Ernesto Cullari, the Monmouth County GOP candidate for the 6th Congressional District of New Jersey has issued a debate challenge to former Highlands Mayor Anna Little, the Middlesex County GOP candidate for the nomination.
The Cullari campaign has arranged for a prominent academic venue within the district to host the debate and a prominent member of the New Jersey news media to moderate the debate, subject to Little’s acceptance of the challenge.
If Little accepts, the debate will be on Thursday, May 31, 7 PM, and open only to the press. It will be live streamed on the Internet and recorded for later viewing online.
Cullari issued the challenge via email yesterday, May 25. Little has yet to respond.
I am ashamed to have some of you as readers and commenters on this blog. If the shoe fits, please go away and don’t come back. I don’t care if you’re one of the many who visit here 20 times per day and drive my traffic up. You make me sick.
Disrespectfully, the number of children Mr. and Mrs. Hanlon are raising is irrelevent to anybody expect the Hanlons, as far as Christine seeking the office of Monmouth County Republican Chair is concerned.
The blantant sexism exhibited in the comments in the various posts about the chair’s race, especially from women, is shameful.
As the eldest of four children of the first, if not the first, woman to serve as President of a Board of Education in New Jersey, while my father was a council member in our town, I am deeply offended by these comments. That was in the 1960′s and 1970′s.
How will Christine handled it? None of your business. That’s how. Unless the Hanlons want to share that information in order to empower other couples to serve, its none of your frickin business.
Public service, when it is service, is a family endeavor, enterprise and sacrifice. When it is service, it is a noble calling and a family affair.
The next person, and each and every other, who brings up the Hanlon family, as if it is a detriment to Mrs. Hanlon’s candidacy, is banned from commenting. Forever.
Fresh off her 2010 defeat at the hands of Congressman Frank Pallone, former Highlands Mayor Anna Little blamed the fact that she lost in her hometown by 55* votes on the lack of sophistication of her constituents and colleagues on the borough’s governing body.
Little told Politickernj her Highlands loss “was likely to involve some borough employees” who would could be effected by a layoff plan she had agreed to support. One month after the election, lame duck Little killed the layoff plan by voting with the Democrats on the governing body over the objections of her fellow Republicans.
“The council is not politically savvy,” Little said, “They were running too.”
“I think there’s some feeling that I left them behind, too,” she said. “I’m their mayor, and I’m off doing something else. (But they don’t understand), everything I do outside of Highlands will relate back to Highlands.”
Little was the only Republican on the ballot in Highlands who lost in 2010. Republican Frank Nolan was elected Mayor to replace Little. Shaun Golden was elected Sheriff. Rob Clifton and Tom Arnone were elected Freeholder. We’d give you their numbers in Highlands, but the County Clerk’s Office hasn’t gotten around to posting the official election results of 2010 and 2011 on their website.
* News reports at the time indicated that Little lost Highlands by 76 votes. When mail in and provisional ballots were counted the loss was by 55 votes.
Former Senate President John O. Bennett, III announced his candidacy for Monmouth County Republican Chairman this afternoon. The following letter is being mailed to members of the Monmouth County Republican Committee:
I wanted to reach all of you as soon as possible after the Governor’s nomination of our County Chair, Joseph Oxley, to the Monmouth County Superior Court. Joe has served our County and Party well and will be an excellent Judge. As a result of his appointment, a new County Chair will need to be elected at our County Reorganization Meeting to be held on June 12, 2012, at the Colts Neck High School at 7:00 pm. I would like you to support me to fill that vacancy. I would consider the position of County Chair to be both an honor and a capstone to a very fulfilling political career.
I have been in public service for over 30 years, and I believe my extensive experience and background will serve the County Committee well. You will find a short resume enclosed that highlights my political life from Chairman of the Young Republicans of Monmouth County to my current position of Treasurer of the New Jersey Republican State Committee.
A few points that I wanted to share with you which I feel are important for our party.
1) I believe in the County Convention System for candidate selection.
2) Every effort should be made to fill as many county Committee slots as possible.
3) A working set of bylaws will be established within 60 days of my becoming County Chair.
4) I pledge to forego all County legal work during my term as chair. My daughter, Meghan Bennett Clark, Esq., is currently the First Assistant County Counsel, and has agreed to resign immediately upon my selection as Chair.
5) Neither I, nor any member of my law firm, will take any paid appointments from the County during my term as Chair. The perception of any conflicts must be removed, and no County chair should be employed by the County in any capacity.
6) There needs to be improved communication between the County party and the local parties. I will establish a working Board of Directors from throughout the County to report back to the Chair regarding issues and events and regular meetings will be held.
7) Headquarters in Freehold should be open and available to all Monmouth County GOP groups.
9) Every effort should be made to value differences of opinion and have internal disputes resolved privately.
10) Last, but certainly not least, the County Party must refocus on raising money. During my tenure as Senate President I raised more money than any other Republican in that time except for a sitting Governor. The Chair needs to participate, while also abiding by all pay-to-play rules and negotiations.
I am asking for your support as County Chair in order to implement this platform and keep Monmouth County strong and Republican. Together we can make a difference.
The print edition of the Asbury Park Press has an six paragraph article today about the Republican and Democratic races for County Chair.
“Pair look to replace Oxley as county GOP chairman” is the headline of the piece which appears on page 3 of the local Monmouth section of the paper. The lead is “Former Senate President John O. Bennett III and Christine Giordano Hanlon, a behind-the-scenes political organizer, both hope to succeed Joseph W. Oxley as chairman of the Monmouth County Republican Committee
The article explains that GOP Chairman Joe Oxley has been nominated to the state Superior Court and reports that he said he is stepping down to spend more time with his 10 week-old daughter, Margaux.
Bennett received one paragraph that said he would officially notify party officials of his candidacy today and noted his position with the Dilworth Paxon law firm. Bennett did not elaborate due to a recent death in his family, the APP said.
Hanlon received two paragraphs on her background.
The last paragraph mentioned the Democratic race between Marlboro Democratic Chairman Frank LaRocca and Long Branch publisher Vin Gopal.
It is unusual that the APP would cover an internal party race. They did not even mention the January election for Freeholder until days after Serena DiMaso was already sworn in to replace Rob Clifton.
Given the extreme, to put it mildly, coverage that Bennett received from the APP in 2003 over his double billing of Marlboro Township while serving as the municipal attorney, many Republican leaders have been worried about the impact a Bennett chairmanship would have on the party and the coverage it receives from the press.
The APP’s coverage of Bennett’s double billing his widely believed to the cause of his 2003 loss of his 12th district Senate seat, the losses of his running mates seats in the Assembly, and ultimately the exile to minority status of the Republican Party in Trenton which has continued to this day.
MMM will update this piece with a link the story on app.com, if and when it gets posted on the pay site.
It’s been over two weeks since MMM reported that Anna Little has not filed as a candidate for Congress with the Federal Election Commission. She still hasn’t. As far as the Federal Election Commission knows, Little is a candidate for U.S. Senate in the Republican primary.
Little, who is making her second run for congress, terminated her campaign committee, Anna C. Little for Congress, Inc, on April 2, nine days after she received the endorsement for the 6th congressional district nomination from the Middlesex County GOP. The termination report was approved by the FEC on April 12. She filed the Friends of Anna Little campaign committee as a candidate for U.S. Senate on February 13.
Newcomer Ernesto Cullari, the Monmouth County GOP choice for congress and Little’s opponent in the June 5th primary, appears to be in compliance with his reporting to the FEC. Cullari filed a Statement of Organization on March 26 and his pre-primary report on May 21.
Unverified rumors fresh off the grapevine point to previously unthinkable alliances forming in the Monmouth GOP chair’s race.
The Howell GOP appears to be united behind John Bennett for Chairman. John Costigan, Bob Walsh, Joe DiBella and Sue Veitengruber are all lining up behind the former Acting Governor, according to a Bennett supporter who added that Western Monmouth is “locked up” for Bennett.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker caused a stir on NBC’s Meet The Press yesterday morning by defending private equity firms, Mitt Romney’s role at Bain Capital and calling the negative ads coming from both Romney and Obama supporters “nauseating.”
Booker, who made headlines last month when he ran into a burning house to save the lives of his neighbors, was calling for a higher level of political discourse, urging both campaigns to lift the country by focusing on the big issues rather than getting bogged down in the small minded attacks.
During his Meet The Press appearance, Booker said he was on the phone with the White House often and that he was a surrogate for the President’s campaign.
There must of been some high level phone calls to the Mayor after the NBC appearance. Probably from Vice President Joe Biden’s gaffe handlers. A few hours after Bookers remarks threatened politics are we know it, the Mayor took to YouTube to restore normalcy.
The heat coming from Washington must of been hotter than the fire the Mayor ran into. It became a threat to the fire in his belly.
