Jacobson has his eye on Beck’s Senate seat

Dan Jacobson

Former Assemlyman Dan Jacobson, publisher of the triCityNews weekly newspaper and AsburyParkSun hyper-local news website, launched his campaign to return to the legislature last week with his tCN column urging Senate Jennifer Beck to run for governor.

Jacobson served one term in the General Assembly, 1990-1991.  He was swept out of office, along with the Democratic majority in the 1991 election over Governor Florio’s $2 billion tax increase, including sales taxes on toilet paper and food.  In 2011 Jacobson registered as a Republican in order to challenge then Senator Sean Kean for the 11th district Senate nomination in the GOP primary.  But the legislative redistricting commission foiled Jacobson’s plans by moving Kean’s hometown of Wall out of the 11th district into the 30th, and moving Red Bank, Beck’s hometown into the 11th.

Jacobson didn’t want to run against Beck.  They’re friends and agree on most issues. And Beck’s political stardom is one of Jacobson’s major journalistic accomplishments. Just ask him.  Jen Beck never even would have been elected to the Red Bank Borough Council if not for Dan Jacobson pumping her up in the triCityNews.

So Jacobson ran a pax-on-both houses Independent race for Assembly in 2011 to make a point.  2304 voters, 3%, got the point and have long since forgotten it.  Obviously his heart wasn’t in the Assembly race.  He really wants to be in the Senate, but he doesn’t want to run against Beck.

The obvious solution is for Beck to step up and run for governor.  Jacobson rightly argues that the NJ GOP doesn’t have a viable alternative for a post-Christie candidate.   The NJGOP is actually weaker now than it was before Christie was elected in 2009.

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Saturday, March 29—Women’s History Month at Stephen Crane House

Today is the last Saturday and almost the last day for Women’s History Month. An annual declared month celebrated during March that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society.
This year’s theme, ‘Celebrating Women of Character, Courage, and Commitment’, honors the extraordinary and often unrecognized determination and tenacity of women. Against social convention and often legal restraints, women have created a legacy that expands the frontiers of possibility for generations to come.”

Asbury Park’s Stephen Crane House & The Asbury Park Historical Society
will be honoring Asbury’s own Mary Helen Peck Crane and her two daughters. In 1883, Mrs. Crane bought the cottage at 508 4th Avenue in Asbury Park and dedicated herself wholeheartedly to the work of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union as well as women’s rights. She and her daughters were also talented writers and artists. The Crane House will celebrate the lives and accomplishments of the Crane women. Mrs. Crane settled in Asbury Park to be near the Methodist stronghold of Ocean Grove and her son Townley, then the area’s Associated Press reporter.

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“Operation Dead End” Nets 28 In Asbury Park Gang-Affliliated Sweep, 3 Fugitives Still At Large

Asbury Park Police Officer Keith German is one of 31 charged in gang affiliated criminal organization

Acting Monmouth Prosecutor Gramiccioni announces Operation Dead End arrests in Asbury Park. Click photo for larger view.

Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni was joined by representatives of 26 Monmouth County and federal law enforcement agencies this afternoon when he announced charges levied against 31 people, including known members of the Bloods and Crips gangs as well as an Asbury Park Police Officer on charges including racketeering conspiracy, narcotics distribution, illegal possession of firearms, promoting organized street crime, armed robbery, shoplifting and endangering the welfare of of child.

Asbury Park Patrolman Keith German, a 16 year veteran of the department, was arrested and charged official misconduct and unauthorized access of a computer database for his alleged role in the criminal enterprise whereby he shared information with gang members in an effort to help them avoid arrest. Gramiccioni declined to share any evidence of German’s motives for participating in the criminal enterprise or to say if he would face additional charges.

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Asbury Park needs media attention, U.S. Attorney’s assistance

By Tommy DeSeno

What helps a city fight crime? Media attention. Crime fighters don’t wish to be seen losing in the media.

Asbury Park’s gun crimes and murders get less television attention than other cities because it’s small and far from New York and Philadelphia. News 12 has to cover the state. The responsibility for keeping attention on unsolved murders in Asbury Park falls then on the Asbury Park Press.

Regarding Asbury Park killings, we’ve seen the Monmouth County prosecutor blame the city police, the county prosecutor make no progress himself and everyone blame the City Council. It was announced last week that state troopers will patrol the city, but car patrols lend themselves mostly to traffic tickets.

Left out of the conversation thus far is a very important crime fighter — U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman. He is a well-schooled, honorable lawyer who has spent his career fighting crime, including a concentration on illegal narcotics, the antecedent problem that leads to gangs and murder.

Former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie built a legacy of putting corrupt politicians in jail. Former U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani prosecuted organized crime. Fishman can have a more honorable distinction than both of them — saving young lives and removing fear from a community.

Nationwide, the U.S. Attorney’s office has a nearly $2 billion budget, and New Jersey’s district is the fifth largest in America, with 145 lawyers and support staff. Fishman has resources. More importantly, he wields an effective crime-fighting law: The Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Organizations statute (RICO).

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Vin’s Folly

The reaction to Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal’s declaration of victory has been hilarious…and has overloaded MMM stat counter!

Two Tinton Falls officials called first thing this morning unable to contain their laughter at Gopal’s delusional claim of credit for Gerry Turning’s election as mayor.

Tinton Falls Mayor-elect Gerry Turning

“I’m the most conservative Democrat you’ll ever meet,” Mayor-elect Turning said when we got him on the phone. “I registered as a Democrat over 40 years ago when I was 18 and Jerry Brown was running for President.  I don’t consider myself a partisan.  I vote for the best candidates.”  Turning said he voted for Mitt Romney for President last year, Chris Christie for Governor on Tuesday and Steve Lonegan for U.S. Senate last month.

“Neither the Democrats or Republicans in Tinton Falls were involved in my campaign.  We spent no money.  I’m proud of that.  I’ve never run for office before and don’t consider myself a politician,” said Turning, “I have good relationships with John Bennett (the Monmouth GOP Chairman) and Gopal and I want to keep it that way.  But I am not a partisan person and Tinton Falls is not a partisan town.  The residents like it that way,”

A Manalapan resident said via facebook, “Gopal’s letter is actually very funny. He states, ‘In MANALAPAN, Ryan Urgo, Dr. Ayesha Chaudhary and David Goldstein ran a strong campaign for township committee but lost due to an onslaught of negative attacks from the Republicans.’  Manalapan Democrats: In fact, the Republicans never mentioned the Democrats, not wanting to give them publicity since they were all unknowns. The Democrats, on the other hand, spent their entire campaign attacking Andrew Lucas and the farmland preservation, rather than running against the Republican candidates.”

Asbury Park Councilman John Moor said, “Funny that he claims the Asbury Park referendum a victory, I thought it was going to be non partisan.”

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Christie’s Victory Celebration Will Be At Asbury Park’s Convention Hall

Governor Chris Christie’s election night victory celebration will be held at the Asbury Park Convention Hall, according to a “save the date” email sent to his supporters this afternoon.

Save the date.

Christie’s last visit to Asbury Park was with President Obama last May.

photo credit: EbruNews

Maybe Bruce Springsteen will show up.

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ASBURY PARK MAN CHARGED WITH AUGUST MURDER

NJ Department of Corrections photo

Bryan Burford, 21, of Asbury Park was arrested today and charged with the August 16 murder of Tyrell Howard, 20, also of Asbury Park, according to a statement from Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramicconi.

Burford was also charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and Possession of a Firearm for an Unlawful Purpose.  He is being held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution. Judge Joseph Oxley set Burford’s bail at $1 million with 10% cash option.

Burford was convicted of Aggravated Assault in April of 2011.  He was released from the Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility on May 23 of this year, according to the NJ Department of Corrections.

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Arnone: Asbury Park Leaders Must Work Together To Reduce Violence

Monmouth County Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone addressing the Asbury Park/Neptune NAACP on Saturday, September 29 at the Neptune Library

Monmouth County Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone told a meeting of the Asbury Park/Neptune NAACP on Saturday that the solution to violence in Asbury Park lies with the city’s leadership.

“The municipal government and the school board must come together to solve community problems, ” Arnone said, “The solution starts with leadership and there is a disconnect in Asbury Park.”

Arnone noted that Monmouth County already is making a significant investment in law enforcement in Asbury Park through the Sheriff’s Office and the Prosecutor’s Office.  “If we have to increase the Sheriff’s Department’s presence, we will.”

“Money is not the problem, leadership is the problem,” Arnone said as he drew a contrast between Asbury Park and Neptune Township.  “In Neptune they are working together and they are reaching out to the county for support.”  Arnone specifically cited Neptune Mayor Eric Houghtaling, Committeeman Randy Bishop and School Superintendent David Mooij for their cooperation with each other and their ongoing communication with county officials. “I’m on the phone with those guys several times a month. There has not been a major dialogue with Asbury Park.”

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To Live and Die In Asbury Park (Part Two)

By Ernesto Cullari (originally published in triCityNews)

There have been seventeen victims of shootings this year in Asbury Park and five murders. According to some reports we are on track to match violence levels not seen in 20 years. People on both sides of the train tracks are scared.

I’ve read many opinions about how to stop the violence among our youth in Asbury Park and in other cities, where poverty is an issue and most of the solutions focus on more government and more police intervention.

It isn’t government intervention or the threat of jail time that makes a person stop in the moment of anger and refrain from pulling a trigger. Laws don’t prevent kids from joining gangs. Government programs won’t stop a 14-year-old boy from engaging in unprotected premarital sex with a young girl his age and the government certainly won’t raise their child; The government doesn’t teach our youth about the value of human life; but parents do, good role models do too and the Bible does, as well.

Did Martin Luther King, Jr. quote from some government handbook handed down from Valerie Jarrett and Kathleen Sebelius when he faced down both the rising influence of the Black Panthers and social oppressors or did he quote from scripture? If we’re going to rely simply on more government programs, more police and new political initiatives to fix the rising tide of violence in our communities then we’ve failed before we’ve begun. If Christianity, shared in the public square, changed the world then its message certainly can help change the course of our societal problems now. To think otherwise is to ignore the last 2013 years of Western history.

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TO LIVE AND DIE IN ASBURY PARK … (Part One)

By Ernesto Cullari

Hardly a night goes by where I don’t hear the rumbling and winding of accelerated engines of police cars and their blaring sirens soaring up Cookman Ave, from the oceanfront toward the downtown area. I often wonder what tragic ending waits at the other end, where the fury of lights and sirens finally come to a crescendo. I was recently enjoying a beer and pizza with my brother at Johnny Mac’s one Friday night, when police cars from every direction converged on the West Side. I paused a moment to acknowledge that such a police response likely meant that someone’s son, someone’s grandson, someone’s brother was laying in a pool of his own blood, as a street that he once played on became the street that he would die upon.

The Asbury Park Sun reports that it was 20-year-old Tyrell Howard that was fatally killed that night. My heart, like your heart, breaks for him and his family. Too many kids are killing other kids in Asbury Park and in cities like ours and neither our families nor our communities are equipped with the proper means to slow the tide of death.

Unless we are willing to change what we demand from parents, unless we alter who educates and how we educate our children, unless we change how we police our neighborhoods and until we change who it is that we accept as role models for our children, we might as well accept that a certain percentage of our boys will simply die too young. At a time when many are about to throw their hands up in the air in defeat, I say it is a time to confront the violence within our community head on.

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