Hanlon Honored By Monmouth County Superior Officers

Acting Warden Donald Sutton, Sheriff Shaun Golden, Fraternal Order of Police, Superior Officer’s Lodge #30 President Shawn M. Reece, Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon, Freeholder Deputy Director Lillian G. Burry, Freeholder Director Tom Arnone, and Freeholder Gerry P. Scharfenberger, Ph.D.

Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon was honored as the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #30, Monmouth County Superior Officers Association’s Person of the Year for 2018 at the union’s 11th annual winter gala last weekend at Doolan’s in Spring Lake.

“Our admiration for Clerk Hanlon extends back to her career as an attorney. She has consistently been supportive of law enforcement, corrections and our members in particular,” said Lt.Shawn Reece, president of FOP Lodge #30. “In her role as County Clerk, Ms. Hanlon is a role model for elected officials, present and future, for the professionalism and dignity with which she conducts her office.”

Reece told MMM that Hanlon was the unanimous choice of the 11 person screening committee that chose this year’s honoree.

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200 Club of Monmouth County: Supporting First Responders’ Families

There is an important organization that we missed in our year end giving guide, the 200 Club of Monmouth County.

Led by former Monmouth County Clerk M.Claire French, the President, and former Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye, the Executive Director, the 200 Club is made up of leaders of business, industry, labor, public service, education and other professions including all of the Chiefs of Police of Monmouth County. Their goal is to provide financial assistance and comfort to families of law enforcement and first responders who are killed or disabled in the line of duty, as well as baccalaureate scholarships for their children.

In 2015, the 200 Club of Monmouth County gave scholarships to 107 children of law enforcement officers and first responders. Additionally, the club contributed generously to the Seidle family; the nine children of Tamara Wilson-Seidle who was killed by her ex-husband, Neptune Township Police Sgt Philip Seidle, in June. Kaye told MMM that the club paid the property taxes on the children’s home and gave them a $12,000 no strings attached check this month.

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Year in review: February 2015

Fire fighter Pat Breen and Freeholder Lillian Burry inspect the devastation in Ocean Grove. Feb 7, 2015. Photo by Bob Burlew

Fort Monmouth was designated as an Ebola quarantine site.

Mater Dei Prep was slated to close.  The community raised $1 million to save the school.

While in New Hampshire, Governor Chris Christie criticized Governor Maggie Hassan for appearing to be more focused on running for her next job than on governing the state she was elected to lead.

Christine Giordano Hanlon was nominated to replace M.Claire French as Monmouth County Clerk.

Locals remembered Brian Williams’ early exaggerations.

A fire destroyed four businesses and seven apartments in Ocean Grove.

In reaction to 50 Shades of Grey, Tommy DeSeno wrote that sex is the same for everyone, like eating, and that we shouldn’t talk about it so much.

Belmar’s Home By Summer campaign raised $50K in two weeks to assist the last two borough residents who were displaced by Hurricane Sandy get back into their homes.

The year in review: 2015

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Burry and Hammond To Receive History Awards

Freeholder Lillian G. Burry

MANALAPAN, NJ – Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon is pleased to announce that Freeholder Lillian G. Burry has been selected to receive the inaugural M. Claire French Award for Leadership in Historic Preservation and Joseph W. Hammond has been selected to receive the 2015 Jane G. Clayton Award at Archives and History Day.

Both awards will be presented at Monmouth County Archives and History Day on Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters.

“Both of these recipients are very deserving of recognition,” Hanlon said. “There is no public servant more deserving of the inaugural M. Claire French award than Lillian Burry. Lillian has been an advocate, champion and enthusiast of historic preservation in Monmouth County as a citizen and throughout her entire career as a public servant and elected official.”

Freeholder Burry has made many notable contributions to historical preservation throughout her career, including heading Matawan’s Historic Preservation Program while serving on the Matawan Council, during which time the group purchased and restored the borough’s most historic 1700’s era mansion. She also founded and chairs the Colts Neck Historical Preservation Committee.

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New award to honor former County Clerk M. Claire French

Clerks: Christine Giordano Hanlon and her predecessor M. Claire French

FREEHOLD, NJ – Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon has announced the creation of the annual “M. Claire French Award for Leadership in Historic Preservation.”

French, Hanlon’s predecessor, was County Clerk from 1997 until her retirement on April 1, 2015. During French’s 18-year tenure, she oversaw the modernization of the Clerk’s Office, including digitizing county records and the electronic reporting of election results, as well as the expansion of the Office’s services with Monmouth County Connection Office in Neptune Township.

“Claire was an outstanding leader and public servant for more than 30 years, 18 years as Clerk. We want to recognize and remember her long time dedication to the County of Monmouth,” Hanlon said.  “Importantly, as County Clerk, Claire supervised the Monmouth County Archives and worked to improve the ability to preserve our historic records and make them accessible to the public.”

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Democrats show up for ballot drawing with temperature gun

Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal’s entourage showed up at County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon’s office today for the ballot positioning drawing, armed with a space age temperature gun.

Not Linda Baum

Linda Baum, a Middletown Democrat who has twice been defeated for Township Committee, and who got the Middletown Librarian fired when they conspired together to politicize library operations behind the backs of the Library’s Trustees, was on the scene in Freehold to take the temperature of the capsules containing the names Democrat and Republican for the ballot positioning drawing.

Gopal issued a press release this morning wherein he accused former County Clerk M. Claire French of refrigerating the capsules in the past in order that she could pick the cold one to assure the Republicans win the favored ballot position.

Baum, who’s  certification in temperature gun operation is unclear, pointed her gun at the capsules while Bertha Sumick, the Clerk of Elections and a Deputy County Clerk looked on.

Hanlon had recused herself from presiding over the drawing, because she is on the ballot in November.

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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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Hanlon Sworn In As Acting Monmouth County Clerk

Monmouth County Clerk M.Claire French, Robert Hanlon, Acting Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon and Judge Joseph W. Oxley

Monmouth County Clerk M. Claire French started her last day in office by holding the bible as her successor, Christine Giordano Hanlon, was sworn-in this morning by Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley.

Hanlon is Governor Chris Christie’s nominee to replace French who announced her retirement effective today in early January.  Hanlon will serve as Acting Clerk until she is confirmed by the NJ State Senate, or until she is elected to her own 5 year term. She is the Republican nominee for the position in this November’s election.

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Monmouth GOP Honors Claire French

Monmouth County Clerk M. Clair French address the Monmouth GOP convention. Chairman Shaun Golden in background. photo by Art Gallagher

An impressive crowd of over 400 Monmouth Republican County Committee members gathered on Saturday morning to nominate their candidates for State Assembly, County Clerk and Freeholder.  The size of the crowd was impressive not only because of the weather but because the results of the convention were a foregone conclusion as there were no challengers to the incumbent Assembly Members, Freeholder or Governor Chris Christie’s nominee for County Clerk.

Free of any competitive tensions, the mood at Colts Neck High School was upbeat, friendly and proud among the grassroots leaders who came out for Chairman Shaun Golden first nominating convention.  Freeholder Deputy Director Serena DiMaso noted both the size and enthusiasm of the crowd. “This crowd is almost as large as last year’s convention when we had a competition for the freeholder nominations,” DiMaso said, “We’re in really great shape and that is a testament to Shaun’s leadership.”

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Christie nominates Hanlon as Monmouth County Clerk

Christine Giordano Hanlon and Monmouth County Clerk M. Claire French at the Assembly Republicans event in Atlantic City, February 2, 2015. photo by Art Gallagher

Governor Chris Christie has nominated Christine Giordano Hanlon, Esq., to replace M. Claire French as Monmouth County Clerk.

French, who has served as Clerk since 1997 and been elected four times, announced her retirement effective in March last month. Her term was scheduled to expire at the end of 2017.

Hanlon, of Ocean Township, is an attorney at Archer & Greiner’s Middletown, NJ office.  She serves as Deputy Borough Attorney in Tinton Falls, Prosecutor in Atlantic Highlands and as a Commissioner of the Monmouth County Board of Elections.  A member of Christie’s transition team in 2009, Hanlon is also Vice Chair of the Monmouth County Republican Organization.

Hanlon’s nomination is subject to confirmation by the State Senate.  It is expected that Hanlon will be nominated to run for a full five year term by the Monmouth GOP and stand for election in November.

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