Hibell Calls Shenanigans On Walsh Abusing Her Board of Education Post, Exploiting Kids

Committeeman Rick Hibell

Middletown Township Committeeman Rich Hibell accused his Democrat opponent, Board of Education member Danielle Walsh, of abusing her position of on the BOE by officially recognizing her campaign volunteers for academic acheivement and for the widespread use of photos of Middletown school children for political purposes without their parents permission.

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Democrats seek to take over Middletown Board of Education

BoE Member Danielle Walsh said to be hedging in her Township Committee race

NJEA funding Dem related BoE slate through Giaimo’s Assembly account

When Democrat attorney Tom Giaimo lost to Amy Handlin and Serena DiMaso last year for State Assembly, he did not close his campaign account.  Rather, he kept raising money, most of it from the NJEA’s political action committee and politically connected lawyers like himself.   He used the cash to repay a loan to himself and to fund his Middletown Board of Education slate of Giaimo Fox and Wright.  Giaimo’s Assembly account and the joint Middletown Board of Education account have the same Democrat treasurer.

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Middletown Democrat Arrested For Stealing and Vandalizing GOP and Board of Education Signs

Irv Beaver, 73, of Waterview Way, Belford, a long time Middletown Democrat volunteer, activist and County Committeeman, was arrested on Sunday afternoon for stealing and vandalizing campaign signs supporting Republican candidates for local, county and congressional offices, as well as Middetown Board of Education candidates who the Middletown Democrat organization opposes.

Beaver retired from Middletown Police Department in 1988, at the age of 44.  On his social media pages, facebook and linkedin, he purports to be an investigator for the NJ Attorney General’s Office.

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Michael A. Katz seeks Dem nomination for Middletown Township Committee

Michael A. Katz

Michael A. Katz, a 45 year old live long resident of Middletown, has thrown his hat into the ring for the Democratic nomination for Middletown Township Committee.

The Middletown Democrats only submitted one candidate for the two seats up this year.  The candidate who gets the most write-in votes in the primary tomorrow will likely join William E. Hutton on the Democratic slate against Republicans Deputy Mayor Stephanie Murray and Committeeman Tony Fiore.

Katz launched his campaign last week after MMM reported the vacancy and suggested that Democrats write-in Michael Morris.  Katz said he thinks he has as many as 50 write-in votes so far.  26 is the minimum required to get on the general election ballot.  If no candidate gets 26 write-in votes, only Hutton will appear on the ballot for the Democrats in November.

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Middletown Democrats: Write In Michael Morris for Township Committee

Congressman Frank Pallone and Michael “Middletown Mike” Morris

Middletown Democrats who are examining their sample ballots in preparation of voting in the primary on Tuesday, June 6 will notice that only one candidate, William E. Hutton, is on the ballot for two seats on the Township Committee.  This has led to a flurry of activity of potential candidates trying to get the twenty-six write-in votes necessary to qualify to be on the ballot in November.

As good a job as Republicans Deputy Mayor Stephanie Murray and Committeeman Tony Fiore are doing for the people of Middletown, it is just un-American to let Murray or Fiore go unchallenged for another term.

For over 10 years, Michael Morris, aka Middletown Mike, has been preaching that “Truth, Justice and the American Way is possible all at once here in Middletown, the Bayshore and the great State of New Jersey. Read the rest of this entry »

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Middletown Democratic TC Candidate Lives in Rumson?

One of the Middltetown Democrats candidates for Township Committee says he lives in Rumson.

Criminal defense attorney George Mardinly’s facebook page lists his home as Rumson.

More interesting that Mardinly’s address exaggeration (he actually lives in the graceful Locust section of Middletown, on the north side of the Navesink) is his history of political giving.  Mardinly contributed $2700 to Republican Senator Jennifer Beck’s 2013 reelection campaign and $2000 to Senator Joe Kyrillos’s 2012 U.S. Senate race against Democratic U.S.Senator Bob Menendez.

Maybe Mardinly is angling to be a Judge. Kyrillos and Beck are both members of the New Jersey Senate Judiciary committee and have senatorial courtesy in the

Patrick Short knows he lives in Middletown

appointment of Superior Court Judges in Monmouth County.  Or maybe he just likes Republican legislators.

Neither Middletown Democratic Chairman Don Watson or Monmouth Democratic County Vin Gopal were available to comment of Mardinly’s political giving.

Former Township Committeeman Patrick Short is the Democrats other candidate. Short was elected in 2006 in the wake of Operation Bid rig, and was defeated by Steve Massell in 2009 in the first Christie landslide.  Short ran for Assembly in 2011, losing to Declan O’Scanlon and Amy Handlin.

Short and Mardinly will face off against Republican incumbents Mayor Stephanie Murray and Committeeman Tony Fiore in November.

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Fiore and Murray Seek Reelection in Middletown

Middletown Mayor Stephanie Murray and Committeeman Tony Fiore tour North Middletown with Congressman Frank Pallone and U.S. Senator Bob Menendez last week. photo via facebook

Middletown Mayor Stephanie Murray and Committeeman Tony Fiore, a former mayor, will be the Republican candidates for Township Committee this fall, according to an announcement on the Middletown Township Republican Organization’s facebook page this weekend.  If reelected, Murray will serve her second term; Fiore his third.

The Middletown Democrats have yet to announce their candidates.  On Sunday, Party Chairman Don Watson told MMM that he would be filing candidates petitions today, the deadline for candidates seeking a partisan nomination, but declined to name the candidates.  Watson indicated it was possible he could change candidates overnight.

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Middletown Library Will Consider Part Time Executive Director

Susan O’Neal. Photo courtesy of Middletown Patch.

The Middletown Library Board of Trustees will consider hiring a part time executive director to replace Susan O’Neal.

O’Neal submitted her resignation to the board last evening as part of a negotiated termination. Board President Brock Siebert declined to comment on O’Neal resignation, citing a confidentiality agreement.   The termination won’t be official until approved by the Middletown Township Committee.  Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger also declined to comment.

O’Neal’s salary is $119,816, according to Data Universe.

O’Neal’s continued employment became untenable when her emails with Linda Baum, a Democratic candidate for Township Committee revealed that she was colluding with the Middletown Democratic Party to undermine the authority of the Board of Trustees.    The emails were released as a result of an Open Public Records Act request on the part of Committeeman Tony Fiore.  Fiore became suspicious that O’Neal and Baum were colluding when Baum shared confidential information she should not have been privy to at a public meeting.  Baum unsuccessfully sued to block the release of the emails.

Brock said the board’s personnel committee will meet next week to discuss a search for O’Neal’s replacement.  Hiring a part time executive director is one option he wants to committee to consider.

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Middletown Democrats, Asbury Park Press Follow MMM’s Lead In Endorsing Pallone

Following the lead of MoreMonmouthMusings, the Middletown Democrats and the Asbury Park Press have endorsed Congressman Frank Pallone for the Democratic nomination to complete the term of the late U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg.

Frank Pallone at 2010 Highlands Clamfest.
The 19th annual clamfest ends today in Highlands. Pallone was there on Friday night

MMM, the first website in the world to endorse Pallone for the Senate nomination, did so on June 25 because the congressman asked publisher Art Gallagher for help, because Gallagher believes the Republican nominee, likely to be former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, stands a better chance against Pallone than against Newark Mayor Cory Booker, and most importantly, a vacancy in Pallone’s 6th district congressional seat would be fantastic for MMM’s web traffic.  Our advertisers would love it!

The Middletown Dems say they endorsed Pallone because he “did the best he could” on a variety of issues.  In reality, they are hoping for money from Pallone to fund races even porn distributors are taking a pass on.

The Asbury Park Press endorsed Pallone, even though they say, “Voters can’t go wrong, no matter which way they lean in this primary, ” because they hope hometown Pallone will spend some advertising dollars,drive up newsstand sales and website visits.

All three endorsements come down to money.  Only MMM will admit that.  We like money and we need it!  Go Frank Go!

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Middletown Library Director and Democratic Committee Candidate Worked Together To Undermine Oversight, Raise Funds For Democratic Campaign

State Senator Barbara Buono and Linda Baum, Democratic candidate for Middletown Township Committee, 8/25/12 facebook photo

Middletown Library Director Susan O’Neal submitted incomplete and haphazardly organized emails between herself and Linda Baum, a past and present Democratic candidate for Middletown Township Committee, in response to Judge Lawrence M. Lawson’s ruling last week that the emails are government documents subject to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act.

MMM received the 298 pages of emails which include numerous duplicates, many truncated pages that cannot be fully read and omit relevant attachments, late this morning from Middletown Township via OPRA request.  The emails can be viewed via Scribd at the end of this post.

The emails reveal a ongoing endeavor between O’Neal and Baum to undermine the oversight of the library by its Board of Trustees and the Township Committee.  Additionally, Baum and O’Neal planned to use the library to forward the political objectives, including political fundraising, of Baum and the Middletown Democrats.  Middletown Democratic Chairman Don Watson was copied on several of the emails.

In his ruling dated July 1 denying Baum’s motion to thwart the release of the emails requested by Middletown Clerk Heidi Brunt on behalf of Township Committeeman and Library Trustee Tony Fiore, Lawson wrote that Baum argued the emails have “absolutely nothing to do with the official business of the library” and do not relate to public operations.

Lawson wrote that “Baum argues that she has no relationship with the Library, nor is she an agent of the library in any respect.”

The emails reveal otherwise.

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