Monmouth County Democrat Chairman Vin Gopal drew more attention to the grassroots uprising of Belmar residents against the policies of their mayor, “Lawless Matt” Doherty, yesterday with a post on the Monmouth Democrats facebook page denying the Observer (formerly PolitickerNJ) article that reported that he and Doherty accused the Monmouth GOP and this website of paying protesters to demonstrate outside Doherty’s house during a campaign fundraiser last week featuring Senator Cory Booker.
FREEHOLD — A man and a woman have been charged in the death of Tyrita R. Julius, a 41-year-old mother who disappeared in March after heading to meet a friend in Monmouth County. Authorities converged on the Long Branch home of Andre Harris, 32, app.com reported Tuesday. He and Jennifer Sweeney, 33, of Tinton Falls have… Read the rest of this entry »
Belmar Mayor “Lawless Matt” Doherty and Governor Chris Christie walk the Belmar boardwalk. Photo Credit: Tim Larson, Governor’s Office
Belmar Mayor “Lawless Matt” Doherty got spanked in Court again yesterday.
Stating that Belmar’s argument was “unavailing” and that Doherty, et al had not demonstrated a likelihood that their appeal would succeed, New Jersey’s Appellate Court denied an emergency motion to stay the referendum on the ethics/pay to play ordinance passed last February. The referendum will take place on September 27 per Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Katie Gummer’s July 15th Order.
Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, the Republican Budget Officer in the Assembly and a representative of northern Monmouth County in the lower house of the legislature has taken some criticism here in the MMM comments and on facebook for not voting on the Transportation Trust Fund bill that was sprung on the Assembly by Speaker Vincent Prieto and Governor Chris Christie in the middle of the night on June 30. The bill, which would have increased the gas tax by $.23 per gallon and lowered the state sales tax from 7% to 6% passed in the Assembly and was never voted on by the Senate.
Now almost six weeks later with the TTF still not renewed and road projects stalled throughout the state, O’Scanlon said that he believes “even more strongly that my decision was exactly the right one.”
O’Scanlon issued the following statement to MMM to explain his decision not to vote on the Assembly TTF bill:
New Jersey voters will not get to vote on a constitutional amendment requiring specific payments to the underfunded public employee pension system in November. Despite, or perhaps because of, the NJEA’s threat to withhold campaign contributions to Democrats unless the state Senate voted to put the measure on the ballot, Senate President Steve Sweeney did not post the resolution for a vote and the deadline to make the ballot passed yesterday.
Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, the Republican Budget Officer in the lower house and a representative of the 13th legislative district (northern Monmouth County) issued the following statement regarding New Jersey’s ongoing fiscal crisis:
Brent Sonnek-Schmelz, the Republcian challenger to Congressman Frank Pallone in New Jersey’s 6th congressional district (parts of Middlesex and Monmouth counties) said Pallone’s arrogance and personal wealth have grown since he went to Washington 28 years ago, while Americans’ faith in Congress has hit rock bottom.
If elected, Sonnek-Schmelz says he will become a leading advocate for term limits for members of congress.
The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office is increasing public safety awareness by showcasing their trucks and other equipment in a traveling demonstration.
On Wednesday, Sheriff Shaun Golden’s Office, in conjunction with the Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey, participated in the Touch a Truck Program. Fire Trucks, Public Works Trucks, Police Trucks and the Sheriff’s Mobile Command Unit visited Jewish communities in Manalapan, Marlboro and Aberdeen to give children the opportunity to learn about the equipment and how it is used for public safety.
Senior citizen accosted by Democratic legislators’ staffers
Downey, Sweeny and Houghtaling. photo via facebook from a previous meeting
Senate President Steve Sweeney held a meeting with public officials and education stakeholders at the Freehold legislative office of Assembly Members Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey this morning to discuss the school funding bill the three legislators are sponsoring.
Houghtaling told MMM about the meeting this morning during a phone call regarding former Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini’s call for him and Downey to join Sweeney in demanding that the U.S. Attorney and NJ Attorney General investigate the NJEA’s alleged extortion of Sweeney. Houghtaling repeatedly said that the Freehold meeting is “non-poltical.”
So why was Senator Jennifer Beck, a Republican excluded? Members of the Freehold Borough Council were invited. The state senator representing Freehold was not invited? That sounds like a political meeting with only Democrats invited. Beck’s spokesman Mike Hughes told MMM that the senator was not invited to the meeting in Freehold.
Hougtaling and Downey’s spokeman denies hearing of Sweeney’s call for a criminal investigation into NJEA
Mary Pat Angelini
Still smarting from her shocking loss last November, former Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini yesterday issued a statement calling on the Democrats who unseated her to join Senate President Steve Sweeney in his demand that the U.S. Attorney and N.J. Attorney General investigate the teachers union for extortion.
The Democrat leader of the State Senate accused the NJEA of extorition eariler this week after Democrat County Chairmen and other power brokers told him that NJEA leaders told them that the union would withhold campaign contributions to Democrats unless Sweeney allowed a vote in the Senate on an amendment to the State Constitution that would compel specified contributions to the teacher’s pension fund every year.
Angelini said that Assembly Members Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey would not have defeated her if not for the “vicious lies” the NJEA broadcast about her and the non-profit drug abuse prevention organization she runs during the final days of the 2015 election campaign.
Governor Chris Christie yesterday called on the New Jersey Press Corps and law enforcement agencies to deploy the same aggressiveness towards Senator Loretta Weinberg and Assemblyman John Wisniewski, the co-Chairs of the Legislative Committee that investigated the George Washington Bridge scandal, that they have applied to him .
