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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More Monmouth Musings Endorses Frank Pallone

We received an email from Frank Pallone today asking for our endorsement.

Dear Art,

I need your endorsement. The support of friends like you is what has allowed me to fight for the issues that matter most to New Jersey families. But fighting is not enough. We need true leadership in Washington that stands up for what is right. ….

Congressman, we’re honored that you asked. We’re happy to accept.

MoreMonmouthMusings hereby endorses Congressman Frank Pallone in the Democratic Special Senate Primary on August 13.

Pallone has the best of the slim chances to defeat Newark Cory Booker for the nomination.

If Pallone is the Democratic nominee in the Special Senate Election on October 16, the Republican nominee, either Steve Lonegan or Dr. Alieta Eck, would have a much better chance of winning, than if Booker is the nominee.

Booker has been endorsed by the Essex County Democratic machine and the South Jersey/George Norcross Democratic machine.  If Pallone beats Booker, Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo and Norcross won’t have a U.S. Senator at their beck and call.  Pallone won’t owe them.  He’s never been much of a team player with them.  He certainly wouldn’t be beholden to them if he beats Booker.

In that case, Norcross and DiVencenzo might sit out the October 16 Special Election or secretly help the Republican nominee win, figuring that Pallone would be finished if he lost to Lonegan or Eck.  They would then make sure Booker gets the 2014 Democratic nomination and count on winning the Senate seat in 2014.

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What if Christie picks…..

Could John Bennett be heading back to Trenton?

…Senator Joe Kyillos?

By virtue of his long term friendship with Governor Christie and his campaign for U.S. Senate last year, State Senator Joe Kyrillos is on every Christie mind reader’s short list of possible U.S. Senators to replace the late Frank Lautenberg.

Assuming Kyrillos defeats Leigh-Ann Bellew in the primary today, his move to the U.S. Senate would create a vacancy for the nomination for State Senate in LD 13.  If either Assemblywoman Amy Handlin or Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon move up to the Senate slot, as would be expected, there will be an Assembly nomination vacancy.

Neither Handlin nor O’Scanlon will say if they want the State Senate seat, which probably means they both want it. Even so, I would expect that they would work that out amongst themselves rather than have a convention fight.

A nominating convention for the resulting Assembly vacancy would bring out a wealth of Republican talent.

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Anna Little, David Corsi won’t be Tea Party candidates in GOP Primary

Photo credit: genehoyas.com

Since they formed in 2009, the Bayshore Tea Party Group has supported three campaigns that have defeated the Monmouth County Republican Organization in primaries.

Former Highlands Mayor Anna Little won the 6th Congressional District nomination twice.  In 2010 Little defeated the MCRO’s endorsed candidate Diane Gooch.  In 2012 Little defeated newcomer Ernesto Cullari.  Cullari had won the Monmouth Republican organization’s endorsement. Little won the Middlesex County Republican Organization’s endorsement and won the primary handily in both counties.  Little went on to lose twice to incumbent Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone.

Oceanport real estate executive David Corsi beat Princeton venture capitalist Scott Sipprelle in Monmouth County during the 2010 primary for the 12 Congressional District nomination.  Sipprelle prevailed on the strength of his support in the Middlesex and Mercer portions of the district.  Sipprelle lost to incumbent Democratic Congressman Rush Holt.

Both Little and Corsi were supported by BTPG’s grassroots activists.

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Bayshore Tea Party Preparing Primary Slate for LD 13, County Offices

The Bayshore Tea Party Group is preparing a primary slate to challenge 13th district legislators, Senator Joe Kyrillos and Assembly Members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon, and county office holders, Sheriff Shaun Golden and Freeholders Tom Arnone and Serena DiMaso, according to the group’s co-founder Barbara Gonzalez.

Gonzalez told MoreMonmouthMusings that the group has six candidates who are clearing their potential candidacies with their families and employers.  She wouldn’t name any of the candidates but expects to make a formal announcement next week.  If the slate declares, they will bypass the Monmouth GOP convention on March 23 and file to run in the June 4 Republican primary.

Gonzalez said that former Highlands Mayor Anna Little, who twice ran and won in Congressional primaries with the group’s backing, is not one of the candidates.

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2012: The Year in Review, January and February

Freeholder Serena DiMaso was elected to replace Rob Clifton. Photo credit: Rhoda Chodosh

January

Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce died on January 9 shortly after the final voting session of the 214th legislature.

Mitt Romney was declare the winner of the Iowa Caucuses by 8 votes.  Weeks later after all the votes were counted, Rick Santorum was declared the winner.

Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina GOP Presidential Primary.

Holmdel Deputy Mayor Serena DiMaso was elected a Monmouth County Freeholder by the Monmouth County Republican Committee.

State Senator Joe Kyrillos announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate.

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez blocked Federal Magistrate Patty Shwartz’s nomination to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.  Menendez denied he was blocking the appointment because Shwartz’s boyfriend was the Assistant U.S. Attorney who investigated him in 2006.  Menendez reversed himself after the news of his opposition to Shwartz become pulbic.  Shwartz’s nomination has yet to be confirmed.

Governor Christie nominated Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre to be the Director of the Division of Alcohol Beverage Control.

Governor Christie nominated First Assistant Attorney General Philip Kwon and Chatham Mayor Bruce Harris to be State Supreme Court Associate Justices.  Kwon was the first Asian-American ever nominated.  Harris was the first openingly homosexual nominee.

New Jersey’s newspaper industry fought back efforts to allow “Legal Notices” to be posted online instead of in newspapers.

Mitt Romney won the Florida GOP presidential primary.

Middletown Mayor Tony Fiore asked for Library Board President Randall Gabrielan’s resignation.  Gabrielan had been selling books to the library as a vendor and signing the purchase orders as president of the library.

February

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Does Pallone have the fortitude to run for U.S. Senate?

Now that Newark Mayor Cory Booker has taken himself out the the gubernatorial race, everyone expects him to run for Frank Lautenberg’s U. S. Senate seat in 2014.    A recent poll indicated that Booker would easily beat Lautenberg in a Democratic primary should the 88 year old senator make another run.

That hasn’t stopped Congressman Frank Pallone from calling Democratic County Chairs to remind them that he is still interested in the Senate seat he has long coveted but never had the guts to fight for.

Pallone best shot at becoming a Senator came and went in 2002 when he declined Governor Jim McGreevey’s offer to replace the disgraced Senator Robert Torricelli on the ballot against Doug Forrester.   McGreevey brought Frank Lautenberg out of retirement and got the State Supreme Court to rewrite New Jersey’s election law so the switch could be made after the statutory deadline.  The polls showing Forrester beating Toricelli scared Pallone off from giving up a easy victory in CD-6 in favor of his dream job in the Senate.

Lautenberg went on to clobber Forrester in 2002 and was elected again in 2008. 

Pallone was passed over for the Senate in 2006 when Governor Jon Corzine chose Bob Menendez to replace him in the Senate.  Menendez won his own term that November and was reelected last month.  He is on the verge of becoming the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Pallone clearly wants to be a Senator, but his history indicates that he doesn’t have the fortitude to risk his cushy lifestyle as a congressman in order to fight for his dream.  I hope he grows a pair and goes for it, because the race to replace him in the 6th Congressional District would be great for blog traffic.

WHO WOULD RUN FOR PALLONE’S CD-6 SEAT IF IT WAS VACANT? 

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MMM Predictions for Election 2012

By popular demand (from Matt Rooney and a Democratic operative who doesn’t want people to know he/she talks to me) your favorite blogger is shifting his focus away from the Sandy Aftermath and back to politics on this election eve.

Rooney said, “Let’s hear your projection, Gallagher.”  My response: “The power will be off at my house for the rest of the week.”

Here are my predictions:

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Anna Little’s Congressional campaign has successfully responded to the Federal Election Commission’s requests.

On three separate occasions in late August, financial analysts from the FEC wrote to the treasurer of the Republican candidate’s principal campaign committee,  “Friends of Anna Little”, formally requesting information essential to the full public disclosure of federal election campaign finances.  Anna Little is the challenger for New Jersey’s Sixth U.S. Congressional District’s seat.

Letters from the FEC dated 24 August (Ref-1) and 27 August (Ref-2) were similarly themed, indicating that the campaign had provided improper information for an unspecified number of contributors of more than two-hundred dollars ($200) in the “April 2012 Quarterly Report” (Ref-3) and “12 Day Pre-Primary Report” (Ref-4), respectively. The Commission cited that it is unacceptable to have entries with the employer and occupation of “Cash Contributions/Cash Contributions”, “N/A / N/A”, “None/None”, or “Self-employed/Self”. To satisfy the formal requests of the Commission, on 9 October the “Friends of Anna Little” filed documents (Ref-5) and (Ref-6) that provided the missing information that was obtainable along with a description of those best efforts that the Committee made to obtain it otherwise.

The third letter from the FEC, dated 28 August (Ref-7) will raise both your eyebrows, as the Commission points out the serious defects in the Committee’s July 2012 Quarterly Report (Ref-8), including a negative cash balance. The dull-witted among us may immediately conclude that the Committee’s treasurer is “trying to get away with something” because a negative cash balance indicates that somebody has overdrawn an account. However, giving the briefest thought to the matter would reveal the inherent contradiction, “the treasurer illicitly takes the money, but faithfully reports the taking to the FEC for public disclosure.” If one were to apply Occam’s razor, or just some plain common sense, one should conclude that the treasurer simply blundered while filling-out of the form. To further his blunder, he submitted the form without reviewing it. To make his blunder complete, he has no doubt become a recipient of the hairy eyeball (and probably more) from his wife, Anna Little, the candidate. It is clear that the “Friends of Anna Little” recognized the problem and have addressed it, as evidenced by the amended filing (Ref-9) of 19 October.

Since the time of the writing of the three letters, the calendar quarter has ended. In keeping with public disclosure, the “Friend of Anna Little” submitted the September 2012 Quarterly Report (Ref-10) on 14 October. It should be readily obvious to the most casual observer that Anna Little is truly dedicated to governmental openness, honesty, and transparency even when such reveal her warts.

This ends my energetic language. References follow.

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Little reports $52K in cash, $96K in debt

Anna Little’s 6th district congressional campaign reported $52,151 cash on hand and $96,366 in debt to the Federal Election Commission through the quarter than ended September 30th.

The campaign reported that it raised $203,573 and spent $156,155 in the quarter.  Of the $203,573 raised, only $33,689 was itemized by donor.  Most of the donors disclosed were from outside of New Jersey.  The required employer information is missing for many.

Little’s second quarter report indicated a negative cash balance of over $11,000.  The third quarter report, which was filed electronically on October 14, indicates that the campaign had a beginning cash balance of $4,734.

Little was criticized by the FEC in August for failing to disclose donor information, for math that doesn’t add up or jibe between reports and for reporting a negative cash balance but no debt.  She was required to amend her three prior reports by October 4th.  The prior reports were not amended and the violations apparently continue in the current report.

Of the $156,155 Little said she spent, $2,250 was paid to Constantine Financial Services of Oaktan, VA for compliance consulting. $1,800 was paid to Chris Walen, CPA of Matawan, NJ for accounting services.  Rick Trader of Deptford, NJ was paid $1950 for conservative commando radio and Jayson Solino of Ocean, NJ was paid $4000 for a website.  Little’s website is linked to a free blogspot site that hosts her press releases.

Other reported expenditures include $1748 paid to Lakeside Manor in Hazlet, NJ for lodging.  Lakeside Manor, a catering hall, does not have lodging rooms.

Little is making her second attempt to unseat Congressman Frank Pallone.  Pallone is seeking his 13th term in the House of Representatives.  For the quarter ended September 30, Pallone raised $1.6 million and spent $1.3 million in campaign funds.  He has $3.5 million cash on hand.

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