Monmouth County GOP nominee for Congress Ernesto Cullari’s campaign manager, Charles Measley, just called from Trenton where he and Cullari were filing petitions with 319 signatures for the 6th District GOP primary election.
Measley said that a reporter from The Star Ledger asked Cullari what he thought of Anna Little quitting politics to become a singer.
Cullari told the reporter he didn’t know what to think and that Little seems to keep changing her mind about what office she wants to seek, according to Measley.
In case you missed it, yesterday was April 1.
Measley said that by the time he left the Secretary of State’s office at about 1PM, neither Little or anyone from her team had arrived to file petitions. No fooling. The deadline is 4PM.
Update
Little arrived at the Secretary of State’s office to file her petitions at about 2:30.
Posted: April 2nd, 2012 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: April Fools | Tags: Anna Little, April Fools, Charles Measley, Ernesto Cullari, New Jersey Secretary of State | 5 Comments »
Falling short of the required 200 signatures to be a candidate for Congress, former Highlands Mayor Anna Little announced this morning that she is quitting politics and launching a career as a singer.
In an email blast to supporters the former freeholder and 2010 GOP nominee for Congress from New Jersey’s 6th district said,
“I have come to the conclusion that I can do more to serve we the people, born and unborn, with my God given musical talent than I can in the rough and tumble world of politics. We have made a difference together, you and I, over the last two years that has given rise to certain opportunities that you made possible.
Governor Chris Christie has offered me the opportunity to sing the National Anthem at Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium. Texas Governor Rick Perry said he would have me sing the Anthem at the Cowboys-Giants game in Arlington this November. Christie and Perry have promised to put a good word in for me with the 2013 Inaugural Committee to sing at President Romney’s swearing in ceremony or at the very least at one of the balls.
Ernesto Cullari has introduced me to his contacts at Disney. Their talent scout thinks I can be the next Angela Lansbury, who according to Disney’s site is everyone’s cup of tea. I could be next in line to play Mrs. Potts in the sequel and reprises of Beauty and the Beast on film and on Broadway.
In the meantime, I will be replacing the Kate Smith recording of God Bless America during the daily sunset ceremony at the Sea Gulls Nest at Sandy Hook. Proprietor Ed Segall is a big Pallone supporter. Given the opportunity to serve we the people, born and unborn, with my musical talent, it is just not right to put my new employer in such an uncomfortable position. I can see Sandy Hook from my house.”
Little, who lost the Monmouth GOP endorsement for Congress in the 6th district to Cullari, had counted on the Middlesex GOP to deliver the 200 required signatures during the convention that nominated her last Saturday, March 24. However, at the end of the day, there was only 75 signatures. Little collected another 135 signatures last week. Upon learning that Cullari had filed 500 signatures with the NJ Secretary of State on Friday, including those of 120 Middlesex County GOP convention delegates, Little realized that her petition would probably not survive a challenge given the duplicate signatures.
Little’s email continued:
This is not the end of Anna’s Army, but a new beginning. With my voice, we the people, born and unborn, can transform the culture of our country that you have been working so hard to save.
My backup chorus will be known as Anna’s Army. You can participate by volunteering to sing in the chorus, buying our CD’s and downloading songs from our soon to be launched website, or by making Little contributions.
All the Little contributions you make will go to the same work they have always gone to, just in a different form.
Posted: April 1st, 2012 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: April Fools | Tags: 2013 Inaugural Committee, Anna Little, April Fool, April Fools, CD 6, Chris Christie, Dallas Cowboys, Ernesto Cullari, Frank Pallone, MetLife Stadium, New York Giants, NJ Secretary of State, NJ-6, President Romney, Rick Perry, Super Bowl XLVIII | 23 Comments »
As is customary, April started with a joke. This year the month of April ended with two jokes; the school board elections and the President of the United States of America released his long form birth certificate.
After three years of study, Hopewell Township passed an ordinance regulating chicken sex.
A tongue in cheek post about who the Democrats could get to challenge Senator Joe Kyrillos when their endorsed candidate failed to submit his nominating petitions, generated more calls from Trenton than any other post of the year.
The worst joke of the month has consequences that will last at least a decade. “Continuity of representation,” a political value in the mind of Rutgers professor Alan Rosenthal, trumped competitiveness and the state constitution in determining the lines of the new gerrymandered legislative map.
The stakes were so high that Governor Christie got personally involved in the negotiations regarding the map. But Rosenthal’s was the only vote that counted. The professor was not persuaded by the governor.
The map was so gerrymandered for the Democrats that Christie and the Republicans did not even try to win control of the legislature. The governor, who came into office vowing to “turn Trenton upside down” transformed into the “compromiser in chief” in order to salvage what he could of his reform agenda.
While Rosenthal preserved the status quo for the Trenton trough swilling class, he unwittingly contributed to the creatation of a national Republican rock star, as Christie, freed up from having to work to win control of the legislature transferred his political attentions to the national stage.
The new map was no joke for many in Monmouth County.
Senator Sean Kean of Wall was put into the same district as his friend, Senator Robert Singer of Lakewood. After a few days of saber rattling about a primary for the seat, cooler heads prevailed as Kean agreed to go back to the Assembly to represent the safely Republican 30th district.
Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore told MMM that the Democrats put Singer and Kean in the same district in the hopes that the GOP would waste resources on a contentious primary in a safe district. The real reason was that the Democrats were horrified at the prospect of Dan Jacobson returning to the legislature in the upper house.
Jacobson was preparing a fanatasy Republican primary challenge to Kean for Senate should Wall and Asbury Park remain in the same district. The Democrats, who have never understood Monmouth County, didn’t realize the futility of such an endeavor. But they knew Jacobson and they weren’t taking any chances. So they put Senator Jennifer Beck in the same district as Jacobson, knowing that he would never challenge her in a primary. Jacobson, through his newspaper, created Jennifer Beck. Just ask him.
The new 11th district would be represented by Beck in the Senate and Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande in the Assembly. A district represented by three women. A historic first.
Assemblyman Dave Rible, formerly of the 11th, was now in the 30th with Singer and Kean.
The new 12th district provided brief drama due to the fact that the lines created a senate vacancy. Sam Thompson of Middlesex County and Ronald Dancer of Ocean County were the incumbent Assemblymen in the predominently Western Monmouth district. The Monmouth GOP wanted to keep three senators. Thompson wanted to move up. Freeholder Director Rob Clifton had long eyed Thompson’s seat in the assembly, but the senate vacancy presented an unexpected opportunity. Always level headed and not one to needlessly rock the boat, Clifton let the Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex and Burlington chairmen figure it out. Thompson got the senate nod and Clifton joined the ticket with Dancer running for assembly.
The 13th district became even safer for Senator Joe Kyrillos. Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon of Little Silver joined Kyrillos and Assemblywoman Amy Handlon in representing the district. Marlboro Mayor Jon Hornick, a Democrat, had his ambitions put on hold by the map makers who put Marlboro into the 13th.
The Democrats did the best they could, but only put up nominal opposition in the Monmouth legislative districts and on the county level.
Former Howell Chair Norine Kelly passed away in April.
Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno threw Carl Lewis off the 8th legislative district ballot for Senate.
A team of six Red Bank Regional High School students won the national Cyber Patriot III competition in applied defense technology.
The Monmouth County Freeholders established term limits for boards and commissions.
Posted: December 28th, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2011 Year in review | Tags: Alan Rosenthal, Amy Handlon, Anna Little, April Fools, Barack Obama, Birth Certificate, Carl Lewis, Caroline Casagrande, Chicken Sex, Chris Christie, continuity of representation, Dan Jacobson, Dave Rible, Declan O'Scanlon, George Gilmore, Hopewell Township, Jennifer Beck, Joe Kyrillos, Kim Guadagno, Legislative Reapportionment, Mary Pat Angelini, New Map, Norine Kelly, Red Bank Regional High School, Robert Singer, Ronald Dancer, Sam Thompson, School Board Elections, Sean Kean, Term Limits, trough swillers | 1 Comment »
