Scudiery Endorsing Booker For U.S. Senate, Bashes Pallone
Former Monmouth Democratic Chairman Victor Scudiery
Former Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Victor Scudiery is breaking with the organization he lead for over 20 years by endorsing Newark Mayor Cory Booker over Congressman Frank Pallone in the Special Senate Primary on August 13.
“I was born and raised in Newark,” Scudiery told MMM, “I have great admiration for Mayor Booker and what he has accomplished in the city and with their schools. I believe he is the right person to move up to be our next United States Senator.
“Newark is not an easy city to govern, but they’ve made great strides under Mayor Booker. I am proud to support him.”
Scudiery said that the Monmouth County campaign headquarters of the Booker campaign will open on Thursday in the Airport Plaza Shopping Center which he owns.
Scudiery, who has had an on again off again relationship with Pallone, said that he is preparing a lengthy list of reasons he considers Pallone an ineffective legislator who should not move up to the Senate after 25 years in the House of Representatives. Off the cuff, Scudiery mentioned Pallone’s failure to prevent Fort Monmouth from closing and his inability or unwillingness to help fund the Bayshore Senior Center when Senator Bob Menendez and former Senator Bob Toricelli were able to secure funding for the Senior Center of which Scudiery is a major benefactor.
ObamaCare is a major gripe that Scudiery has with Pallone. “It’s my bill, it’s my bill,” Scudiery mocked the congressman for constantly taking credit for ObamaCare, “yet he doesn’t even know how it will work. How do people pay for healthcare when they are not working? It’s ridiculous.”
Pallone and former Governor Jon Corzine tried to strong arm Scudiery into resigning his chairmanship in 2006. Scudiery refused and was reelected twice thereafter before retiring in 2012. Pallone spoke highly of Scudiery after he announced his retirement.
Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal and the Pallone campaign have not yet responded to requests for comment.
More from my site
Scudiery Aggressively Out To See Pallone Defeated
FDU Public Mind Poll is bad news for Frank Pallone and the politicos who want to replace him
More Monmouth Musings Endorses Frank Pallone
What the Eck!
Pallone’s Family Values
Oliver is running for Senate
Meanwhile at the Monmouth Democratic Convention….
Winners and Losers of 2013, Part Two
Booker won’t run for President in 2016
The Monmouth Democratic Chairman’s Race
I, along with many others, have a great deal of respect for Victor Scudiery. His endorsement of Booker may change the minds of some who were prepared to support Pallone simply because he’s a local pol.
Regarding Mr. Scudiery’s comments on Fort Monmouth, Rep Pallone along with everyone involved with the “Save The Fort” made a huge effort to prevent its relocation to Aberdeen. Unfortunately the Army/DOD provided BRAC with (intentionally??) false/incorrect information which one can argue was intended to produce a predetermined outcome. One member of BRAC later commented that if they had gone with the numbers provided by the STF group, “the outcome might very well have been different.” Rather than looking to put the blame on Pallone or anyone else that worked tirelessly to keep the Fort in NJ, the question to be answered is if/who decided to rig the process with misleading/false information that favored Aberdeen???
Note that at last count (and I think they stopped counting) the cost of the move was $2 billion more than estimated…and that does not even include the billions spent on additional infrastructure in Maryland. There are no savings and in my opinion the process was intentionally rigged against NJ by the DOD.
Bob English it was Pallone’s job to flush out the phony numbers and he failed.
He had been through this BRAC stuff with Ft. Monmouth on the list several times in the past so he knew the ropes.
He didn’t pay attention.
Bill Bowman from the Asbury Park Press found it all easily enough. Pallone should have too.
In many ways: a strong and supportive, team-playing and leading Democrat, for sure,but, there was a line, a gentleman’s code of conduct, in those days.. Unfortunately, it appears things are going to be different, going forward, and, not in a good way.. He is right- Pallone, who tried to take him down, is so phony and self- agendized a politician, I am sure many times,he backed him,when he didn’t really want to .. Thanks Vic, for your honesty and decency, and give-backs to your community, throughout your career..
Tommy…I am very familair with the APP’s series which was done in the years after the BRAC decision to close the Fort. To their credit, they were about the only publication that reported on the constantly increasing cost of the closure of Fort Monmouth and the move to Maryland.
FYI at the BRAC hearings members of the commission where GIVEN the much more realistic and accurate costs by the Save The Fort Group. The fact they choose to disregard those and believe the bogus numbers provided by the Defense Department is not the fault of Pallones. How about placing a little bit of the blame with the DOD and whatever political higher ups told them to come up with their phoney numbers to get the pre-determined outcome they were looking for which was to close Fort Monmouth and screw New Jersey??? That is a question which has not been answered.
Agree with you completely Adele
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