Don Holland will seek GOP nomination for reelection
Press Release
Manalapan Township Committeeman Don Holland announced that he has left the Democratic Party and plans to seek the Republican nomination to run for re-election in 2011. Mr. Holland cites major differences with the Democratic Party as his reason for making the change.
“I don’t view this as leaving the Democratic Party, I view this as joining a team that more closely reflects the values of serving the best interest of Manalapan. This has not been an easy decision, but my loyalty to the residents of Manalapan is what motivates me,” Mr. Holland stated.
Mr. Holland is proud of his record of accomplishment on the Manalapan Township Committee, where he has served since January 2009.
“The decisions I make are always based on what’s best for our residents. I don’t believe in the petty bickering or partisan politics that permeates the Manalapan Democratic Party. I want to focus all of my energy on making Manalapan an even better place to live, and the members of the Republican Party share that mindset,” said Mr. Holland.
The Republicans currently serving on the Township Committee include Mayor Andrew Lucas, Deputy Mayor Ryan Green, and Committeeman Jordan Maskowitz.
“I’ve had the pleasure of serving with Mr. Holland on the Township Committee these past few years and he has been great to work with,” said Mayor Lucas. “Mr. Holland has put aside the silly partisan bickering and has always been a gentleman and a problem solver. He truly has served Manalapan well and we’re thrilled that he wants to continue his service to Manalapan and its residents.”
As a member of the Township Committee, Mr. Holland has actively participated in developing the municipal budget, and has worked on many initiatives that provided residents with no municipal tax increase last year. He first got involved with local public service by founding and chairing the Manalapan Agricultural Advisory Committee and the Farmland Preservation Committee which is responsible for preserving over 1200 acres in Manalapan. He personally has worked on every application.
Prior to serving on the Township Committee, Mr. Holland served as chairman of the Planning Board, he served on the Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Environmental Commission.
Monmouth County GOP events are particularly enjoyable for me because I get to see many MMM readers in person and get face to face feedback, pro and con. Positive feedback usually includes a warm conversation, laughter and a friendly dig. Negative feedback is usually in the form of a cold shoulder, an evil eye or a faux smile. More and more there is agenda driven feedback and requests from people who want an issue covered or exposure for a candidate or cause. All of that happened last night. I appreciate all of it.
There were two related issues that dominated the feedback I received last night.
One was my explusion from the Highlands Republican Club for the treacherous act of accurately reporting Anna Little’s decree that the New Jersey Supreme Court is unconstitutional. I appreciate all the invitations to join or visit other Monmouth County Republican Clubs with no restrictions on what I write about. I also appreciate that none of the “threats” I received to be removed from the dinner via “appropriate measures” were followed through. My friend and fellow blogger Jim Hogan shared some hilarious emails he received from members of the HRC, including one from Mr. Neighbor, in response to Jim’s comments on my banishment.
The other issue that dominated feedback I received last night was my front page exposure and accompanying article in the triCityNews last month.
Senator Sean Kean greeted me with a smile and said, “Hi Art, I see Dan Jacobson likes you better than he likes me.” Dan has been particularly critical of Kean. I told Sean that I heard Jacobson was not the only one who felt that way.
Another party leader said he saw Dan’s article. “Is that for real, you don’t support Anna Little any longer?” he asked. When I told him it was, he was positively giddy. Another leader did not seem so happy about that.
Mickey Gooch gave me a good natured razzing for not including his testimonial about MMM in my journal ad. It is nice to know that someone actually reads the ad journal. Here’s Mickey’s quote:
“MMM is a great source of insider gossip and news in the conservative wing of the Republican Party and the Tea Party. I don’t agree with everything I read, but I keep taking a look- it is definitely entertaining. However, MMM would be better and could have far greater credibility if Art Gallagher didn’t display his biases quite so obviously and ran an unbiased forum for discussion. ” ~ Mickey Gooch, Mickey Gooch
I told Mickey he’s welcome to write another quote now that my biases have shifted.
Thank you for reading MMM, and thanks for your feedback.
It is comical to see our political class seized anew in a surreal debate about whether it is “possible” to cut $100 billion from an annual expenditure of $3.7 trillion without irrevocably harming babies or cratering the economy. It got me thinking about how we even arrived at this strange place where our elected representatives are spending 65% more than we are collecting in revenues every year. Somewhere along the way spending money in Washington DC became less about “necessity” and more about something else entirely.
So, here is another amazing fact to ponder: in the very near future we will be spending more virtual money in online fantasy worlds than will be spent by real consumers in the world formerly known as reality. Members of the online game FooPets breed and adopt dogs and cats and spend, on average, nearly as much money on their cyber puppies and kittens as actual pet owners in the real world. The nearly one million unique residents of a 3D virtual world called Second Life can buy everything from private islands to suggestive lingerie using a currency called Linden dollars. In an ominous development, Chinese authorities have recently barred a merger of their online and virtual economies. It seems that players who were particularly adept at accumulating wealth in the online world were selling this virtual game wealth for hard cash to rich players who would use the currency to boost their status and prestige in order to attract gorgeous pixel-based avatars.
But we know that you cannot really hold back the advance of technology. So, it got me thinking…how about this novel idea to solve our nation’s fiscal problems: for so long as is necessary to restore a balance between expenses and revenues, the Congress is only allowed to appropriate a new virtual currency called Fedbits? This new monetary unit, unregulated by annoyances like debt ceilings, interest rates, or the Federal Reserve, could be used to purchase an unlimited inventory of items in an online Congressionally-run supermarket. In order to secure passage of this landmark legislation, each Congressman would also be entitled to earmark a certain quantity of Fedbits to any constituent or special interest of his choosing.
Anyone want to buy a romantic lighted gazebo to go along with their private island?
Scott Sipprelle is the principal of Westland Ventures, LLC. Scott was the Republican nominee for Congress from New Jersey’s 12th congressional district in 2010.
The Chris Christie for President buzz just won’t go away, no matter how strongly the governor declares he’s not running. Pretty soon the state police will consider putting Christie on a suicide watch.
Ann Coulter’s comment at CPAC…that the GOP either run Chris Christie or Mitt Romney will be the nominee and lose…has reignited the smoldering Christie for President banter.
In cable TV and radio interviews today, Coulter has said Christie is the only Republican who can defeat President Obama, and the governor would have her support even though she questions how conservative he is.
From the left, we have Star Ledger columnist Tom Moran, who helped make Christie a national figure with the famous, “You should see me when I’m really pissed” video. Moran wrote a piece for Sunday’s paper/website which was essentially a white flag of surrender from New Jersey’s Democratic establishment.
After comparing Christie to Oprah, detailing the powerful Democratic support Christie has won over in Hudson and Essex counties, and explaining how hopeless it has become for Trenton Democrats to oppose Christie’s reforms, Moran himself endorsed the Christie agenda:
He’s winning this argument because he’s right on the core issue — New Jersey has promised more than it can deliver. Governors all over the country, in both parties, are moving in the same direction out of necessity.
If Christie can win over Moran, maybe Coulter is right.
Perhaps the question should not be, “Is Chris Christie ready to be president?” as he repeatedly protests that he is not. Perhaps the question should be, “Is Kim Guadagno ready to be governor?”
A happy enthusiastic crowd of over 600 people filled the Shore Casino in Atlantic Highlands. The event was scheduled to start with a cocktail hour at 6PM. When I arrived at 6:05 the house was already 3/4 full.
Volunteers for each Monmouth County legislative delegation were collecting signatures for their slates primary petitions. The 12th district team was asking for signatures from out of district residents as a preparation for redistricting surprises. A scenario that puts Highlands in the 12th legislative district is hard to imagine, but I was happy to sign for Beck, Casagrande and O’Scanlon.
Freeholder Lilian Burry’s team was collecting signatures.
Freeholder candidates Andrew Lucas and George Newberry were working the room and handing out palm cards. I heard Gary Rich was present but I didn’t seem him. Lucas and Newburry are organized and have teams supporting them. Lucas appeared to be more at ease in a competitive environment than Newberry did. That’s to be expected, as Lucas has done this before and Manalapan elections are usually competitive. Wall elections are rarely competitive.
One big surprise in the Freeholder race is Claire French’s name on Newberry’s palm card as Chair Person of his committee. French usually goes out of her way to stay out of intra-party contests. She told MMM that she strongly believes in Newberry whom she has known for many years.
So far Jim Giannell, the former Red Bank and Two Rivers group chairman, does not appear to have a horse in the Freeholder race. Giannell has been an organizing whip in the last several Freeholder nomination races.
The biggest surprise of the night was the sight of the leadership of the Bayshore Tea Party Group sitting at Senator Joe Kyrillos’ table. That’s a relationship/alliance to watch.
Congressman Chris Smith’s appearance was a nice surprise.
Scott and Tracy Sipprelle made the drive from Princeton looking refreshed and wind burned from a recent skiing vacation. Sipprelle told MMM that he is not likely to seek elective office again, but will be active in supporting candidates. He said he attended the dinner to reacquaint with his friends and supporters from his CD 12 congressional race last year.
Former congressional candidates Diane Gooch (CD-6) and Mike Halfacre (CD-12) presences were apparent but neither aggressively worked the room. Anna Little (CD-6) worked the room, stopping at every table under the watchful eye of her campaign manager Larry Cirignano.
“It does take quite a man to remain attractive and to be loved by a woman who has heard him snore, seen him unshaven, tended him while he was sick, and washed his dirty underwear. Do that and keep her still feeling a warm glow and you will know some very beautiful music.”
~ Ronald Reagan
Posted: February 14th, 2011 | Author:Art Gallagher | Filed under:Uncategorized | Comments Off on Happy Valentine’s Day
Mayor Fiore Hopeful That Some Police Jobs Can Be Save Through Union Concessions And Tapping The Library’s $1.2 Million Surplus
MIDDLETOWN– The Township Committee has directed the Township Administrator to file a layoff plan with the State Civil Service Commission to address significant and continuing declines in municipal revenue and to conform with the 2% cap levy law.
“Recent budget analysis prepared by the Township’s Chief Financial Officer have made it readily apparent that the Township is left with no option but to immediately begin the process of initiating another round of significant layoffs,” said Middletown Mayor Tony Fiore. “We are hopeful that some police jobs can be saved through reasonable concessions by the Township’s collective bargaining units and with assistance from the Middletown Library’s $1.2 million surplus.”
“Committeeman Kevin Settembrino, the Committee’s representative on the Middletown Library’s independent board, has specifically requested that it authorize payment of $898,000 of the Library’s $1.2 million surplus that will have no impact on the Library’s operations so that additional police layoffs can be averted,” continued Fiore. “Nobody can be immune from cuts in this current economic climate, but we must first focus on essential core government services such as providing police protection and maintaining municipal roadways.”
Budget & Layoff Facts
The layoff plan was filed with the State Civil Service Commission on Friday, February 11, 2011 with notice to the affected employees and unions, proposing the elimination of 26 total positions, as follows:
Department of Parks & Recreation (13 positions), which eliminates every position but for the Director essentially eliminating the Department. Most of these positions cannot be saved absent an extraordinary change in projected municipal revenues and major concessions.
Police Department (10 positions) with demotions proposed too. The $898,000 requested from the Library’s $1.2 million surplus to avert further police layoffs represents the amount of the municipal budget that pays the debt service for the library renovation project, $565,000, plus the amount of contribution mandated by statute that will decrease due to changes in the Townships overall valuation resulting from the reassessment totaling $333,000 in 2012.
§ Building Office (1 position).
§ Department of Finance (1 position).
§ The Municipal Court (1 position).
The projected effective date of the Layoff Plan is Friday, April 29, 2011.
Despite more than $3 million of reductions in budget appropriations, revenues have decreased approximately $7.4 million, leaving an estimated budget shortfall of $4.4 million.
The largest source of revenue loss continues to be from tax appeals that represent a total of approximately $4.9 million, which is one of the principal reasons why the Township is currently completing a Township-wide reassessment.
The Township eliminated 40 positions last year through layoffs, retirements and resignations.
I’m not even gonna go into killing the LNG project, and the savings in heating costs that he refused. But why is he so adamant to get more wind turbines at the Jersey Shore? Residents have recently strongly opposed windmills in Union Beach and in Sea Girt, this last one prompting legislation to restrict building of turbines near residential areas.
It’s very trendy to advocate wind turbines to save the planet, when it’s not in your neighborhood. But what happens when wind mills COME to your backyard? Michele Francese lives in Ocean Gate, NJ, near one of the first New Jersey wind turbines. Here’s what she tells us:
I live directly across from a wind turbine in Ocean Gate. It has completely destroyed the quality of life that we once enjoyed in our quiet little town. Not only is the noise deafening at times, the reflection in our windows makes you feel like you have a disco ball spinning from your ceiling. I’m all for green energy, but more studies must be done before any more are located in residential neighborhoods. Unfortunately, another one is being constructed as we speak in Ocean Gate. I’m very disappointed that what could have been a positive thing has become an albatross around my neck. The concept is great but the result has failed terribly.
Andrew Walden just wrote a great article for the American Thinker, titled Wind Energy’s Ghost. There, he discusses all the failed wind project throughout the US, including the abandoned farms in Hawaii and California. Most of them have been abandoned. Hundreds of wind turbines lay unused because keeping them up cost more than the energy they produced. Wind turbines have to run all the time to keep the oil running, so if they get wind 20% of the day (which would be a very big number), they actually have to use energy from the power grid the rest of the 80%.
Ben Lieberman, a senior policy analyst focusing on energy and the environment asked the key question:
If wind power made sense, why would it need a government subsidy in the first place? It’s a bubble which bursts as soon as the government subsidies end.
Walden describes the reality of the wind industry:
The new paradigm created by the generation of 1968 is more political and less economy. Without government intervention, utilities normally avoid wind energy. Wind’s erratic power feed destabilizes power grids and forces engineers to stand by, always ready to fire up traditional generators.
So as all evidence points to wind turbines being non efficient and destined for failure, while residents near such windmills complain about lost property value and decreased quality of life, why do politicians keep pushing these bad policies?
