Christie dancing with the star

Governor Chris Christie danced with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show last night and said that “hypothetically” he could beat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential election.

The appearance made me feel nostalgic for the #Stonger Than The Storm ad campaign and Jay Leno.

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, June 13-15, 2014

By Greg Kelly

Friday, June 13

• Air Supply at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

• Fine Art & Craft Show at Monmouth Mall (Eatontown) – MORE INFO

• Campfire on the Beach at Sandy Hook – MORE INFO

• Butler at NJ Repertory Theatre (Long Branch) – MORE INFO

• Oceanport Lions Club Strawberry Festival – MORE INFO

• NJ Seafood Festival (Belmar) – MORE INFO

• All My Sons at Center Playhouse (Freehold) – MORE INFO

• Hit the Road, Jack at First Ave Playhouse (Atlantic Highlands) – MORE INFO

• Third at Two River Theater (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

• Atlantic Highlands Farmer’s Market – MORE INFO

• Kids Night Out (Fair Haven) – MORE INFO

• Dr. George Sheehan 5k Classic (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

• Laugh 4 a Cause with Mike Marino (Middletown) – MORE INFO

• Spring into Summer Book Sale (Shrewsbury) – MORE INFO

• Ocean Grove Tent Revival Meeting – MORE INFO

• Nelson Riveros Trio (Matawan) – MORE INFO

• Online Travel Planning Class (Middletown) – MORE INFO

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Golden Wins!

GOP Chairman Shaun Golden

Monmouth County Shaun Golden has been elected Chairman of the Monmouth County Republican Committee.

Golden defeated incumbent Chairman John Bennett 335 votes to 282.

UPDATED: June 11, 2014

There was brief confusion when County Clerk Claire French presented the results to Bennett. Bennett misunderstood the results and thought he had won. He and his daughters started to celebrate but were quickly corrected.  Bennett then announced that Golden was the new County Republican Chairman and left the room with his family.

Golden thanked the convention and promised to conduct his new office with dignity and honor.

Unaware that MMM already had published the vote count, Golden declined to release the results to The Asbury Park Press, saying he would release them today.

Golden did not announce his choice of Vice Chair. Rather, he will announce a leadership council and a diversity team to reach out to ethnic groups that traditionally do not vote Republican before the week is out. Members of the leadership team will serve as “co-vice chairs” with one of them holding the title as a formality.

Golden is retaining Executive Director Tom Symanski’s employment with the Party. “Tom has done a good job and we worked well together on the campaign last year,” Golden said this morning, ” we’ll give him more direction and support going forward.”

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The Polls Are Open

Voting has commenced at the Monmouth County Republican Convention.

Credentials were issued to 626 County Committee members who are choosing between incumbent Chairman John Bennett and Sheriff Shaun Golden.  Registration and credentialing remains open .

The theme of the evening has been unity, and the nominating speakers, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon for Bennett and Freeholder Tom Arnone for Golden, stressed that all Republicans must come together when the voting is complete.

Both candidates repeated the themes of their campaign’s during their speeches to the convention, with Golden emphasizing his energy and growing the party with enhanced communication and outreach to diverse demographics, and Bennett emphasizing the successes of his two years in office and his 40 year career in politics.

Bennett did not raise the issue of a conflict of interest for a Sheriff being Chairman, as he had through most of the campaign.

Sheriff Shaun Golden

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Monmouth GOP Convention Tonight

The Monmouth County Republican Committee will convene to elect a Chairman this evening at iPlay America in Freehold, at 7PM.

Only credentialed County Committee members will be permitted to vote.  County Committee members are urged to arrive at 6PM in order to check in and receive their credentials.  Only Republicans on the County Committee list generated by the Superintendent of Elections will be credentialed.  Municipal Chairmen and Chairwomen are urged to verify that their accurate and complete list of committee members is submitted to Superintendent Bertha Sumick this morning.

In lieu of a debate, the candidates for Chairman of the Monmouth County Republican Committee have agreed to a round of Cosmic Battle Laser Tag at 5:30PM. Arrive early! You don’t want to miss the Cosmic Battle!

Just kidding.  The amusements are on the opposite side of the building from the Event Center where the convention will be held.

iPlay American is at 110 Schanck Rd, on the southbound side of Route 9.  When you enter the parking lot look for signs for the Event Center, which is on the far side, the north side, of the building.

There are five restaurants inside the iPlay America complex, one of them just next to the room where the convention will be held. Arrive early and relax with other Republicans from throughout the county.

Get directions to iPlay America here.

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Costigan exits on a high note

Howell GOP Municipal Chairman Juan Malave and Monmouth GOP State Committeeman John Costigan celebrate Malave’s election.

Monmouth County Republican State Committeeman John Costigan, the GOP Municipal Chairman of Howell Township for six years, and Vice Chair under the late Noreen Kelly for six years before that, convened the reorganizational meeting of the Howell Republican Committee this evening and promptly placed the name of former Councilman Juan Malave into nomination as the new Municipal Chairman.

Costigan lost his County Committee seat in last Tuesday’s primary.  The incumbent slate of Council Members, supported by Malave, beat back a primary challenge from a slate believed to be backed by Costigan.  Costigan denied backing the challengers but said he was glad they were running.

Many Republicans throughout Monmouth County were expecting Costigan to attempt to retain his Chairmanship, despite losing his seat. But the State Committeeman chose to bow out in a gracious gesture of unity by nominating Malave.

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Vent here

So I closed the anonymous comments on the Chairman’s race posts and now my phone is ringing off the hook and I’m being bombarded by private messages on facebook.

I had no idea that so many of the anonymous posters assumed (some correctly and some incorrectly) that I knew who they were AND that they really wanted ME to know their opinions.

I can’t be selfish and keep all this fun to myself.  So, if you have a comment about the Chairman’s race or any of the posts that I’ve closed the comments on, make them here.

But, if you’re going to be anonymous or use a fake name, use a fake name for the person you being critical of or praising. Got something to say about John Bennett or Shaun Golden, go ahead and say it, just don’t use the words John, Shaun, Golden, Chairman, Sheriff or Bennett.  Same goes for Fred Niemann, John Kaye, Wayne Pomanowski and Tom Arnone or anyone else.  Don’t use their names, titles or former titles (like former Senator.)

For example, if you have a complaint about me or something I wrote, don’t write, Art, you screwed the pooch. Instead write….pick a name..Willie, you screwed the pooch.

If after you’ve vented, if you don’t feel better and you really really really want me to know how you feel, then you can call.  You can use real names on the phone.

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Arnone Endorses Golden

Freeholder Director Tom Arone

All but one Monmouth County elected official above the municipal level (Legislators and County Officials) have stayed out of the Monmouth County GOP Chairman’s race between incumbent John Bennett and Sheriff Shaun Golden.

Freeholder Tom Arnone broke from the pack this afternoon with a positive, yet pointed, endorsement of his friend and running mate, Golden.

Arnone said that he is endorsing Golden because, “I have been a witness to his abilities on the campaign trail and I am keenly aware of what he has done for our party without bragging about it while other attempt to take credit for Shaun’s hard work.”

In an apparent jab at Bennett’s campaign management and fundraising accomplishments, Arnone implied that Golden is responsible for much of the Monmouth GOP’s success over the last two years.

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Ocean State Job Lot Opens in Shrewsbury

Pictured left to right: OSJL Regional L.P. Manager Bill Thompson, OSJL Director of Store Operations Paul Cox, OSJL Sales Manager Edmund Lynn, OSJL Regional Director Pat Nevue, Mayor Donald Burden, Freeholder Director Lillian G. Burry, OSJL Assistant Manager Hakeem Reynolds, Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone and Freeholder John P. Curley.

Ocean State Job Lot, the New England discount retailer, held the Grand Opening of their first New Jersey location on Saturday in Shrewsbury.

Freeholder Director Lillian Burry and Freeholders Tom Arnone and John Curley, as well as Mayor Donald Burden were on hand to welcome the company to Monmouth County.

OSJL sells brand name, first quality products at close out prices.  The company says their merchandise selection not only consists of a variety of manufacturer’s overruns, overstocks and packaging changes, but also includes many areas where our buyers have determined that “holes” exist in the marketplace. We are constantly on the hunt for special deals, which allow us to offer quality brand name merchandise at closeout prices.

While they are known as a closeout company, Ocean State Job Lots prefers to think of themselves as opportunistic merchants.

The Shrewsbury location is at 179 Newman Springs Rd East, which is near the corner of Shrewsbury Ave and across the street from  Butch’s Lube and Wash.

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VIDEO: Watch Holmdel High School’s End of the Year Lip Dub

VIDEO: Watch Holmdel High School’s End of the Year Lip Dub (via Holmdel-Hazlet Patch)

Hundreds of students and teachers are starring in the annual Holmdel High School “Lib Dub,” a sort of jubilant video yearbook in which the everyone gets to show off their creativity, school spirit, and ability to memorize lots of lyrics…

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