Monmouth Dems Protest Hot Mess Chicken Emoji, Remain Silent On Hateful Rhetoric Of Their Supporters

LGBT activist Sue Fulton, a former Monmouth County freeholder candidate outside Senator Jennifer Beck’s office. Middletown Committee candidate Tricia Maguire looks on.

Monmouth County Democrats, led by former freeholder candidate Sue Fulton, Middletown committeewoman candidate Tricia Maguire, Red Bank Councilman Ed Zipprich and Councilwoman Kathy Horgan took the the streets of Red Bank on Saturday to protest Ocean Township Deputy Mayor Rob Acerra’s alleged use of a hot mess chicken emoji on the campaign facebook page of LD 11 Assembly Members Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey.

Acerra is one of the Republicans running against Houghtaling and Downey, along with Red Bank Councilman Michael Whelan. The protest took place outside Senator Jennifer Beck’s legislative office on Monmouth Street.

Houghtaling and Downey, who would rather their reelection campaign be about facebook emojis than their records in the Assembly as special interest puppets, both shared photos of the protesters holding handmade signs and rubber chickens on their personal facebook pages.

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Zipprich denies sexual innuendo in his tweet about Pence’s prayer

Red Bank Councilman and local Democrat Chairman Ed Zipprich denied that his tweet during the Vice Presidential debate contained sexual innuendo.

Zipprich did not return MMM’s call for comment. In a statement to RedBankGreen he said,

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Red Bank’s Head Democrat Compares VP Nominee’s Prayer To Oral Sex

Clinton Delegate Zipprich’s Implied Comparison of Prayer to Performing Oral Sex is Beyond Sinful

Red Bank Councilman and Democrat Chairman Ed Ziprrich compared GOP Vice Presidential nominee Mike Pence’s daily prayer to oral sex on twitter last month, prompting Kelli O’Bosky Colwell, a Republican candidate for Red Bank Council to call for Zipprich to resign his position as a councilman and as the Democrat Local Chairman.

“He’s not fit for public office”, O’Bosky Colwell said of Zipprich.

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Red Bank Councilman calls for Zoning Board member’s resignation

Red Bank Councilman Mark Taylor was sworn into office by Sen Jennifer Beck in January

Red Bank Councilman Mark Taylor today called for the resignation of Erik Yngstrom, a candidate for Borough Council, from the community’s Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Yngstrom spoke against the Mayor and Council’s action regarding a proposed development previously rejected by the Zoning Board at a council meeting on Wednesday night, according to a report on RedBankGreen.  Yngstrom said the council’s introduction of an ordinance authorizing the redevelopment of 55 West Front Street, “feels a little fishy to me,” according to RBG.  Taylor said that Yngstrom also said,  “someone must know someone” and “What good is the zoning board, if you can just go to the Council to override our decision?”

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Red Bank Republicans Hold On To Victory after Provisional Ballots Counted

With the provisional ballots counted this morning by the Board of Elections in Freehold, Republican Council Candidate Michael Whelan has held on to his victory over incumbent Democratic Councilman Michael DuPont.

Whelan was leading DuPont by 4 votes on the voting machine ballots, 963-959. DuPont picked up 5 votes from provisional ballots.  Whelan picked up 4 votes.

Whelan’s running mate, Mark Taylor was the lead vote getter on the machine count with 1,029 votes.  Taylor picked up 4 votes from provisional ballots.

DuPonts running mate, School Board Member Michael Ballard had 925 machine ballot votes.  Ballard picked up 9 votes from provisional ballots.

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DiSomma: Investigate Zipprich’s Use of Red Bank Taxpayers’ Property for Political Purposes

Like Ground Hog Day, Ed Zipprich is flaunting the rules again.  photo via facebook

Red Bank Republican Chairman Sean DiSomma is calling for an investigation into the likely improper use of Red Bank Borough Property, the Parks and Recreation Department’s email list, after a political email, “Election Request from Councilman Ed Zipprich” was sent to Monmouth County Recreation Commissioner Michael Harmon, a resident of Atlantic Highlands who regularly receives electronic correspondence for Red Bank’s Parks and Recreaton Department.

“Desperate people do desperate things.  On the eve of losing control of Red Bank voters’ escalating property taxes, the Democratic Chairman, Councilman Ed Zipprich, apparently decided it was worth the risk of violating New Jersey Election Law, Ethics Law and to potentially commit Official Misconduct by illegally obtaining the Borough Parks and Recreations Department’s email list and using it for political purposes, ” said DiSomma. “On behalf of Red Bank taxpayers, I am calling for an investigation by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ Local Finance Board and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.”

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Vin Gopal’s Losing Formula

Gopal’s only political play is to attack the integrity of the candidates he’s running against, regardless of the veracity of the attack.

Vin Gopal is setting himself up for another fall. photo via facebook

By Art Gallagher

In the aftermath of Red Bank Council President Art Murphy announcing on MoreMonmouthMusings that he would resign his seat on the borough council and withdraw as a candidate for another term, Monmouth Demcoratic Chairman Vin Gopal complained to the Asbury Park Press and The Two River Times that he has a hard time recruiting candidates to run for office because of the toxic political environment.

From APP:

“I think it (Murphy’s resignation) is part of a larger problem, and he’s been thinking about it for a while,” Gopal said. “It’s about how negative and nasty local campaigns have been getting.”

From Two River Times:

Gopal however, said Murphy’s decision was not solely in response to the video. “It’s part of a larger problem with contemporary politics,” Gopal said, alleging that political opponents had on the sly recorded Murphy, unbeknownst to the councilman and released it for political gain.

“It’s sad it’s come to this,” Gopal said, noting that these tactics increasingly have been making it difficult to get qualified candidates.”

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Red Bank Council President Art Murphy To Resign, Will Not Seek Another Term

Red Bank Council President Art Murphy

Red Bank Council President Art Murphy told MoreMonmouthMusingsthat he will resign from the borough council and he will not stand for reelection in November.  He expects to submit his resignation by Wednesday of next week.

“Yes, I am stepping down,” Murphy said when asked if he was resigning, “this has been in the works for a while. They’re (the Red Bank Democrats) are looking for my replacement.  I have a lot going on with my business.”

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Report: Gopal Considering Another Run For Assembly

What will Dan Jacobson do?

Vin Gopal

Ever the optimist and desperate for relevancy, Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal is floating his name as a candidate for Assembly in 11th District.

The district’s Assembly seats are currently held by Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande.  Gopal and Red Bank Councilwoman Kathy Horgan lost to Angelini and Casagrande by over 3000 votes (out of 37,093 cast) in 2011.  Former Democratic Assemblyman Dan Jacobson, publisher of the triCityNews and AsburyParkSun earned 2358 votes as an Independent candidate that year.

MoreMonmouthMusings hereby endorses Gopal for one of the Democratic Assembly nominations in the 11th.

We were worried that 2015 would be a boring year politically in Monmouth County and that we’d have to start covering restaurant openings to keep our traffic up next year.  With Gopal on the ballot, MMM’s political focus would be assured for another year.

Another reason we like Gopal as a candidate for Assembly is that it takes an issue of the table for Sheriff Shaun Golden’s reelection in 2016.

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Red Bank Dems Still Ducking Debates

Juanita Lewis, seated left in the beige pants and dark blouse, and Ed Zipprich looking lonely, at their Broad St, Red Bank campaign headquarters this evening.

Red Bank Council Members Ed Zipprich and Juanita Lewis, both of whom were out of town and too busy to debate their Republican challengers Sean DiSomma and Linda Schwabenbauer last night at the West Side Community Group’s 18th annual forum, were back in town this evening, nearly alone in their Broad Street campaign headquarters with four volunteers.

Zipprich and Lewis have yet to respond to DiSomma and Schwabenbauer’s offer to host a Tele-Town Hall debate for Red Bank voters this weekend.

Zipprich and Lewis invited 230 people to come to their headquarters for phone banking tonight.  Two people RSVP’d via facebook and as of about 7PM, four people showed up.

150 people showed up to hear the candidates debate last night.  Zippy and Lewis should have been there.

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