Unofficial Oceanport Results Will Be Reported By Days End

Presumed Oceanport Mayor-elect Jay Coffey, center,addresses supporters as Culllin Wible , left, and Councilman Joe Irace,right look on. photo via facebook

In the Oceanport mayoral race, “Write-In” has defeated incumbent Mayor Michael Mahon by a margin of 988 to 721.

Monmouth County Clerk told MoreMonmouthMusings this morning that each of the Write-In votes will be reviewed today in order to determine the winner of the race, subject to the counting of provisional ballots and certification of the election.

A bi-partisan coalition of Oceanport leaders supported Attorney Jay Coffey, a registered Democrat, in his campaign unseat the Republican mayor who was unopposed on the ballot.  Coffey is widely expected to be the winner of the campaign. He declared victory last evening.

Oceanport’s all Republican municipal government has been in turmoil for the better part of the year as Mahon stopped communicating with members of the Council, particularly regarding redevelopment issues at Fort Monmouth, and a growing distrust of Borough Administrator John Bennett festered throughout the governing body and members of the public.

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Hanlon: Vendor’s error caused incorrect reporting of Unofficial Election Results

Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon

Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon said that she discovered an error in the reporting of Tuesday’s election results website at early this morning.  The problem was corrected by 10:15 a.m. and the correct Unofficial Results have been uploaded to the site.

As a result of the correction, the bonding referendum in Belmar has unofficially passed by 17 votes, Red Bank Republican Council candidate Michael Whelan now leads incumbent Democrat Michael Dupont by 4 votes instead of the previously reported 31 and Republican Councilman Richard Pryor is now trailing Democrat Michael Skudera by one vote in the Neptune City Council race.

“Dominion Voting Systems, the County’s election software vendor, was on site to oversee the tally of the 2015 General Election results. Dominion appears to have deleted the Vote By Mail results from the tally at the end of the night for some unknown reason,” Hanlon said.

“We have spent several hours investigating the problem and have determined that the Dominion representative made an error in deleting the Vote By Mail numbers. We have corrected the problem and have posted the updated unofficial results to the MonmouthCountyVotes.com website.

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Democrats oust Republicans in Assembly’s 11th District

TRENTON — In maybe the biggest upset of Tuesday’s legislative races, Democratic challengers have ousted both Republican incumbents representing the Shore’s 11th District in the state Assembly. Democrats JoAnn Downey and Eric Houghtaling defeated Republican Assemblywomen Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande, according to the Associated Press. It’s the first time since 1991 that Democrats have… Read the rest of this entry »

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Curley Romps To A Third Term

Freeholder John P. Curley

Freeholder John P. Curley was easily elected to a third term on the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders.

With 57% of the vote (44,713-34,227), Curley defeated Carol Rizzo of Neptune Township, keeping control of the Board in 5-0 control of the GOP.

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Republicans Win Red Bank in Photo Finish

Republican Mark Taylor is the top vote getter in the Red Bank Council race with 956 votes.  Taylor’s running mate Michael Whelan is leading Incumbent Democrat Michael DuPont by 4 votes, 896 -865.  Democrat Michael Ballard, a member of the Red Bank Board of Education got 837 votes.

There are reportedly a “hand full” of provisional ballots.

Should tonight’s result stand, the GOP will take control of Red Bank’s municipal government for the first time in two decades.

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Deception and Distraction: An Inaccurate Report on Health Benefits Remains Inaccurate Nearly 4 Year later

By Joseph M. DiBella

Recently the Asbury Park Press published a story based on a widely criticized and discredited State Comptroller’s 2012 report examining the state of health benefits for public workers of municipalities, county governments and school districts. The report, which was panned by most benefit and insurance professional at the time as being actuarially and statistically invalid, also failed to accurately reflect the process local governments must use when selecting benefits for its employees. The report made for good headlines, but it didn’t make for good policy.

The takeaway of the report was that local entities in New Jersey — counties, townships, boroughs, school districts — could simply join the state health benefit plan and save the state $100 million dollars. But that wasn’t correct then and it isn’t correct now. The report overlooked the fact that benefits are collectively bargained for and can’t simply be changed on whim or all at once. It also made the false assumption that just by merging all the groups across the state, their claims history, which is how insurance policies are priced, would miraculously get better and generate savings. Finally, the report largely blamed local benefit brokers and consultants for the high cost of health care for public plans even though the cost of brokerage services is about 2% to 3% of the total cost of healthcare. The state plan is a solution for many public employers as are other private plan options. The key is to examine all of the options and align the entity with the best solution for their circumstances.

The report was largely discredited and dismissed at the time of its issuance by industry experts for being naïve and non-factual. But because it includes an eye-popping alleged savings number, the nearly 4 years old report is regularly dusted off and re-circulated by political operatives and media types looking to re-create a controversy that never existed.

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Old Bridge Man Arrested in Hazlet Bank Robbery

Stephen Fedorka. photo via facebook

Stephen Fedorka, 33, of the Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge Towship, was arrested on Sunday and charged in the Armed Robbery that occurred at the Santander Bank branch at 2985 Route 35, Hazlet, on Wednesday, October 28, according to Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

The Hazlet Police Department was contacted at approximately 9:46 a.m. on October 28 and responded to the Santander Bank located at 2985 State Highway 35, Hazlet, New Jersey, for a reported robbery. The suspect was described as a white male possibly in his 30’s, approximately 5’9”, wearing dark blue or black sweatshirt and dark colored jeans. The suspect entered the bank and handed a note to a bank teller demanding money and indicating that he possessed a gun. The suspect then fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of United States currency.

An investigation by the Hazlet PD, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the FBI lead to Fedorka’s arrest in Hazlet on Sunday morning.
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Veitengruber: Keep Big City Politicians Out of Howell’s Board of Education

By Sue Veitengruber

I have a self imposed rule of not using my Facebook page for political views on candidates. My friends’ beliefs and ideals cover the entire spectrum. However,  at the risk of a few individuals never speaking to me again, I have questions about certain BOE candidates on the ballot.  Board of Education members are supposed to be the epitome of community volunteers. Howell is not “the big city.” So why, I need to ask, is one candidate being funded by state wide Political Action Committees and the Mayor of Elizabeth?  The Elizabeth BOE has been fraught with corruption and nepotism. Board officials, including an attorney,  were indicted on fraudulently  claiming their kids were eligible for free lunches. Staff members were pressured into contributing to BOE members campaigns. Why does that candidate list her name and “politician” on her  election FB cover page?  This is not what the Howell BOE needs. It is the largest and best K-8 in the state. I am proud to have been part of the reforms in the 80s as a board member for almost 9 years, reforms that succeeding boards built on to continue the excellence in education in our town. We don’t need the Elizabeth political machine determining  the decisions and future of the Howell BOE.
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Irace: In Oceanport, Write-in Coffey and Wible

By Councilman Joe Irace

Oceanport Councilman Joe Irace

For the past eight years, it has been my  privilege to serve the people of Oceanport.  At all times, I have done what I felt was best for our borough because I, like you, truly love our collective home. As you know, I have been very outspoken on behalf of Oceanport.  I have used my position as Councilman to keep Oceanport residents informed of important issues pertaining to Oceanport, oftentimes to my own personal detriment within the very Council on which I serve.

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An Open Letter to Democrats in New Jersey

By Ernesto Cullari

Dear Democrats,

We want you. That’s right; we in the Monmouth, Ocean & Middlesex County GOP organizations want you to vote for our candidates on Tuesday November 3rd. The reason? Your own self interest.

Half of you want to leave New Jersey at some point, according to a poll conducted by Monmouth University and the Asbury Park Press. New Jersey actually leads the nation in families fleeing their home state to more affordable places like Florida and North Carolina. For every family that moves to the Garden State two families pick up and leave.

Elections have consequences. It’s no longer my team versus your team, families in New Jersey are hurting. For the last 15 to 20 years Democrats have ruled the State Senate and the State Assembly; with the exception of the Republican Governors we’ve had, we’ve had no reprieve from higher taxes and higher spending. It’s taken a toll on all our families.

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