Don’t sell the nursing homes until these questions are answered

By Art Gallagher

This evening at the Monmouth County Agriculture Building, the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders will listen to a report on the state of the county owned care centers/nursing homes. Following that report, the are very likely vote to move forward in the process of selling or privatizing the facilities.

There have been compelling arguments made on both sides of the issue. There has also been emotion driven demagoguery on both sides of the issue. What may have been missing, so far, is a dispassionate analysis. There are those of both sides of the issue who have been fighting for their intended outcome based on ideological, emotional, and political concerns.   Ideology, emotion and politics are all appropriate factors.  However, those drivers should be informed by a dispassionate analysis of all the facts and options. Any official who casts a vote on the future of the care centers based solely on ideology, emotion, politics or personal preference is guilty of malpractice.

I respectively ask all five of my friends on the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders to consider the answers to the following questions before making a final decision on the future of the John L. Montgomery and Geraldine Thompson care centers.

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Judge orders approximately 200 goats, sheep removed from Millstone farm

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Will Freeholders Curley, Rich and Arnone turn their backs on the handicapped?

By Ernesto Cullari

In the pursuit of trimming Monmouth County’s bottom line Freeholders Tom Arnone, Gary Rich and John Curley, Curley who faces the voters in November, are about to turn their back on several handicapped and indigent patients living at the John L. Montgomery Care Center in Freehold, despite a viable, fiscally responsible and compassionate alternative being proposed by Freeholders Lillian Burry and Serena DiMaso. The Burry-DiMaso plan both trims the budget and saves the facility, which serves some of the county’s most needy families.

Life is wondrous, beautiful and vital, until it’s not. Many of us have watched a grandparent, so active and so engaged from the earliest moments of our youth, suddenly decline and descend into illness and death. It’s even harder when it’s a parent or a child. My dad recently fell ill. As I write this he lays in intensive care, holding on to his relatively young life via prayers and the constant attention of family and medical professionals. If he survives this dangerous chapter, he may have a lifetime of respiratory, physical and occupational therapy ahead of him. A wondrous beautiful life is all at once fragile and uncertain.

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Monmouth Dems Meet Tonight To Nominate Their County and Legislative Candidates

The Monmouth County Democrats will hold a “mini-convention” this evening at the IBEW Local 400 Union Hall in Wall Township to formally nominate their slate of County and Legislative candidates for the June 2 primary.

Jeanne Cullinane is challenging Assembly Members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon in the 13th legislative district

MMM has learned that Hazlet Board of Education member Tom Herman will be a candidate for Assembly in the 13th legislative district, challenging incumbent Republicans Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon. Joining Herman on the Democratic ticket in the 13th will be Jeanne Cullinane, also of Hazlet, a political newcomer.

Cullinane has recently shared posts on facebook that compared Republicans to Iranian terrorists and Polish people to monkeys.

Monmouth County Chairman Vin Gopal has previously announced on his blog that Neptune Township Zoning Board Member Carol Rizzo will challenge incumbent Republican Freeholder John Curley.  There has been speculation that Rizzo was seperated at birth from Rumson Democratic Chairman and former Democratic candidate for Surrogate, Michael Steinhorn.

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Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long will be unopposed for re-election

Sea Bright Democrats Expect A Primary Fight Over Council Nominations

Councilman Marc Leckstein: Gopal with overrule local chairman and award him the party line in the primary

Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long. photo credit:RedBankGreen.com

Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long is poised to lead the tiny coastal borough’s recovery from Superstorm Sandy for another four years.

Long, an Independent, will file her nominating petitions this week, over two months before they are due for Independent candidates.  Both the Democratic and Republican municipal chairs  have said that they won’t field candidates against Long.

“I am hopeful the voters of Sea Bright will give me the opportunity to see through our rebuilding from Sandy, the recovery of our municipal finances and the economic revitalization of our downtown,” Long said in a prepared statement, “I want to make sure we incorporate lessons learned from Sandy to improve our future resilience, and that we continue to engage and empower Sea Bright residents to be an active part that process.

“Over the last three and half years, we have seen that when we roll up our sleeves and work together, we succeed. If we keep bringing that spirit to the tasks at hand, I know Sea Bright’s potential can finally be realized. I am honored that the Democrat and Republican party organizations are not opposing my re-election bid, and am very very grateful. I look forward to working with them all to keep Sea Bright moving forward.”

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Christie’s ‘randomly’ chosen Boy Scout at town hall wasn’t left entirely to chance

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Middletown PBA takes negotiations to facebook

A rant against Mayor Stephanie Murray and the rest of the Middletown Township Committee was posted anonymously on the business facebook page of the Middletown Township PBA Local 124 yesterday afternoon.

Written by “I am a police officer in Middletown Township,” the post alleges that Murray and the Township Committee are not paying police officers salaries and claims that officers are subjected to sub-standard working conditions.  The anonymous officer claims that the Township Committee gave themselves a 20% raise:

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Solomon Dwek, at center of big corruption sting, released early from prison

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Arrest made in Toms River hit-and-run death of Brookdale Student

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, March 20-22, 2015

By Greg Kelly

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Friday, March 20

• Downtown Freehold Pub Crawl – MORE INFO
• Asbury Park Spring Home Show – MORE INFO
• Rent the Musical at Axelrod PAC (Deal) – MORE INFO
• Jesus Christ Superstar at Spring Lake Theatre – MORE INFO
• Godspell by Monmouth Players (Atlantic Highlands) – MORE INFO
• Spring Equinox Walk on Sandy Hook – MORE INFO
• Monmouth County Teen Arts Festival at BCC (Lincroft) – MORE INFO
• Book Sale (Colts Neck) – MORE INFO
• Alzheimer’s Conference: How to Cope & Face (Manalapan) – MORE INFO
• Greater Long Branch C of C Business Awards Dinner – MORE INFO
• Girls’ Night Out at Sickles Market (Little Silver) – MORE INFO
• Young Frankenstein (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• Jersey Shore: America’s Playground Exhibit (Lincroft) – MORE INFO

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