Report: Rich not running for re-election as Monmouth County Freeholder
Gary Rich
InsiderNJ.com is reporting that an anonymous Monmouth County source has said that Freeholder Gary Rich will not be running for re-election in November.
“Chairman Shaun Golden sat down with Rich last night to tell him the organization is going in another direction and Rich opted not to fight,” the site reported their source said.
MMM has confirmed that Golden and Rich met yesterday, but it is not clear if Golden is pushing Rich out or if the two term Freeholder is leaving on his own volition. Rich has been giving mixed signals about his intentions; he has told people he is running, but he has not raised any money nor attended any political events recently. He has left at least two Freeholder meetings early since the first of the year. Neither Golden or Rich have responded messages seeking confirmation of their meeting’s content and tone.
This Saturday, March 4th is the deadline for candidates to file a Letter of Intent to seek the Monmouth GOP’s endorsement for the freeholder seats currently held by Rich and Freeholder Lillian Burry. Burry told Golden that she would let him know if she’s running again by tomorrow, Wednesday March 1.
If Rich withdraws, which is still unconfirmed, Holmdel Township Committeeman Pat Impreveduto is expected to file a Letter of Intent. Atlantic Highlands Councilman Peter Doyle and Middletown Township Committeeman Steve Massell are also expected to compete for the seat.
If Burry decides not to seek a fifth term, Hazlet Mayor Sue Kiley is expected to join the fray.
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Lillian Burry is running for reelection
Are All 3 Seats in LD 13 at play? Handlin and O’Scanlon appear to be headed to a primary
Golden Congratulates Thomson, Thanks LD 30 Republicans and NJ GOP
Curley will not have Republican support for reelection next year
Monmouth GOP Honors Claire French
No Joke: Ciattarelli campaign fields primary challenge to Burry and Impreveduto for Freeholder nominations- Ciattarelli Freeholder Team’s Petitions Challenged
Vote for Burry and Impreveduto Today
Conte and Doyle Are Running For Freeholder
Newberry Announces For Freeholder
that was wishful thinking, by some anxious wannabes/ opportunists? Last we heard, the incumbent freeholder is running.. and, has a fundraiser in Asbury Park, next week.. sure seems it would be rather short-sighted/ not very politically-astute, to dump an incumbent who has done the job, in a gubernatorial year, in favor of a new candidate with name I D in possibly, one municipality, rather than in 53..??
Two words…
Barabra McMcMorrow!
(even though she said she would not go back to being s freeholder, ) it’d be fine for her to come back, given her many years of experience at local and county level,when Serena wins assembly..experience, service, and name id are critical.
Interesting…
to see the bantering about of possible future candidacies- and, nice to think that, when needed, it appears the GOP has the best crop on the bench. That being said, the rule of thumb has been,and is, you don’t normally throw successful incumbencies out the window- statistically, more than 80% of incumbents get re- elected. If we are to continue to hold the county, and win back and keep dwindling NJ Republican legislators, there is no compelling reason to dump folks who have done their job, and want to run again.
NEWS FLASH
Serena’s not going to trenton….
maybe no- so then, the qualified bench-sitters will just have to wait a bit longer…
This is not do disparage Mr. Rich, I have followed him closely since he did our Party a great service by winning when we were in the wilderness. But times have changed, and the idea that we should rubber stamp incumbents just because they’re incumbents is absolutely ludicrous. And from what I have heard, Mr. Rich is not the most robust fundraiser or campaigner.
In the era of Vin Gopal and Phil Murphy, it’s not enough to be hard working, it’s not enough to be a competent and dedicated elected official, it’s not enough to be a great campaigner/fundraiser…you need to check all three boxes. And that’s not to say Gary didn’t do so, but in case you hadn’t noticed, North Jersey Dems. and special interests dumped $1.5 million dollars on the GOP last year. The 4 County GOP candidates started knocking doors in January and raised half a million.
People on this forum like to complain that the Party does not engage in enough “teamwork,” “party building,” and “fundraising.” And when measures are taken to try to improve those areas, people STILL complain! Wake up folks, this is not the Mayberry-like, ultra red Monmouth County we all grew up in. Measures (sometimes pre-emptive ones) must be taken to remain competitive.
anyone thinks you can win without a dedicated team of cohesive, happy, and engaged- without- wanting- anything volunteer people, tell them they can buy a decrepit bridge in NJ- ( not enough gas taxes collected, yet.) No need to become defensive and pompous. The more competitive the county becomes, the more one needs loyal friends and human engagement. Until robots get the right to vote, it is still people who fill out the mail-ins and show up ( or not) at the polls.
Who’s defensive and pompous?? We can have disagreements without name calling, you know. I mean this as respectfully as possible, but you seem to have your head stuck in the sand about what it takes to win a modern campaign. I haven’t seen a lot of backlash to Mr. Rich’s retirement at all, but maybe you know something I don’t.
of rationale/ justification for dumping a live, performing, elected fellow republican, that’s how it sounds, is all.. must be great to know all the answers in these “modern” times- wow, have no idea how people got elected in the last 200- plus years, before manic texting and Facebook!!
huh, when Jim starts making some sense about things!