Monmouth GOP Unity on display in Tampa

PolitickerNJ.com anticipated an injured ego storyline in the aftermath of (John) Bennett’s June victory over intra-party rival Christine Hanlon.

But it wasn’t there.

“Christine and I are friends, and she’s been so helpful,” said Bennet, whose party dominates Monmouth.

In June, (Christine) Hanlon lost a bid for the Monmouth GOP chairmanship by a narrow margin to former state Sen. John Bennett.

“John and I are friends, and I support him,” Hanlon told PolitickerNJ.com.

“Monmouth is not Bergen,” assured (Brian) Nelson.

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Bennett: Monmouth GOP will have a convention in September

The Monmouth County Republican Committee will convene in September, either on the 22nd or the 29th depending on venue scheduling, for the purpose of adopting by-laws, electing a new GOP State Committeeman and electing a county party board of directors, according to Chairman John Bennett. 

Bennett is resigning from the state committee.

“I’m working hard and keeping my promises,” said the Chairman who celebrated the 25th anniversary of his 39th birthday at a fundraiser in Sea Bright yesterday.

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Gopal slams Bennett, Little over Christine O’Donnell appearance

Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal issued a scathing statement to Politickernj condemning Monmouth GOP Chairman John Bennett and 6th District Congressional nominee Anna Little for their decision to bring Christine O’Donnell to Monmouth County for a Little fundraiser next week.

“The Monmouth County Republican Party and their star candidate Anna Little are teaming up with the most extreme candidate ever to run for the U.S. Senate – an individual who openly talked about her involvement in witchcraft and who rejected the most basic theory of science, evolution,” Gopal said. “This is who extremist Anna Little and the Monmouth County Republicans are choosing to align themselves with and one has to wonder if they share Ms. O’Donnell’s views on evolution, witchcraft, women in the military and the countless issues in which she is out of touch with not just the residents in Monmouth County, but members of her own party. It becomes scarier everyday what a Congresswoman Anna Little would like.”

Gopal cited several of O’Donnell’s quotes made on Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect TV show and the FoxNews O’Reilly Factor in making his case that O’Donnell is detached from the mainstream.

“Who do they think they’re going to get to pay $2500 to meet that lunatic?” Gopal said when reached by MMM.

Neither Bennett nor Little were immediately available for comment.

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Unity or Strange Bedfellows in the Monmouth GOP?

Anna Little, with good reason, has been taking credit for John Bennett’s election as Monmouth GOP Chairman.  If not for Little endorsing her benefactor and encouraging the County Committee members who are also Tea Party activists to vote for Bennett, Christine Hanlon would be Chairwoman.

Little’s reward, whatever it is, will come sometime after she loses to Frank Pallone in November.

The biggest change that Bennett has made since taking over the helm of the Monmouth GOP six weeks ago is to start to make good on his campaign promise to raise the money necessary for county campaigns.   He has informed the Monmouth GOP ticket of Freeholders John Curley and Serena DiMaso, as well as County Clerk Claire French, not to worry about rasing money for the fall campaign.  He has instructed office holders not on the ballot this fall, including the legislative delegation and the sheriff, all of whom have campaigns next year, to suspend their fund raising activities effective August 1 so as not to compete with his efforts for the current campaign.

But how will he raise the money?

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Gopal Slams Monmouth GOP, Freeholder Burry, Over Brookdale Scandal

Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal released the following statement yesterday afternoon after former Brookdale Community College President Peter Burnham pled guilty to theft by deception and official misconduct:

“Earlier today, Brookdale Community College President Peter Burnham pled guilty of stealing tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer money. The web of corruption surrounding this case is just another example of Monmouth County Republican cronies profiting at the taxpayers’ expense.”

“Mr. Burnham, along with Brookdale Community College’s then Board President Howard Birsdall and Brookdale’s Board Attorney John Cantalupo were all close allies and major political supporters of the Republican Party establishment here in Monmouth County. Mr. Cantalupo served as Freeholder Lillian Burry’s close confidant and official Campaign Treasurer in her 2005 and 2008 Freeholder campaigns. In this same time period, Mr. Cantalupo negotiated the terms of Peter Burnham’s lavish Brookdale contracts. This represents a clear conflict of interest, given that Mr. Cantalupo was Freeholder Burry’s right hand man. Perhaps this is why Freeholder Burry sat silently on the sidelines as the truth about Mr. Burnhams theft was being exposed.”

“As a result of the Republican-controlled Freeholder Board’s lack of oversight, student tuition increased at Brookdale Community College while their college president profited immensely. This is what happens when a chief advisor for the Republican Freeholders is negotiating salary contracts on behalf of a College President that is funded by these same Republican Freeholders. It is time for Monmouth County taxpayers to unite against the Good Ol’ Boys Network here in Monmouth County”

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Monmouth Democrats 2ndQ ELEC report not filed. Missing?

Monmouth GOP Team reports $83,000 cash on to hand

The Monmouth Democratic Party’s second quarter campaign finance report, due July 15th, has not been posted on the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission’s website as of this afternoon.  Dem Chairman Vin Gopal told MMM that the report was filed with ELEC, along with the report designating him as the new chairman, on July 10th.  Gopal said he would contact ELEC resolve the problem.

At the end of the first quarter, the Monmouth Dems had $6,305.14 cash on hand and was $78,025 in debt.  Over $60K of the debt was owed to then County Chairman Victor Scudiery.  Gopal said that the second quarter report “was pretty much the same, less than $10,000 on hand.”

The Democratic county candidates, Kevin Lavan and Bill Shea for Freeholder and Michael Steinhorn for Clerk, have $64.14 between them as of their post-primary reports.  Lavan and Steinhorn each told ELEC that they were not raising or spending money for the primary race.  Shea raised over $20K, but spent all but $64.14 in the uncontested primary.

The Monmouth GOP appears to be in better shape.  The GOP committee reported $34,790.31 in cash as of June 30th.    In their post-primary reports, Freeholder Director John Curley reported $22,554.81 in cash; Freeholder Serena DiMaso reported $11,401.19 and County Clerk Claire French reported $14,673.21.

Monmouth County  Republican Chairman John O. Bennett III has instructed all county and state elected officials, with the exception of this year’s candidates, to suspend raising money as of August 1 so as to not compete with his fundraising activities for the coming county campaign.  Bennett promised Curley, DiMaso and French that he would raise the funds necessary for the fall campaign.

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Bayshore Tea Party Promises Primaries

Monmouth GOP Chairman John O. Bennett III invited Bayshore Tea Party Group Co-Founder Barbara Gonzalez to speak at the GOP Unity Breakfast last Saturday.

Gonzalez and fellow co-founder Robert Gordon responded on Monday by issuing a statement to say something that Gonzalez forgot to say to the Unity gathering on Saturday:  Every Republican can expect a primary if they don’t do what the Tea Party wants them to do.

Here’s the statement:

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Bayshore Tea Party Group Co-founder Speaks Out About Monmouth GOP Convention, Publishes The Candidate Speech He Didn’t Get To Deliver

The following is a statement from Robert Gordon, Co-founder of the Bayshore Tea Party Group, which includes the speech he would have delivered to the Monmouth GOP Convention last week had him nomination been accepted.

Given the points Gordon makes, MMM asked him why he is not challenging the Chairman’s election.  He said the had thought about it but concluded that such action would not be productive.

On Tuesday evening, June 12, 2012, we attempted to get my name entered into nomination for chairman of the Monmouth County Republican committee. That attempt failed for a variety of reasons. First, I was told by Joe Oxley, the current chairman, that we were discourteous in not notifying him of our intention at least two weeks in advance. What transpired after our exchange with Mr. Oxley, was unfortunate, but predictable because of the absence of bylaws or the adherence to Robert’s Rules of Order. I did offer my apology to Mr. Oxley, however I was dismayed by Mr Oxley’s adamant aversion of rules and the resulting response from the floor when my nomination was denied without explanation. It is unfortunate that a simple matter of producing County committee bylaws was not undertaken at a much earlier time, thereby short-circuiting any issues of this type. It was not our intention to embarrass Mr. Oxley or anyone else in this organization.

My considering running for this office came about as a result of several issues. First was the failure to produce bylaws in compliance with Title 19. Our first priority should be to comply with this requirement. Second was the nature of the campaign for chairman being contested by Christine Hanlon and John Bennett. For two weeks my mail box was filled with what in my opinion was negative campaign material. I felt that I should be receiving materials that clearly define what each of these candidates intended to do in strengthening the Republican Party, and this particular County committee. This clearly was not the case. I felt the need for an expanded responsibility for each of the members of this committee in communicating with the public in their respective districts. We represent those people and that representation requires us to convey information from the County committee to the public, and convey the public’s concerns to that same committee. I believe that we should expand this responsibility, and ask our committee members to become more active in the processes of local and state government. We must be the conduit that enhances the flow of information to our constituents and ask them to contact their local and state representatives on all of the issues that will have a bearing on the quality of life in their neighborhoods. We must be diligent in monitoring the activities of our local and state representatives. We must be confident that they are acting in a manner that is consistent with the qualities of good government and conforming to the principles which got them elected. We should not discourage the participation in our local committees as has been the case in this last election.

I am a conservative. I believe in smaller government, fiscal responsibility and adherence to the Constitution of the United States and the state of New Jersey. My speech, a copy of which follows, outlines my sincere wish for unity and a return to the conservative principles of Ronald Reagan. I have stated some items of concern where Republican representatives have not been consistent in sticking with conservative principles. This should concern us all.

John Bennett was elected chairman in a very closely contested election. I congratulate him on his victory. We wish to offer whatever help is necessary to ensure the restoration of unity in this party and the return to conservative principles, so necessary to restoring the quality of life that we have come to expect in New Jersey.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE NOMINATION SPEECH THAT I HAD PREPARED FOR THE EVENING OF JUNE 12TH, 2012:

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An Open Letter of Thanks

From the Desk of Christine Giordano Hanlon, Monmouth Republican State Committeewoman

Dear Monmouth County Committee Members and Fellow Republicans:

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of my supporters who stood behind me in my candidacy for Monmouth Republican Chair.  Your support has meant a great deal to me and I will be eternally grateful.

 I would also like to reiterate my congratulations to our new County Chairman, John Bennett.  I wish him well in his Chairmanship.

We must now come together to focus on that which is most important – continuing to work toward the election of Republicans at every level of government.  As Abraham Lincoln once said, “a house divided cannot stand.”   Monmouth Republicans cannot be a house divided.  

We have many challenges ahead.  We must work together to elect our local and county candidates, and to send Republicans toWashington so that we can begin moving our nation back in the right direction. Monmouth County will play a critical role in the election of Mitt Romney and Joe Kyrillos, and must set the standard for the rest of the State.  I look forward to working with all of you in the future to accomplish these goals.

Respectfully,

Christine G. Hanlon

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Party Unity

Based upon the voting results of the two Monmouth County political conventions that occurred on Tuesday evening, it would appear that the Monmouth Democratic Organization is united and the Monmouth Republican Organization is divided.

Vin Gopal’s margin of victory in the Democratic Chairman’s race was 73%-27%.  John Bennett scored a 50.24%-49.75% victory in the Republican race.

Both parties had extraordinarily high turnouts with over 600 committee members voting.  For a county party that has had no electoral success in recent years, the record turnout for the Democrats was an impressive showing. 

But all is not rosy for the Democrats.  Among Gopal’s minority opponents are his 3 county level candidates, Michael Steinhorn running for County Clerk and Freeholder candidates Bill Shea and Kevin Lavan.  Gopal, Steinhorn, Shea and Lavan were all general election candidates last year.  Gopal was an Assembly candidate in the 11th district.  Steinhorn and Shea were county level candidates, and Lavan was an Assembly candidate in the 13th district.  The divide is reportedly over Gopal’s relative (they all lost) success.  He raised more money, got more press and came closer to winning than Steinhorn, Shea and Lavan did in 2011.

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