Spring Lake Democratic Elected Officials Endorse Christie For Governor

Spring Lake Mayor Jennifer Naughton at the completion of the 2012 Belmar 5K, Photo by Stephen Lacko via facebook. StephenLacko.com

Four more Monmouth County Democratic elected officials  broke ranks with their party to endorse Governor Chris Christie for reelection today.

Spring Lake Mayor Jennifer Naughton and Council members Janice Venables, Bob Dasheff and Priscilla Reilly joined Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long and Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider in throwing their support behind Christie despite Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal’s attempts to enforce party discipline.

Gopal issued statements critical Long’s and Scheider’s endorsements of Christie, prompting the Governor to say that the 27 year old chairman represents the “politics of yesterday.”

Regarding today’s endorsements, Gopal said, “Spring Lake is an overwhelmingly Republican town. When Councilwoman Venables ran council last year, her mail pieces asked people to vote Democratic locally but not the rest of the ticket. The Monmouth County Democrats, as a county party, strongly supports Senator Barbara Buono for Governor. She will fight for working families throughout this county and state.”

Venables was a Monmouth Democratic Freeholder nominee in 2010.

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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.

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United Arab Emirates Donates $4.5 million to Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund

photo by Art Gallagher. Click on image for larger view.

Governor Chris Christie and First Lady Mary Pat Christie visited Highlands Elementary School this morning to accept a $4.5 million dollar gift to the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  Ambassador to the United States Yousef Al Otaiba made the presentation and, along with the Christies, met with students of the school’s Summer Camp Program.

The UAE Embassy gift, made on behalf of the people of the UAE, will help address critical technology needs, such as infrastructure construction to increase internet bandwidth capacity, wiring and hardware for instructional areas, acquisition of mobile computing devices for faculty and students, and additional training for teachers and administrators.

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NJ Consumer Confidence Jumps

Matthew Morehead, dog groomer and Democratic candidate for Assembly looking confident. facebook photo

Optimism among New Jersey consumers rebounded strongly over the last six months, according to a survey released by the FDU Public Mind Poll this morning.

37% of the 588 residents surveyed said their finances are better than they were a year ago, up from 18% in January and 26% last July.

51% believe their finances will be better in the year to come, up from 34% in January and 38% in July, 2012.

 “We’ve not seen numbers this good in quite some time,” said Krista Jenkins, director of PublicMind and professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University. “Despite Hurricane Sandy and an unemployment rate that has left many in the state without work or underemployed, the past year has been good for many Garden State residents.”

72% expect the value of their homes to rise over the next year, compared to only 48% who thought so in January.

“This is an election year, and what people think about their finances is often a big consideration when choosing for whom to vote. Time will tell how strong an influence pocketbook issues will be in shaping the outcome of upcoming elections,” said Jenkins. “One thing is for certain, however, and that’s the rosier view people seem to have these days about the state of their own bottom lines.”

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Pallone’s Past

facebook photo

Long before Cory Booker was shoveling snow and tweeting about it, Frank Pallone was delivering generators to storm victims in his district.

~The Star Ledger

And…he was a Republican in he youth? Yes, according to his Wikipedia page, Pallone was a member of the Young Republicans while a student at Middlebury College in Vermont. (h/t The Auditor)

Even as a Democrat, Pallone, who now has a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood used to be strongly pro-life.   He was endorsed by New Jersey Right To Life in his 1988 race for congress against the late Captain Joe Azzolina.

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Asbury Park Press Editorial Board Needs A Fact Checker

No news. Empty newsstands stored in the Asbury Park Press’s empty parking lot in Neptune.

In their editorial posted last evening, the Asbury Park Press Editorial Board The Neptune Nudniks lecture New York City voters on character and morality.

As if they are an authority on character and morality and have readers from New York!  Maybe they are hoping some bennies here for the weekend will read their paper instead of Greg’s List.

The Nudnik’s homily bemoans the fact that former Congressman Anthony Weiner and former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer are doing very well in the polls in their campaigns for municipal office in New York.

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McGreevey To Head Jersey City Jobs Commission

Stonger Than The Scorn

Former Gov Jim McGreevey. Wikipedia photo

Former Governor Jim McGreevey is back in government service, according to a report in The Jersey Journal.

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop appointed McGreevey to the position of Executive Director of the Jersey City Employment and Training Commission.  The commission is apparently a new venture of Fulop’s who made job creation and the establishment of a re-entry program for ex-offenders a major plank of his recent election campaign.  There is no information about the commission on the city’s website.

Fulop’s spokesperson, Jennifer Morrill, did not know what McGreevey’s salary will be when we asked her. She promised to get back to us with that information and whether or not the job is pensionable.

UPDATED: Morrill said that McGreevey’s salary is $110,000.  The commission is an independent authority, which is why there is no information about it on Jersey City’s website.

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Former Asbury Park Housing Director Arrested

Mark W. Holmes

Mark W. Holmes, 52 of Lawrence Township (Mercer County), the former Executive Director of the Asbury Park Housing Authority, was arrested yesterday and charged with Second Degree Theft By Deception, according to a statement released by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiconni.

The charges allege that Holmes, also a former Mayor and Councilman in Lawrence Township, stole in excess of $75,000 while directing Asbury Park’s 587 public housing units.  The funds came from a $99,897 Department of Labor and Work Force Development grant that was intended to pay for computer training and other marketable skills for the public housing residents.

Additionally, Holmes is charged with using the Housing Authority’s debit card and an American Express for personal expenses of almost $20,000 and for submitting reimbursement vouchers for $3,397.28 in expenses he charged to the American Express card.

The investigation was conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office of Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Bureau.  Assistant Prosecutor John Loughrey, director of the bureau, is prosecuting the case.

Holmes is currently living in public housing at Golden’s Palace in Freehold.  His bail is $70,000 with a 10% cash option. If convicted, he faces 5-10 years in State Prison.

Official Misconduct was not among the charges listed against Holmes in Gramiconni’s statement. Official Misconduct convictions in New Jersey require minimum imprisonment terms without eligibility for parole.

Holmes resigned his job suddenly in June of 2011.  In July of 2011 the Housing Commissioners asked federal housing officials and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office to investigate financial mismanagement under Holmes’ watch. Holmes had held the job since late in 2008.

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, July 12-14, 2013 #STTS

SPONSORED BY SEASTREAK

By Greg Kelly

Sunday, July 14

• Shakespeare on the Lawn by BCC (Lincroft) – MORE INFO

• The Diary of Anne Frank by Center Players (Freehold) – MORE INFO

• Rock Climbing (Lincroft) – MORE INFO

• Asbury Fresh Local Artisan Market – MORE INFO

• Ocean Grove Choir Festival – MORE INFO

• Freedom Fest State Fair (Upper Freehold) – MORE INFO

• Shakespeare on the Lawn by BCC (Lincroft) – MORE INFO

• The Music Man at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

• Manasquan Reservoir Boat Tours – MORE INFO

• Canoeing on Marlu Lake (Lincroft) – MORE INFO

• Bradley Beach Lobster Festival – MORE INFO

• Warmth at Grange Playhouse (Howell) – MORE INFO

• Dawn Patrol at Monmouth Park (Oceanport) – MORE INFO

• NY Yankees vs. Twins via Seastreak Ferry (Highlands) – MORE INFO

• Haskell Classic Car Show at Monmouth Park (Oceanport) – MORE INFO

• 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Monmouth U (WLB) – MORE INFO

• Israel Film Fest (Asbury Park) – MORE INFO

• Diva on the Shore Dodgeball (Asbury Park) – MORE INFO

• Run-Swim-Run Competition (Avon) – MORE INFO

*     *     *

And Next Weekend . . .

Friday, July 19: Ocean Grove House & Garden Tour – MORE INFO

Saturday, July 20: Arts & Crafts Festival (Atlantic Highlands) – MORE INFO

Sunday, July21: Red Bank Food & Wine Walk – MORE INFO

Greg Kelly is a longtime Monmouth County journalist. He welcomes comments or questions at [email protected]

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Fire The Asbury Park Press Editorial Board

For the last several years this site has derided the Asbury Park Press Editorial Board Neptune Nudniks for their ignorance of the facts and processes about which they opine, and for their religious bigotry.

The Nudniks’ editorial today about the controversy surrounding the emails exchanged between Middletown Library Director Susan O’Neal and Democratic candidate for Middletown Township Committee Linda Baum is a firing offense.  They apparently didn’t even read or comprehend their own reporter’s article about the issue, before publishing their ignorant opinion.

APP reporter Suzanne Cervenka reported the story accurately on July 4.  Middletown Township Committeeman Tony Fiore made an OPRA request for emails between O’Neal and Baum.  Baum took the issue to Court, arguing that the emails were private, had nothing to do with library operations and that she in no way acted as an agent of the library.  Judge Lawrence M. Lawson ruled that, as a matter of law, the emails were government documents subject to OPRA and ordered them released.

In their editorial, the Nudniks said that Fiore took the matter to Court when in fact Baum took the matter to Court.  They said Lawson should have refused to hear the matter.  If Lawson kept the Court out of it, the emails would have been released without Baum being heard on the matter.  The Nudniks said Fiore was being petty for following his instincts that O’Neal was undermining the public’s oversight of the $4.6 million dollar operation she directs.

Monmouth and Ocean County citizens deserve better from their largest newspaper/news site.  We’ve deserved better for a long time. We should demand better.

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