Asbury Park, NJ – When Jersey Shore Tea Party president, Mark Falzon, invited conservative Republican congressional candidate Ernesto Cullari to speak to his organization on Wednesday, May 23, Falzon said the event would be a “meeting with his members”.
Now Anna Little, Cullari’s opponent in the June 5th primary, and the Bayshore Tea Party Group, which is supporting Little, have created a Facebook invite that hypes the event a little differently: “Debate! Anna Little vs. Ernesto Cullari!”
“I’m happy to go anywhere to meet people, but this is the wrong venue for a debate,” said Cullari, who is seeking the nomination in New Jersey’s 6th congressional district, now held by liberal Democrat Frank Pallone. “Mark Falzon is one of Bayshore founder Barbara Gonzalez’ closest allies. I look forward to a debate, but on neutral territory.”
“We have a lot of questions we want to put to Anna Little,” said Cullari manager Kelly Hart, “Like why Little is running on the Bayshore ticket with Bader Qarmout.” Little, an immigration attorney, is on the Bayshore Tea Party Group “ticket” with U.S. Senate candidate Bader Qarmout. Qarmout is the author of a controversial amnesty plan for illegal immigrants. For a nominal fee of $19.25 a week, Qarmout’s plan would allow an illegal immigrant to remain in the United States, work here, open a bank account, and obtain a driver’s license.
“The Qarmout-Little team would let illegals stay in the United States for $2.75 a day – less than the price of a Big Mac,” said Hart. “It is the most liberal amnesty plan being pushed by a Republican candidate anywhere in America.”
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.
No longer will we be forced by both political parties and the media to choose between the lesser of two evils. We say, not on our watch will we ever give in to this sort of tyranny again. This game ends right here, right now! Endorsing Mitt Romney and his record of left-leaning policies would be a complete hypocrisy that collides with everything the Tea Party Movement stands for.
So, it is with great pleasure and honor that We of the above mentioned Tea Party Groups of New Jersey, announce our full endorsement of Dr. Ron Paul for President of The United States of America 2012. Dr. Paul’s 20+ year voting record as an ardent constitutional conservative speaks profoundly of his integrity both as a representative of the people and as a human being. Dr. Paul’s message of Limited Constitutional Government and Individual Liberty is what motivated the Tea Parties into action to begin with and this message will continue to resonate within our movement until America is restored to her former glory and is once again a beacon of freedom.
We choose to stand by our principles rather than to sell our souls to the game of politics because this is what Ron Paul has done consistently his entire political life and we expect nothing less of ourselves.
Republican State Committeewoman would be first female Republican Chair in Monmouth County History
OCEAN TWP.- Monmouth Republican State Committeewoman and Ocean Township Municipal Chair Christine Hanlon today formally announced her candidacy for Monmouth County Republican Chair. Hanlon, an attorney, has assisted Chairman Joe Oxley with the administration of the County Republican Party in recent years. She served as County Coordinator for the McCain-Palin campaign in 2008 and the Christie-Guadagno campaign in 2009. If elected, Hanlon will be the first female Republican Chair in Monmouth County history.
“Through my work on recent county-wide campaigns, I have become intimately familiar with and fully engaged in the inner workings and administration of our county Republican organization,” said Hanlon, who has the backing of most of the party leadership in the County.” I have worked hard to develop a strong grassroots volunteer network throughout the county, to increase communication from the organization, and to implement the use of technology and social media to advance voter outreach.”
“Monmouth Republicans will have a clear choice. We can move backward, or we can move forward. While we must honor our past, we must continue to move forward without the weight of past issues that can distract us from our mission,” concluded Hanlon.
“The voters of New Jersey know the truth behind Sen. Menendez’s record…”
Middletown, May 21…Senator Joe Kyrillos released the following statement today regarding Senator Bob Menendez’s campaign kickoff in Union City. Mr. Menendez is seeking another term in the United States Senate.
“The voters of New Jersey know the truth about Sen. Menendez’s record,” said Senator Kyrillos. “Since Mr. Menendez has been in office, our national debt has almost doubled and our national deficit has nearly quadrupled. Our unemployment rate continues to hover above 8 percent—that’s 20 million unemployed or underemployed people across the country. New Jerseyans see what Senator Menendez is doing is not working- and we need a change. I have worked with Governor Christie to turn around a state that was on the brink of bankruptcy. We’ve balanced our budgets, created jobs, and strengthened the economy without raising taxes. We need reforms like that in Washington, not more of the same from Senator Bob Menendez.”
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.
The bill, S589, that Senator Jennifer Beck and Senate President Steve Sweeney have sponsored to address New Jersey’s “Fake Farms” will not close any fake farms and will not increase property tax revenues. It will create new bureaucracy on the state, county and municipal levels of government. It will increase the costs of municipalities evaluating what is a farm and what is not a farm.
New Jersey’s farmland assessment law dates back to 1964. It provides that properties of 5 acres that generate revenue and payments of $500 from crops or livestock be assessed as farms for property tax purposes. Properties over 5 acres must produce $5 per acre to qualify under the proposed law. $.50 per acre for wetlands. Dogs are excluded as livestock, President Obama’s childhood dietary habits notwithstanding.
S589, let’s call it “Karcher’s Law,” would increase the minimum level of revenue a “farm” must produce to $1000.
Beck used former Senator Ellen Karcher’s use of the farmland assessment law as a major issue in her 2007 campaign to replace Karcher in the Senate. Karcher classifies 6 acres of her 9 acre Marlboro home as a Christmas tree farm, saving $14,000 in property taxes.
I can see the campaign literature now. “We ended fake farms by doubling the required production of these so called farms.” Gullible homeowners will nod and be grateful that their property taxes increased only 3% while the lawyers, lobbyists, rock stars and politicians who avoid tens of thousands in property taxes send in their campaign contributions.
Products that cost $500 in 1964 would cost $3,711.05 today. 500 of today’s dollars would have bought you $67.37 of merchandise in 1964.
Clearly, increasing the required revenue generated from a “farm” from $500 to $1000 will not end the abuse. Increasing the required revenue to the inflation adjusted $3,711.05 will not end it either.
There is a provision in the proposed law that creates a State Farmland Evaluation Advisory Committee comprised of the Director of the Division of Taxation, the Dean of Rutgers College of Agriculture and the Secretary of Agriculture. The committee will conduct periodic reviews of the minimum farm revenue and payment requirements. Maybe Sweeney and Beck are counting on the bureaucrats to come up with an equitable solution to the problem. Not likely, but we can’t say for sure as neither Senator returned a call asking for an explanation of the bill.
There is another provision of the proposed bill that eliminates the “roll back tax” for fake farms that are declassified. Under the current farmland assessment law, properties that are declassified as farms are subject to retroactive property taxes at a fair market valuation for a number of years. The proposed law would only tax declassified farms at fair market value going forward, so long as the property owner continues their fake farming. Maybe this is the real intended teeth of the proposed bill. We’ll ask Beck or Sweeney if either of them calls back.
S589 was passed by the Senate Environment and Energy Committee on Thursday and sent to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Hopefully the Senate Budget and Appropriation Committee, of which Beck is a member, will amend the bill so that it really does eliminate the practice of middle class homeowners subsidizing hobby farms of wealthy and connected landowners.
Someone should tell Barnes, and Politickernj’s Darryl Isherwood, that Democratic NY Governor Andrew Cuomo is employing the exact same fund raising technique to promote his agenda in New York that Christie is using in New Jersey.
All of this ranting about PACs and 501(c)4’s circumventing the pay to pay laws is silly. The campaign finance system is working exactly the way it was designed to work. It decreases transparency and gives politicians something to shout at each other about while the public tunes out to pay attention to something more entertaining. That’s what the system was designed to do!
Note to Isherwood: The New York Times broke the story about Cuomo’s use of a 501(c)4.
Frank LaRocca today announced a complete slate to lead the Monmouth County Democratic Party, reflecting the diversity of the county and a will to win on the part of local leaders.
“I’m honored to have the support of such a broad-based coalition and those who know what it takes to win elections in Monmouth County,” LaRocca said. “This is an outstanding team.”
As the Marlboro Democratic Party Chairman, LaRocca has won 8 out of 9 elections, making Marlboro a model for how to build a Democratic Party organization from the ground floor. When he took over, there was an all Republican Council and a Republican Mayor. Now, as a second term councilman in Marlboro, he is providing innovative, effective leadership in to his community.
The following is the LaRocca Leadership Team:
REBECCA AARONSON
Vice-Chair
Manalapan
In addition to serving as Mayor and Committeewoman in Manalapan, Aaronson was Chairman Victor Scudiery long-time vice-chair of the Monmouth County Democrats.
Rebecca volunteers as a Spanish interpreter at Parker Family Health Center in Red Bank. She has been honored by the Latino American Association of Monmouth County for her public service. She’s a graduate of Brookdale College. She and her husband Richard have raised two sons.
In 2005, Aaronson ran a strong race for Monmouth County Freeholder, nearly toppling an entrenched incumbent.
GERALD TARANTOLO
Corresponding Secretary
Eatontown
Mayor Tarantolo is currently serving his 14th year as Mayor of Eatontown and was last re-elected in November 2010 for a fourth four-year term. He also served on the Eatontown Council for 14 years and as a member of the community’s Board of Education.
Mayor Tarantolo was actively involved in the Save Fort Monmouth Committee, served as co-chairman of the Fort Monmouth Reuse Committee, the Governor’s Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization and Planning Authority and now on the Governor’s Fort Monmouth Economic Redevelopment Authority (FMERA).
He is the 2007 recipient of the Eastern Monmouth Area Chamber of Commerce Spinnaker Award for Public Service and the 2010 SCAN Humanitarian Award.
MICHAEL MANGAN
Recording Secretary
Manasquan
Councilman Mangan is serving his second term where he’s been a leader on the community’s Environmental Commission and Tourism Commission. A business executive, Michael is a graduate of George Washington University. He’s served as executive director of the Monmouth County Democrats under Chairman Scudiery.
VINCENT SOLOMENO
Sergeant at Arms
Hazlet
Vincent Solomeno has been fighting for Monmouth County Democrats since
he was fourteen. In 2000, The Asbury Park Press called him a
“political prodigy” when he beat the odds and elected two Democrats to
the Union Beach Borough Council. Since then, he has managed winning
races in Hazlet Township and helped elect Democrats across Monmouth
County.
Vincent received his B.S. in Political Science from the University of
Scranton. As a Harry S. Truman Scholar, he worked in the Washington,
D.C. office of Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. The recipient of a
2007 J. William Fulbright Fellowship to the Netherlands, he earned his
M.A. in European Studies from the University of Amsterdam for his
study of Islamic radicalization. He is a member of American Legion
Post No. 23, a former member of the Hazlet Township Planning Board,
past President of the Hazlet Democratic Club, and he presently serves
as President of the Bayshore Democratic Club.
SHARON LEE
Treasurer
Red Bank
Councilwoman Sharon Lee is a life-long resident of Monmouth County who has dedicated her public service to quality of life issues. In Red Bank, she chairs the Code Enforcement Committee and serves on the Police, Fire, Parks and Recreation Committees and is Council liaison to the Community Advisory Board. Sharon served for seven years on the Planning Board where her priority was always protecting the integrity of our neighborhoods. During her eight years on Council, Lee has served as Council President, Chair of Parks and Recreation and interim chair of the Finance Committee. She is also the former Chair of Department of Public Works and former Chair of the Education and Technology Committee.
