Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Calls for Gopal’s Resignation

Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Willie Araujo.

Shut out of the Monmouth County Democratic nominating convention, gubernatorial candidate Willie Araujo disputed Chairman Vin Gopal’s assertion that his nominating process is transparent.  Araujo said Gopal should resign immediately.

Araujo said he called Gopal multiple times about his candidacy and never heard back from the chairman. Gopal said that the Monmouth Democrats had a post on facebook on February 3 asking potential candidates for governor to submit their paperwork by February 9.  Only State Senator Barbara Buono responded to the facebook post.  Buono appeared at the convention is Asbury Park this morning and was nominated by acclamation.

In addition to Gopal, Araujo said he left messages for the Democratic County Chairs in Atlantic, Bergen, Camden, Essex, and Gloucester counties.  He said that Somerset County Chair Peg Schaffer spoke with him for over an hour.

“Chairwoman Peg Schaffer agreed to speak with me, we spoke for almost an hour and agreed that it’s up to the voters to decide their next Governor,” said Araujo,”Chairman Gopal, you should talk to Chairwoman Schaffer and take some lessons from her. You cannot endorse someone simply based on friendship. I think the Democrats in Monmouth County deserve better. You cannot be one sided… You should resign immediately.”

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Zipprich and McMillian To Challenge Angelini and Casagrande in LD 11

Red Bank Councilman Ed Zipprich and Neptune Committeeman Kevin McMillian prevailed over NJEA leader Will Potter in a three way race for two Democratic Assembly nominations in the 11th legislative district, according to our spy in Asbury Park who doesn’t want to be known for reporting for a Republican blog.

The vote tally of the only contested race of the Monmouth Democratic convention was not announced, but our source said it wasn’t close.

Assuming there are no primary upsets, Zipprich and McMillian will face incumbent Republican Assemblywomen Caroline Casagrande and Mary Pat Angelini in the November 5 general election.

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Asbury Park Dentist Will Attempt To Drill Beck

Michael Brantley, DDS. Photo: NJTopDocs

Asbury Park Dentist Dr. Michael Brantley will attempt to cap Senator Jennifer Beck’s career in the NJ State Legislature.

Brantley, a member of the Neptune Township Committee, will be nominated for State Senate from the 11th Legislative District at the Monmouth County Democratic Convention in Asbury Park this morning.

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Dog Groomer and Unknown Attorney Will Challenge Handlin and O’Scanlon in LD 13

Matthew Morehead, Dog Groomer and candidate for Assembly. facebook photo

Matthew Morehead, owner of Sudzy Puppy Dog Grooming, Middletown, and Allison Friedman an attorney from Aberdeen(according to the Truth, Justice and American Way all at once blog) will be nominated by the Monmouth Democrats for Assembly in the 13th legislative district this morning in Asbury Park.  Assuming they are unchallenged in the June 4 primary, they will likely face incumbent Republicans Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon in November.

Morehead is a long term Middletown and Monmouth County Democratic activist. He was passed over by the party in his previous bids to run for Assembly.

Friedman is unknown. The State Judicary’s website has no record of an Allison Friedman licensed to practice law in New Jersey.

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Criminal Defense Attorney Will Challenge Golden For Sheriff

Ruben Scolavino, left and his client, former Corrections Officer Luis Roman, as he pleads guilty to smuggling phones and drugs into prisons. Star Ledger photo

Rueben Scolavino, Esq., of Freehold will be nominated for Sheriff by the Monmouth County Democrats this morning at their convention in Asbury Park.

Scolavino promotes himself as a Toms River DWI lawyer who “will not stop until he reaches a favorable outcome,” on his website, tomsriverdui.com

In addition to his DWI practice, Scolavino defends high profile cases including homicides, sexual assaults, drug trafficking,  and white collar crime. He is an adjunct professor at his alma matter, William Paterson University and has given guest lectures at Rutgers and Kean universities, according to his website.

In 2011, he defended a corrections officer from Northern State Prison in Newark and the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Avenel who pled guilty to smuggling cell phones and drugs into the prisons, according to a Star Ledger report.

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Gopal: Bergmanson and Araujo Did Not Apply

Monmouth Dems will unanimously endorse Buono tomorrow

Responding to Democratic gubernatorial candidates Carl Bergmanson and Willie Araujo’s statements to MMM that they were not invited to the Monmouth Democratic Nominating Convention, Chairman Vin Gopal issued the following statement:

“We have one of the most open conventions in all of New Jersey. To date, I have only heard from one candidate seeking support for the Democratic Nomination for Governor – Senator Barbara Buono. We have sent several e-mails out to our database asking candidates who are interested in running for Governor, Legislature or County Offices to file a letter of intent. In addition, we had a public post on our Facebook Page on February 3rd asking potential candidates for Governor to get their paperwork in by February 9th, our deadline for candidates for candidates seeking our support. Any candidate who says they have reached out to us and we did not get back to them is just not true. We only heard from Senator Buono and that is who we will be unanimously endorsing tomorrow.”

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Prosecutor Seeks Publc Help In Indentifying Bank Robber

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office is seeking the public’s help in indentifying the man suspected of robbing the JP Morgan-Chase Bank branch in Colts Neck yesterday afternoon, Acting Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced this afternoon.

The bank robbery occurred around 5 p.m. on Thursday when a light-skinned male, standing approximately 5-feet,   11-inches tall, with a medium build, brown hair and glasses, walked into the JP Morgan Chase Bank, located at 290 Route 34 in Colts Neck, pointed a firearm at a teller and demanded money. The teller handed over an amount of cash before the suspect fled the bank in a dark colored, two-door Infinity with New York license plates and tinted windows. The vehicle was last seen traveling south on Route 34 and entering onto Route18 north.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Kevin Condon at 732- 431-7160, Colts Neck Police Department Detective Richard Zarrillo at 732-462-4343, or the Red Bank FBI Field Office at 732- 741-0006.

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Will Buono Get On The Ballot?

Buono’s Challengers Not Invited to Monmouth Democratic Convention

It’s unimaginable that the Democratic Party would nominate Carl Bergmanson or Willie Araujo over Barbara Buono for Governor.  However, Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal is apparently worried.

Fresh on the heels of Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long’s defection from the Buono Brigade with her endorsement of Chris Christie, Gopal sent out a plea for volunteers to collect signatures for the presumptive nominee:

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Christie: ‘Vin represents the party of yesterday’

Photo by Serena DiMaso. Taken with Tom Arone’s phone

Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal is only 27 years old, but he’s over the hill politically according to Governor Chris Chrisite.

Speaking in Sea Bright while accepting Mayor Dina Long’s endorsement for reelection, Christie responded to the statement Gopal issued criticising Long and threatening her political future by saying,

“Vin represents the party of yesterday,” Christie chimed. “To put out a  statement like that is a product of yesterday. Maybe Chairman Gopal will see the  wisdom” (of Christie’s brand of bipartisanship),” according to PoltickerNJ.

Following yesterday’s news of Long endorsing Chrisite, Gopal issued the following statement on facebook:

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Do New Jersey Voters Care About Menendez Scandal?

Which poll to believe?

New Jersey voters  either strongly disapprove of New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez and think he’s dishonest, or they really don’t care much about the news of his ongoing scandals, depending on which poll you trust.

This morning the Quinnipiac Polling Institute released a poll that indicates that Menendez approval rating is down 15 points in one month. By a 44%-28% margin, New Jersey voters say he is not honest or trustworthy. Menendez’s approval numbers are upside down with 41% of voters disapproving of him and only 36% approving.

Just a week ago, Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press released a poll with the headline Sen Menendez Unaffected By Donor Scandal . The Monmouth/APP poll says that 68% of New Jersey voters had heard about “the donor scandal” but that only 24% thought the senator was involved in any wrongdoing. The poll said that 65% either hadn’t formed an opinion or hadn’t heard enough.  The Monmouth/APP poll said that Menendez’s approval ratings werre similar to prior ratings over the last two years. Last week, 41% of the voters approved of the job Menendez is doing and only 28% disapproved.

Menendez has been in Afghanistan and out of the news for most of the week between poll releases.

Usually the Monmouth and Quinnipiac polls report consistent results, within a point or 2 and within the margin of error. But this is the second time within the last year that there has been such a large disparity between the two respected independent pollsters.  Last April, Monmouth reported Governor Christie’s approval ratings were 11 points lower than Quinnipiac reported a week prior.  There was so much talk about the different numbers last April that Monmouth Polling Director Patrick Murray wrote a column defending his work and criticising Quinnipiac.

This time around, Murray’s poll release is flawed.  His numbers are fine.  It’s his spin, which determines how most news outlets report the poll, that is the problem.

What was asked and when was it asked?

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