fun and reinvigorate the western portion of the Monmouth GOP,” said the Mayor.

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Photo Finish

By Art Gallagher

The race for the Monmouth GOP nomination for Freeholder is coming down to the wire.  The only safe bet at this point is that Howell Mayor Bob Walsh will not be the nominee.  A late entry into the race, Walsh has impressed on the stump, but this is not his year.  He has a future in county or state politics, if he wants it.  Elected in Howell as an Independent, Walsh needs to build support within the Republican party in order to secure a nomination on a higher than municipal level.

The race as it stands now is a nail biter between Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas, Wall Committeeman George Newberry and Spring Lake Councilman Gary Rich.  Tonight’s speeches at the Monmouth County Affilitated Club’s candidates night ( Lakeside Manor, Rt 36, Hazlet, 6PM) will be delivered with the hope of closing the few undecided delegates and picking off delegates with “soft” commitments.  A gaffe or a home run tonight could determine the nomination.  Not that I want to create any pressure for the candidates.

Rich has emerged from the “oh him again” candidate to a tenacious contender.  He has earned the respect of many and the admiration of his competitors.  His presentation skills are strong.  Rank and file Republicans and Tea Party groups both like him.   If Rich wins the nomination it will be from the strength of his support from the municipal chairs, especially from the smaller coastal and bayshore towns.

Newberry is a solid guy.  Honest, hardworking, dependable.  A team player.  While not yet comfortable on the county stage, George, if nominated will be a strong candidate in the general election against Democratic incumbent Amy Mallet and Sean Byrnes, if Byrnes is the Democratic nominee.   If Byrnes runs for the legislature, Newberry is even stronger in the general.

Lucas is a proven winner in  rough and tumble Manalapan politics.  He is Lillian Burry’s first choice for a running mate. He has strong support in among chairs in the western part of the county.  Andrew has run for Freeholder before, losing to Barbara McMorrow in 2006 when she was a Democrat.  The is no shame in losing to McMorrow and losing a countywide race is no longer a disqualification for seeking another shot.  Mallet lost an Assembly bid before winning her Freeholder seat and John Curley was successful in his second try for Freeholder.

The Monmouth GOP is fortunate to have such a deep bench of qualified candidates.  Each of the four gentlemen pursuing the nomination this year could win the general election and serve with distinction.   The close race is an indication of the difficulty of the choice.

The selection committee meets Saturday morning.  MMM will have the result first.

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The Politics Of The Brookdale Scandal

By Art Gallagher

The controversy over Brookdale Community College President Peter Burnham’s compensation and spending habits has given Democratic Freeholder Amy Mallet an issue to run on in her reelection bid. Mallet has picked up the ball and run with it.

The Brookdale issue should be a positive for Republicans.  Republican Freeholder John Curley first identified and raised the issue which led to Burnham’s suspension last week.  But while Mallet has gotten out front with the issue by calling for college chairman Howard Birdsall’s resignation and calling for term limits for Brookdale trustees, Republican Freeholder Lillian Burry, who is also up for reelection this year, has been far less aggressive. 

Mallet has made headlines, here, here and here calling for Birdsall’s resignation and greater oversight of the Brookdale board, while Burry has been supportive of the board.

Burry told the Asbury Park Press, “At this point they (the Brookdale trustees) need our support,” Burry said, adding that the board of trustees moved swiftly to address the situ­ation.

Seriously Lillian?  They should have moved swiftly.  But how long has this been going on?  Where else in county government is excessive spending going on?  The Library?  The Park System?  Nursing homes?  The vocational school system?

The Brookdale trustees should be supported in this difficult time….by their friends and families….not by a Freeholder who is charged by the taxpayers with overseeing government operations and making sure our dollars are spent prudently.  

Burry needs to decide who she is; friend or Freeholder.  If she’s a friend, she needs to get out of the way and let someone else take her spot on the GOP ticket this year.  If she is a Freeholder, she needs to step up her game.  Over the last couple of weeks Burry gave Mallet’s career new life and Mallet is making the most of it. 

Prior to the Brookdale scandal, few political observers gave Mallet much of a chance at reelection.  Now she is in the game.  This could lead to stronger Democrats stepping up to run for county and legislative office. It could make it easier for the Democrats to raise money.  It could make what was looking to be a boring Republican rout this year become a competive election season.

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Freeholder Nomination Race Update

By Art Gallagher

The municipal chairs of western Monmouth County are hosting a candidates forum for those seeking the GOP nomination for Monmouth County Freeholder tomorrow at 9:30am at the county library on Symmes Road in Manalapan.  The chairs from the region are scheduled to meet following the forum to discuss endorsing a candidate.

Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas will have the home field advantage.  Wall Committeeman George Newberry and Spring Lake Councilman Gary Rich are rallying their supporters to attend the event.

With the screening committee meeting to choose a candidate for the party line a month away, it might be early for a block on chairmen to announce an endorsement.   The field currently consists of Lucas, Newberry and Rich.  None of the three are considered a lock for the nomination in what is shaping up to be a very competitive race.

Rich, who is making his third bid for a Freeholder nomination, now has the backing of former Red Bank Chairman Jim Giannell.  Giannell’s relationships with chairs in the Two Rivers region and the Bayshore are a significant boost to Rich this time around.

In the fight for the 2006 nomination, Giannell threw his support to Lucas during a wild and contentious nominating convention.  Lucas won the nomination but he and Giannell later had a failing out when Lucas did not support Giannell against Adam Puharic in the race for county chairman.

To a certain extent, Rich vs Lucas is a battle for influence between Giannell and Manalapan Chairman Steve McEnry and his loosely aligned western Monmouth chairman’s group.

Newberry has the strong support of the Wall Township Republicans.  County Clerk Claire French’s support of Newberry is significant.   The Rich camp and the Lucas camp both consider Newberry to be County Chairman Joe Oxley’s choice, despite Oxley’s efforts to remain neutral through the process.  Oxley is the Wall Township Borough Attorney.

All three candidates are counting votes and think they have enough support to win a race that like last year’s contest is looking to be closely divided.  Last year Tom Arnone beat  Tom Wilkens of Middletown by 4 votes.  Rich came in third, but only 12 votes separated him and Arnone.

However, the field of three candidates may expand or change.

Lucas has been telling people, including MoreMonmouthMusings, that he will not ask the screening committee for the nomination unless he is confident that he has the votes to win.  He told MMM that at this point he thinks he has the votes and has no intention of dropping out.

But some have heard Lucas’s words to mean that he might drop out.   This has led others to consider entering the race.  Howell Mayor Bob Walsh is the most notable potential candidate. 

Walsh, a Republican who was elected as an Independent in Howell, declined to enter the Freeholder nominating race earlier due to an family matter concerning his son’s health.  That situation is now managable and Walsh has his family’s support to run if he so chooses.  Walsh told MMM that he won’t run against Lucas with whom he is very friendly, but that he will run should Lucas drop out.

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More Lincoln Day Musings

By Art Gallagher

Monmouth County GOP events are particularly enjoyable for me because I get to see many MMM readers in person and get face to face feedback, pro and con.  Positive feedback usually includes a warm conversation, laughter and a friendly dig.  Negative feedback is usually in the form of a cold shoulder, an evil eye or a faux smile.   More and more there is agenda driven feedback  and requests from people who want an issue covered or exposure for a candidate or cause.   All of that happened last night.  I appreciate all of it.

There were two related issues that dominated the feedback I received last night. 

One was my explusion from the Highlands Republican Club for the treacherous act of accurately reporting Anna Little’s decree that the New Jersey Supreme Court is unconstitutional.   I appreciate all the invitations to join or visit other Monmouth County Republican Clubs with no restrictions on what I write about.   I also appreciate that none of the “threats” I received to be removed from the dinner via “appropriate measures” were followed through.   My friend and fellow blogger Jim Hogan shared some hilarious emails he received from members of the HRC, including one from Mr. Neighbor, in response to Jim’s comments on my banishment.

The other issue that dominated feedback I received last night was my front page exposure and accompanying article in the triCityNews last month.

Senator Sean Kean greeted me with a smile and said, “Hi Art, I see Dan Jacobson likes you better than he likes me.”   Dan has been particularly critical of Kean.  I told Sean that I heard Jacobson was not the only one who felt that way. 

Another party leader said he saw Dan’s article. “Is that for real, you don’t support Anna Little any longer?” he asked.  When I told him it was, he was positively giddy.  Another leader did not seem so happy about that.

Mickey Gooch gave me a good natured razzing for not including his testimonial about MMM in my journal ad.   It is nice to know that someone actually reads the ad journal.  Here’s Mickey’s quote:

“MMM is a great source of insider gossip and news in the conservative wing of the Republican Party and the Tea Party. I don’t agree with everything I read, but I keep taking a look- it is definitely entertaining. However, MMM would be better and could have far greater credibility if Art Gallagher didn’t display his biases quite so obviously and ran an unbiased forum for discussion. ” ~ Mickey Gooch, Mickey Gooch

I told Mickey he’s welcome to write another quote now that my biases have shifted.

Thank you for reading MMM, and thanks for your feedback.

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Lincoln Day Dinner Observations

By Art Gallagher

A happy enthusiastic crowd of over 600 people filled the Shore Casino in Atlantic Highlands.  The event was scheduled to start with a cocktail hour at 6PM.  When I arrived at 6:05 the house was already 3/4 full.

Volunteers for each Monmouth County legislative delegation were collecting signatures for their slates primary petitions.  The 12th district team was asking for signatures from out of district residents as a preparation for redistricting surprises.   A scenario that puts Highlands in the 12th legislative district is hard to imagine, but I was happy to sign for Beck, Casagrande and O’Scanlon.

Freeholder Lilian Burry’s team was collecting signatures.

Freeholder candidates Andrew Lucas and George Newberry were working the room and handing out palm cards.  I heard Gary Rich was present but I didn’t seem him.  Lucas and Newburry are organized and have teams supporting them.   Lucas appeared to be more at ease in a competitive environment than Newberry did.  That’s to be expected, as Lucas has done this before and Manalapan elections are usually competitive.  Wall elections are rarely competitive.

One big surprise in the Freeholder race is Claire French’s name on Newberry’s palm card as Chair Person of his committee.   French usually goes out of her way to stay out of intra-party contests.  She told MMM that she strongly believes in Newberry whom she has known for many years.

So far Jim Giannell, the former Red Bank and Two Rivers group chairman, does not appear to have a horse in the Freeholder race.  Giannell has been an organizing whip in the last several Freeholder nomination races. 

The biggest surprise of the night was the sight of the leadership of the Bayshore Tea Party Group sitting at Senator Joe Kyrillos’ table.  That’s a relationship/alliance to watch.

Congressman Chris Smith’s appearance was a nice surprise.

Scott and Tracy Sipprelle made the drive from Princeton looking refreshed and wind burned from a recent skiing vacation.  Sipprelle told MMM that he is not likely to seek elective office again, but will be active in supporting candidates.  He said he attended the dinner to reacquaint with his friends and supporters from his CD 12 congressional race last year.

Former congressional candidates Diane Gooch (CD-6) and Mike Halfacre (CD-12) presences were apparent but neither aggressively worked the room.  Anna Little (CD-6) worked the room, stopping at every table under the watchful eye of her campaign manager Larry Cirignano.

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