Gopal launches county campaign with shot at Lillian Burry over Brookdale
Image credit: "Paula Priesse," clearglassproductions.com
While Republicans are settling in after their trip to Tampa for the Republican National Convention, Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal launched the first salvo of the county race for two freeholder seats and county clerk with a column posted on Patch sites throughout Monmouth, before he heads of to Charlotte for the Democratic National Convention.
Gopal blasts Freeholder Lillian Burry, her former campaign treasurer, John Cantalupo, and the mythical “Club Monmouth” for the Brookdale Community College scandal.
Gopal’s column did not mention the Republican candidates, Freeholders John Curley and Serena DiMaso and County Clerk M. Claire French, that he says that Monmouth County taxpayers should unite against. Nor did he mention his Democratic challengers, Kevin Lavan and Bill Shea for freeholder and Michael Steinhorn for county clerk.
Oddly, the Monmouth Democrats website, which has been redesigned since Gopal became chairman, makes no mention of his county candidates. Their facebook page also makes no mention of the county Democratic team. Both websites feature Gopal prominently.
Pretty funny coming from a guy who blasted Governor Christie’s keynote address at the GOP convention as “all about him” to NJ.com:
Vin Gopal, the Monmouth County Democratic Party chairman, took a dimmer view of Christie’s moment in the national spotlight.
“The governor sang a tune that is not at all what is really happening. He’s a Republican governor in a Democratic state, and he’s doing a horrible job,” said Gopal, of Long Branch, citing New Jersey’s high unemployment and property tax rates. “He beat an incumbent Democratic governor in 2009 who was incredibly unpopular – here in Monmouth County, Jon Corzine said two weeks before the election that he wanted to raise tolls for the third time. Whoever the Democratic gubernatorial nominee is in 2013, the 700,000 registered Democratic voter advantage in this state, and the 20,000 registered Democratic voter edge in this county, is going to haunt Gov. Christie.”
“Christie’s speech was all about him,” added Gopal. “I don’t know how his message could have connected well with a lot of people. We are working to build up our base of teachers, police officers, firefighters and other public service workers here in Monmouth, as well as other Democratic constituency groups, that will turn out in 2013.”
Gopal says that Monmouth County taxpayers should unite against Club Monmouth, yet despite his overwhelming victory in the Democratic Chairman’s race, he does not seem to be uniting his party behind their own candidates.
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During his speech in Tampa, Chris Christie used the word “I” 37 times; Christie used the word “Romney” 7 times; Christie only used the word “jobs” 1 time.
I wasn’t surprised.
@Screwy,
Old news. (yawn)
Very powerful campaign start, going after the vulnerable Lillian Burry. What is she running for, again?
The Monmouth County Freeholders have done a horrible job of handling the taxpayers’ money. No one that has served on that board deserves to be re-elected. Doubt that? Consider a couple of examples:
They allowed Brookdale to give away country club memberships to Peter Burnham, a former county employee and now a convicted felon.
They allowed jail guards to collect so much overtime that some of them now actually make over $200,000 a year.
I could go on with stories of how the freeholders have failed the taxpayers of Monmouth County but I’d only be wasting my time. The voters of Monmouth County are idiots. For many years now, they’ve allowed those that should be serving them to rape them. For years now, they’ve listened as county freeholders made one excuse after another. What’s sad is that they will allow the abuse to continue.
First off, if you knew what you were talking about, you would know the OT is cheaper than hiring new officers.
Secondly, there is now a cap of overtime for corrections officers, so you won’t see those numbers anymore.
Thirdly, corrections officers make a good living to work in a dangerous environment, get over it already. Do you need to conceal a gun on you when you’re out with your family incase you run into ” former customers” with an axe to grind?
And Finally, tell your pal Flippy we at the jail still laugh about his political demise caused by his own arrogance.
can be the most dangerous!..BCC was, is, and remains, simply the finest community college in the state, bar none..with the best programs, (at the most reasonable higher ed costs), that actually get people trained and working, the most satellite campuses,the best transfer programs to 4-yr. schools, we have a lot to be proud of..despite the issue at the top, the school kept going and running fine with good staff and teachers, and good interim, now new, leadership at the top.. the board members who may have looked the other way or trusted the former president too much, are being replaced, as their terms are up.. the freeholders are carefully watching where their stipends go..now, Vin, in his debut as the D chair, is again proving, (as did NObama), there’s no substitute for experience and success, when one seeks to lead a large organization.. by drumming out the same old tired generalities and gripes that worked once, many years ago, he proves that again, the D’s county ticket has zero to offer.. my guess is we will see at least a 50,000 vote win in this Pres. year, for the GOP in Monmouth!..
then why are people tripping over themselves and others, to move into our county?.. perhaps some who have been here a long time are simply numb/spoiled by all the county has had, and does still have, to offer.. people from other states and up north of here, cannot believe the extent of our parks and recreation opportunities,( which,btw, Fr. Burry oversees very well) our public safety and good roads, our great schools, and the overall quality of life, not to mention the most extensive menu of public and social services for the tax dollar.. bottom line: if you think you can do better elsewhere, move!.. we’re getting kinda crowded with the ones who can’t wait to get here..
Monmouth County is only now instituting a policy that caps the amount of overtime that guards at the county jail can earn? That fact alone underscores what a horrible job the Freeholders and sheriffs alike have done in managing the Monmouth County Jail over the years.
The Monmouth County Jail is entirely too big for Monmouth County’s needs. The county also employs entirely too many jail guards. The jail is enormous. The jail can house about 1,300 inmates. Many taxpayers would be surprised to learn that Monmouth County has signed contracts with other agencies to take in inmates that otherwise would not be housed in the Monmouth County Jail. Monmouth County really is that desperate to fill what would otherwise be empty and oh-so-expensive jail cells.
Do you doubt that? Take a look at the Data Universe feature on The Asbury Park Press’s website. More specifically, take a look at the various “charging agencies” of those inmates currently being held in the Monmouth County jail. About 250 of the jail’s current inmates are being held on immigration matters at the request of the federal government (ICE). Another 80 are being held at the request of the US Marshals. There are inmates being held for the FBI, the US Army, other counties and even other states. Bottom line: a huge percentage of the inmates currently being held in the Monmouth County Jail wouldn’t be in there if it were not for the fact that Monmouth County voluntarily agreed to house these inmates.
The amount that these other agencies pay for the services that they receive is a pittance. What these other agencies pay doesn’t come anywhere close to what it actually costs to pay the enormous salaries, benefits and pensions of the overpaid guards that work at the Monmouth County Jail.
Monmouth County needs to end its practice of running an expensive inmate hotel for other law enforcement agencies. Monmouth County needs to lay-off a large number of the guards that work at the county jail. Monmouth County needs to privatize its jail. Above all else, Monmouth County needs better leadership from those elected to public office.
I agree with an above poster that Monmouth County is a great place to live; however, it seems it’s a greater place to work for if you work for the County. The Freeholders have said NOTHING of the fraud taking place there.
Why hasn’t a call for an investigation been called for? Perhaps to “conflicted?” You read; you decide.
http://newjersey.watchdog.org/2011/10/10/the-golden-age-of-double-dipping-in-monmouth-county/
Here it is just 60 days from the election and the Democratic candidates are nowhere to be found on the Monmouth Dems website. Besides the fact that it appears VG has an ego the size of the Grand Canyon, its shocking that there isn’t a peep about those that actually need votes this fall.
Don’t know if that is the answer to reducing the salaries of Monmouth County’s highest paid employees: the county correction officers.
However, the pension scandal brewing in the county–which by the way, NOT one county politican (of both parties) has not even mentioned–must be examined.
http://newjersey.watchdog.org/2012/05/14/conflicts-controversy-plague-dcj-investigation-of-lt-gov-guadagno-245k-pension-scam-investigative-report-by-mark-lagerkvist/
I see rambling about privatizing the jail. Flippý is that you again? Still have sour grapes about the guards helping to oust you?
[…] Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal has been vocal of his criticism of Burry since he was elected in 2012, even though she has not been on the ballot since being elected to her […]