2012: The Year in Review, January and February

Freeholder Serena DiMaso was elected to replace Rob Clifton. Photo credit: Rhoda Chodosh

January

Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce died on January 9 shortly after the final voting session of the 214th legislature.

Mitt Romney was declare the winner of the Iowa Caucuses by 8 votes. Weeks later after all the votes were counted, Rick Santorum was declared the winner.

Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina GOP Presidential Primary.

Holmdel Deputy Mayor Serena DiMaso was elected a Monmouth County Freeholder by the Monmouth County Republican Committee.

State Senator Joe Kyrillos announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate.

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez blocked Federal Magistrate Patty Shwartz’s nomination to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Menendez denied he was blocking the appointment because Shwartz’s boyfriend was the Assistant U.S. Attorney who investigated him in 2006. Menendez reversed himself after the news of his opposition to Shwartz become pulbic. Shwartz’s nomination has yet to be confirmed.

Governor Christie nominated Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre to be the Director of the Division of Alcohol Beverage Control.

Governor Christie nominated First Assistant Attorney General Philip Kwon and Chatham Mayor Bruce Harris to be State Supreme Court Associate Justices. Kwon was the first Asian-American ever nominated. Harris was the first openingly homosexual nominee.

New Jersey’s newspaper industry fought back efforts to allow “Legal Notices” to be posted online instead of in newspapers.

Mitt Romney won the Florida GOP presidential primary.

Middletown Mayor Tony Fiore asked for Library Board President Randall Gabrielan’s resignation. Gabrielan had been selling books to the library as a vendor and signing the purchase orders as president of the library.

February

The New Jersey Giants won Super Bowl XLVI

Senate President Steve Sweeney used racially charged language in reference to Rutgers-Camden students and faculty protesting the proposal to fold the campus into Rowan University. No one in the main stream media cared.

Whitney Houston died. Governor Christie order the State’s flags to half staff.

11 State DOT workers equipped with 6 DOT trucks changed a light bulb on Route 36 in Leonardo.

Red Bank’s KaBoom 4th of July fireworks show was cancelled.

The Assembly and Senate passed the Marriage Equality and Religious Exemptions Act. Governor Christie vetoed the bill and called for the issue to be decided via referendum.

Offended by the support shown to Mitt Romney, the leaders of the Bayshore Tea Party Group walked out of the Monmouth County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner while Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno was making her remarks.

Governor Christie announced that MetLife Stadium will host WrestleMania in April 2013.

Garden State Equality, the gay rights group, apologised for endorsing Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini in the 2011 election. Angelini missed voting on the Marriage Equality and Religious Exemptions Act because she was on vacation celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary.

Anna Little filed as a candidate for U.S. Senate.