More tri-City News and the Highlands Republican Club Meeting

Last week’s 12th anniversary edition of the triCityNews was no where to be found in Highlands and Atlantic Highlands by Friday evening last week.  I wondered if officers of the Highlands Republican Club grabbed them all so no one would read it, but all the positive feedback I received through out the week indicates otherwise. 

This week’s issue, Volume 12 + Issue 13, was still in Foodtown in Atlantic Highlands tonight.  There’s a full page of TriCity>Mail dedicated to calling me a self serving bloviator!   Is there any other kind? 

I’d link you to the letters, but Dan Jacobson doesn’t publish on the Internet.  You’ll have to pick it up.

Actually, I can link you to one of the letters.  Dan published HRC President Louis Croce’s letter banning me from Republican Club meetings which I published here the day I received it.  Here it is in case you missed it.

In another letter, the Sergeant-At-Arms of the HRC writes about 600 words on how irrelevent I am.  I doubt he sees the irony in that.  I guess, as Sergeant-At-Arms, it will be his job to take “appropriate measures” to have me removed from the HRC meeting on Monday night should I attend.  Should I show up?   Dan wants pictures if I go.  Rhoda?

The other letter is an anonymous email from someone who looked up MMM’s stats on alexa.com and reasoned that the 70% growth in MMM traffic is because I’ve been picking on the former Mayor of Highlands. 

My page is entertaining, but the best reason to pick up this week’s issue is Dan’s column about the epic failure of the Asbury Park Press, Frank Pallone and those who destroyed Jim Wassel’s effort to redevelop Fort Hancock on Sandy Hook.  I wish I could link it for you.  It’s really good.  Pick up the paper.

• Tweet

Blood Drive For Injured Fire Fighter

Blood Drive for Injured Asbury Park Firefighter

Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini is encouraging her friends and supporters to take part in a blood drive for injured Asbury Park firefigher Jason Fazio who was severely burned in a fire last month. Fazio is undergoing a series of skin grafts at Saint Barnabas Burn Center.

The blood drive is being held tomorrow, February 5th, from 9am to 2pm at the Asbury Park Fire Department on Main Street and Asbury Avenue. All blood types are needed

• Tweet

Cairo Turns Into Jersey Shore

• Tweet

Monmouth Democrats Are Off To An Early Start In Freeholder Race

By Art Gallagher

Monmouth County Democrats are getting to work early in defending their only remaining Freeholder seat.

Last night at the Bella Vista Country Club in Marlboro, Democratic Freeholder Amy Mallet held a campaign kickoff/fundraiser hosted by Vin Gopal, co-owner of Communtiy Publications, and co-hosted by Marlboro Mayor Jon Hornick, County Chairman Vic Scudiery, and former Freeholder John D’Amico.  Middlesex County Senator Barbara Buono, a potential 2013 gubernatorial candidate, was the Special Guest Speaker.

Gopal announced that the event raised over $10,000.

Mallet and Republican Freeholder Lillian Burry are both up for reelection this fall.

Burry opened a facebook page on Tuesday and is hoping to have 50 fans by the end of the week.  As of 10:30 this morning she has 17 fans.  I think MMM readers can produce 100 fans for Burry by the end of the day today.  Click here and “Like Lillian“.

• Tweet

Weekend @ Monmouth

I hear there’s a football game on Sunday.  I predict the team with yellow in their uniforms will win.

There is a Chance Auction and Dinner Dance benefiting the Atlantic Highlands Elementary School PTO at the Shore Casino tonight.

You can learn to knit at the Matawan Public Library tomorrow morning at 10.

Before the game on Sunday you can appreciate African American Music, while it still exists, at the Monmouth County Library in Manalapan.

There’s plenty to do.  Check out GregsList.

• Tweet

Hispanics/Latinos Are New Jersey’s Largest Minority Group

By Art Gallagher

Hispanics have surpassed African Americans as the largest minority group in New Jersey, according to the 2010 U.S. Census figures released this week.   The census reported 1,555,144 Latinos living in the Garden State in 2010 compared to 1,204,826 African Americans.  

Over the decade, the Hispanic population grew 39% in New Jersey from 1,117,191 reported in the 2000 census.  The African American population declined .6% from 1,211,750. 

Apparently Planned Parenthood’s Negro Project which seeks to limit the growth of the African American community by encouraging abortions is working in New Jersey.

• Tweet

NJ Population Shifts to Central and South Jersey

Captiol Quickies reports that one third of New Jersey’s 40 legislative districts will have to be redrawn under a new map due to the 2010 Census data delivered to state officials today.

The average population of the legislative districts is to be 220,000 people.

In Monmouth County,  the population of the 12th district, which also includes parts of Mercer County, has grown and the district will have to be contracted geographically.  Senator Jennifer Beck and Assembly Members Caroline Casagrande and Declan O’Scanlon represent the 12th.

The 30th district which includes Allentown, Farmingdale and Howell in Monmouth, and portions of Burlington, Mercer and Ocean counties will be contracted substantially as the population of Lakewood in Ocean County exploded by 54% from 60,352 in the 2000 census to 92,843 in 2010.  The 30th is represented by Senator Robert Singer and Assemblymen Joseph Mallone and Ronald Dancer.

The 13th district, which includes the Monmouth County bayshore and Old Bridge in Middlesex County has a population of 219,564 in the new census and could remain as drawn in the 2000 map.  Senator Joe Kyrillos and Assembly Members Amy Hanlon and Sam Thompson represent the 13th.  Thompson is also the Middlesex County GOP chairman.

The population of the 11th district, coastal Monmouth from Atlantic Highlands south to Brielle (with the exception of Manasquan which is in the 10th) has declined, which will require the district to be expanded geographically.  The 11this currently the only legislative district with is comprised exclusively on Monmouth County towns.  It is represented by Senator Sean Kean and Assembly Members Dave Rible and Mary Pat Angelini.

The 10th district includes Manasquan in Monmouth County and the northern coastal sections of Ocean County.  Its population has also declined which will require the district to be expanded geographically.  The 10th is currently represented by Senator Anthony Ciesla and Assemblymen David Wolfe and James Holzapfel.  Ciesla has announced that he will not seek another term.

• Tweet

Is There A Chance Obama Won’t Seek Another Term?

The folks at Hillbuzz say Chicago politicos think the President won’t run for reelection.

Of course, Hillbuzz would like that because it would create a lot of Hillary buzz.

Here’s their reasoning:

The Obama cultists in the Media keep insisting “there’s no way Obama doesn’t win re-election”, and the Cocktail Party GOP defeatists pick up their usual Eeyore cues from that and essentially seem geared to give up before the 2012 election even begins, but I keep coming back to something a good friend of mine asked me the other day that I honestly didn’t have an answer for.

She posed this question — which I invite you to answer in comments below:  ”Have you ever heard anyone who didn’t vote for Obama in 2008 wish they could go back and vote for him now, after seeing him as president?”.

This is a new take on what we hear a lot, that people who voted for Obama, now unhappy with his job performance, wish they could go back in time and not vote for him. This feeling seems to be widespread now that a good deal of the hopeychange Kool-Aid has expired.

But, have you honestly ever heard ANYONE say that “I didn’t vote for him in 2008, but he’s done such a good job I wish I had known better and can’t wait to vote for him in 2012″?

The tea leaves that HillBuzz are reading come from David Axelrod and the First Lady:

It might seem incredible that Obama would just walk away from the presidency, leaving Democrats in the lurch for 2012, but I was told, repeatedly, to watch what David Axelrod and Michelle Antoinette have both been doing in recent weeks…they give no signs whatsoever that they are engaged in a re-election campaign.

Axelrod was recently on a Chicago Sunday political show and kept dodging all talk of the re-election campaign, which is like Oprah Winfrey turning down a large supreme pizza or a sandwich bigger than her head.  It’s unheard of.

Axelrod’s favorite topic in the world is how he got Obama elected president, which means Axelrod’s second favorite topic in the world should be how he is going to re-elect Obama in 2012.  He left the White House claiming that’s why he was moving back to Chicago, to focus on the re-election bid, and when given the perfect opportunity to wax on about that, and praise himself and his efforts, he completely dodged the topic, wanting nothing to do with it.  Why?

Pressed by the reporter, Axelrod apparently said “the president’s re-election is just one of the interesting projects I am working on”.  What could be peer, in terms of being interesting, to re-electing a president if you are a political consultant?  Chicago political veterans picked up on this and saw it as a sign that those in the Obama ranks either do not believe he will win in 2012, or that he won’t even run, largely because of the former.

Then there was Michelle Antoinette on Good Morning America last Thursday or Friday, wearing something hideous as usual, also downplaying the re-election campaign and dodging questions about her involvement in it.  This, too, is strange because Michelle Antoinette has always loved talking about how influential, powerful, and generally wonderful she (thinks she) is.

Like Axelrod, Michelle Antoinette poo-poohed the re-election talk, not taking the opportunity to go on about how much her husband deserved a second term to keep doing whatever it is all day, the end results of which the American people clearly hate.

She had a very “one and done” attitude about living in the White House for Obama’s term, and people here in Chicago who know her said that she was in particularly bad spirits after returning to DC from Hawaii, because she just didn’t want to ever leave and resents having to spend any time at all in DC.

Hat tip to Uncoverage for the Hillbuzz piece.

• Tweet

Census Data Due Today

Internal State Population Data Will Be Used By Redistricting Commission To Draw New Legislative District Map

By Art Gallagher

The U.S. Census Bureau sent local 2010 Census data to New Jersey officials yesterday, according to a media advisory.

Upon confirmation of receipt, the Census Bureau data will be available for download here.

The data will include summaries of population totals, as well as data on race, Hispanic origin and voting age. These data will be presented for multiple geographies within the state, such as census blocks, tracts, voting districts, cities, counties and school districts.

The bi-partisan Redistricting Commission, 5 Democrats and 5 Republicans, are charged with creating a new legislative map based on the new population figures within 30 days.  Should they fail to agree on a map, which is usually the case, the State Supreme Court Justice Stuart Rabner will appoint an 11th member of the commission and 30 additional days are provided to construct a map.

Various citizens groups, including the Bayshore Tea Party,  are expected to construct maps and submit them for consideration to the Redistricting Commission for consideration.

• Tweet

Pallone Silent On Planned Parenthood Controversy

By Art Gallagher

What’s up with Frank Pallone’s silence on the Planned Parenthood controversy?  I realize Perth Amboy is not part of the 6th congressional district, but after all, Phoney Palloney was given PP of Central Jersey’s Leadership Award last October.

Pallone gave a twit about Groundhog  Day this morning.  Not a word today or yesterday about Planned Parenthood.

• Tweet