Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County This Weekend, July 26-28, 2013

SPONSORED BY SEASTREAK

By Greg Kelly

Friday, July 26

• Monmouth County Fair (Freehold) – MORE INFO

• Red Bank Sidewalk Sale – MORE INFO

• Shakespeare by the Sea (Spring Lake) – MORE INFO

• A Chorus Line (Spring Lake) – MORE INFO

• Children of Eden at St. John’s Community Playhouse (Hazlet) – MORE INFO

• A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Holmdel) – MORE INFO

• Saving Kitty at NJ Repertory Theatre (Long Branch) – MORE INFO

• Teen Improv Comedy Night (Belmar) – MORE INFO

• Visit Martha’s Vineyard via SeaStreak Ferry (Highlands) – MORE INFO

• Seining at the Bayshore (Port Monmouth) – MORE INFO

• Visionary Tattoo Arts Festival (Asbury Park) – MORE INFO

• The Diary of Anne Frank by Center Players (Freehold) – MORE INFO

• Learn Computer E-mail Basics (Shrewsbury) – MORE INFO

• 107.1 FM Live Broadcast from Pier Village (Long Branch) – MORE INFO

• A Bronx Tale: Chazz Palminteriat Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

• Danny White Band (Belmar) – MORE INFO

• Camp Out in the Park (Fair Haven) – MORE INFO

• “Summer Wind” CPC Benefit (Eatontown) – MORE INFO

• La Cage Aux Folles (Asbury Park) – MORE INFO

• Dueling Keys Quartet at TRT (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

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Saturday, July 27

• NY Yankees vs. Rays via Seastreak Ferry (Highlands) – MORE INFO

• Monmouth County Fair (Freehold) – MORE INFO

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House Votes To Continue Domestic Spying

photo via facebook

Yesterday, the House of Representatives defeated, 205-217, an amendment to the 2014 Defense Appropriations Bill that would have defunded the National Security Agency’s  Domestic Phone Metadata program.

Congressman Frank Pallone was in New Jersey campaigning for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate which will be decided in the Special Primary on August 13.  He did not vote on the measure.

The rest of the New Jersey delegation split, 4-7, to continue domestic spying.

Voting for the amendment (against the spying) were Republicans Chris Smith and Scott Garrett and Democrats Rush Holt and Bill Pascrell.

Voting nay (for funding the spying) were Republicans Rodney Freylinghuysen, Frank LoBiando, Leonard Lance and Jon Runyon, along with Democrats Rob Andrews, Donald Payne, JR, and Albio Sires.

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Lonengan and Eck Debate Debates

With less than three weeks to go until the Special Senate Primary on August 13, the GOP hopefuls are debating debates.

Yesterday, Dr. Alieta Eck’s campaign Tom Roberts put out a statement with the headline Lonegan Refuses To Debate.

(Somerset, NJ) – Today, Eck for Senate learned that Steve Lonegan has refused a debate organized by the League of Women Voters of New Jersey, which would have matched him against Dr. Alieta Eck on Saturday, July 27th.

“That Steve Lonegan doesn’t want to debate Dr. Eck should probably come as no surprise. Mr. Lonegan has run for office many times and can identify some problems facing Americans, but without solutions he would just join the ranks of those already in DC who are watching our nation’s economic decline. In contrast, Dr. Eck has outlined proven, workable solutions to provide health care and reduce spending. The contrast in a debate would not have been favorable for Mr. Lonegan. We still welcome any future opportunity to debate,” according to Campaign Manager Thomas Roberts.

That sounded like a sound political strategy on Lonegan’s part to me, given that Eck had only 9% name recognition and support from only 5% of registered voters in the last Quinnipiac poll.  For the last week or so, Lonegan has been ignoring Eck and running a general election type campaign, focusing on Newark Mayor Cory Booker and this week, the mad scientist, “millions will die if we don’t tax carbon and make energy completely unaffordable,” Congressman Rush Holt.

But I’m not Lonegan’s strategist.

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Weiner Called His Interns “Monica”

Early in his New York City mayoral campaign, former Congressman Anthony Weiner gathered his twenty interns into his private office for an introduction.

Olivia, not Monica, Nuzzi

“I always say that on every campaign, there are one or two volunteers who really make a difference,” he began. (There were roughly twenty of us in the room.) “So I just want to let you know that no task is too small, and the work you’re doing is important and it is appreciated.” He continued to speak for a few minutes, reiterating this point over and over.

“Okay!” Weiner said loudly, though not enthusiastically. “I’m going to go around the room now and ask you your name and a fact about yourself, and then I’m going to go back around and repeat your name to you.” A member of the campaign staff looked on, nervously. “I’m great at this,” Weiner said.

The Weiner proceeded to listen to the interns names and facts and then went back around the room and called the first tw0 women “Monica” and gave up.

“We all laughed nervously. Monica is an interesting intern name to pick out of the air. (Weiner’s wife, we should remember, works for Hillary Clinton.),” wrote former MMM columnist Olivia Nuzzi in a piece for her current gig at NSFWCorp.

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If You See A Spot, Check A Spot

A message from Assemblyman Dave Rible:

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A Campaign We Can All Agree On

Boardwalk Breakfast Empire. photo via facebook

This is a first.  I’ve found a ticket of candidates that all MoreMonmouthMusing readers can rally behind.

Joanne Distefano Garelli and her friends Timothy Boulous and Ilene Winters are in the running  to win $50,000 and a food truck in the Food Network’s  The Great Food Truck Race.

Garelli and her husband Steve operated Steve’s Breakfast and Lunch in Sea Bright for 37 years before Superstorm Sandy destroyed the business that served up great omelets and muffins.

Now Joanne has joined with Timothy and Ilene as Boardwalk Breakfast Empire to compete against seven other teams from across the United States in the reality TV show that premieres for the season on August 18.

Boardwalk Breakfast Empire is leading in the fan voting with 44% over its closest competitor, Aloha Plate of Los Angeles and Hawaii.  Let’s join the All About Sea Bright facebook group in keeping our hometown team on top.

Voting is Hudson County style.  Fan voters are encouraged to vote 10 times per day.  Vote here.

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Reforming Engineering Bidding Process Saves Tax Payers Money and Increases Competition

By Monmouth County Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone

In the past, when Monmouth County looked to hire engineering and architectural consultants for various projects, the firms applying had to prepare extensive proposals, costing them thousands of dollars, just to compete for the work. As of now, however, the process will be streamlined, after the Board of Chosen Freeholders voted to revise it to make it easier and less costly for consulting firms to seek contract with the county.

Freeholder Director Tom Arone

The freeholders voted 5-0 last Thursday to adopt new bidding procedures for architectural and engineering contracts. The new procedures create a two pronged process that will make applying to work on county projects more cost effective for the consulting firms seeking the work as well as for the county, which has to provide the staff to review the proposals. The county is aimed at encouraging more professional firms to apply for work.

As liaison to the Department of Public Works and Engineering, I embarked on a mission a year and a half ago to look at ways to streamline the bidding process to make it easier and less costly for consultants to apply for work. Under the old process, professional firms would have to submit voluminous proposals, usually hundreds of pages long and costing them thousands of dollars to prepare. Some of the cost of that work was passed on to the county, and, the county would have to commit its staff sometimes for weeks or more to review the proposals. Because it would cost the consulting firms between $10,000 and $15,000 just to apply for work, (which seemed somewhat unjust) a year and a half ago, I asked the Freeholder Board if we could research a way to streamline it.

The new process is a two-pronged one in which the firms seeking to be hired for a project would first submit three or four pages documenting their background and experience. From those submitting the initial applications, county engineering staff would choose three or four firms and ask them to submit full technical and cost proposals. The firm to be hired would be selected from among those who submit the full proposals. The process also takes into account how many county projects a firm already is working on, so that other firms without work can be considered for new projects. Most of the top engineering firms in the state come out of Monmouth County. Most of the businesses that are here employ Monmouth County people, so more people are continuing to work. Under the new process, the Board of Chosen Freeholders remains confident that everybody’s going to get work.

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Pallone’s Family Values

By Art Gallagher

Frank Pallone has been my congressman for almost twenty years.   Through ten election cycles, I don’t recall Pallone ever promoting himself as a family man.  I didn’t even know he was married (to a woman) until 2010 when, during Anna Little’s first campaign against him, triCityNews columnist Ernesto Cullari revealed that Pallone’s wife, Sarah had secured a six figure job in the Environmental Protection Agency.

So I was surprised to find the above Pallone family portrait on Frank’s Senate campaign website and facebook page.  In his video ad, Typical Jersey Story, Frank looks into the camera and says, “Sarah and I have three teenagers, which means that things are a little crazy at home, most of the time.”  Frank’s facebook introduction starts,”Husband, Father, Democrat, Public Servant.  Frank Pallone, Jr. has been fighting for the people of this state for over 2 decades.”

After wondering why Pallone’s eldest daughter isn’t squinting, the next question to occur to me upon seeing the portrait was, “Why after almost three decades of keeping his family life private, is Pallone trotting his family out on the campaign trail?”

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O’Scanlon: Buono Not Fit For Any Office

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon

State Senator Barbara Buono, the Democratic nominee for governor, yesterday said that the many Democrats who have endorsed Governor Chris Christie for another term did so to get more Sandy recovery money for their communities.

From NorthJersey.com:

Buono, the Democrat running against Christie for governor, said she believes many of the endorsements are “transactional.”

“A lot of the folks have said that they’re endorsing him because they’ve received assistance for Sandy and they need more. And you know what, they do need more,” she said. “And this is a governor that’s shown that he can be vindictive.”

Christie’s campaign spokesperson Kevin Roberts said that Buono hit a reprehensible and insulting new low by suggesting that Sandy aid was subject to horse trading.

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon went further, saying that Buono is unfit for public office.

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Booker Opens Monmouth County Campaign Office

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, the runaway front runner for the Democratic nomination to replace the late U.S. Senator Frank Launtenberg, opened a campaign office in Victor Scudiery’s Airport Plaza in Hazlet today.

Booker has a commanding lead against 49% to 12% lead over Congressman Frank Pallone in the Monmouth University Poll of likely voters released earlier this week. Congressman Rush Holt gets 8% in the Monmouth Poll and Assembly Speaker Shelia Oliver has support of 3% of the likely voters.  28% are undecided.  Pollster Patrick Murray classified Booker’s lead as “impregnable.”

If Booker prevails in the August 13 primary, he will face off against the winner of the Republican primary on the same day in a special election to be held on October 16.  Former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan is the heavy favorite to win the Republican primary over political novice, Dr. Alieta Eck of Piscataway.

Booker’s Hazlet office is having a grand opening celebration this evening from 6-9.  The office will be open and staffed from 9-9 daily through the primary.

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