Report: Gopal Considering Another Run For Assembly

What will Dan Jacobson do?

Vin Gopal

Ever the optimist and desperate for relevancy, Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal is floating his name as a candidate for Assembly in 11th District.

The district’s Assembly seats are currently held by Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande.  Gopal and Red Bank Councilwoman Kathy Horgan lost to Angelini and Casagrande by over 3000 votes (out of 37,093 cast) in 2011.  Former Democratic Assemblyman Dan Jacobson, publisher of the triCityNews and AsburyParkSun earned 2358 votes as an Independent candidate that year.

MoreMonmouthMusings hereby endorses Gopal for one of the Democratic Assembly nominations in the 11th.

We were worried that 2015 would be a boring year politically in Monmouth County and that we’d have to start covering restaurant openings to keep our traffic up next year.  With Gopal on the ballot, MMM’s political focus would be assured for another year.

Another reason we like Gopal as a candidate for Assembly is that it takes an issue of the table for Sheriff Shaun Golden’s reelection in 2016.

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A Different Brand of Politics

By Gary Rich, Monmouth County Deputy Freeholder Director

Art Gallagher thinks I’m a winner. Well, sort of. And while I appreciate the (backhanded) compliment, I’d like to pose a few items of food for thought.

Maybe, just maybe, voters really are tired of the game playing and posturing that exists in much of politics. (I think voters across the county sent that message pretty loud and clear with their votes this Tuesday.)

Maybe all they really want is for us to get back to the business of working on the issues that affect them.

Maybe they don’t care how many hands we have shaken or how many babies have been kissed. Maybe they see through that.

Maybe that’s why—despite suffering “from a perception within the Party’s leadership that [I have] skated by on the backs of others” (a perception that Art clearly seems all too eager to perpetuate)—I have now TWICE been the top vote-getter in each of my races for County Freeholder. (FOUR TIMES if you add my convention victory in March and June’s Primary Election.)

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Winners: The Battle for Monmouth

The 2014 Monmouth County election is in the books.

After the most intense campaign in memory funded by out of county Democrats, Monmouth Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal has nothing but IOUs to show for his duplicitous efforts.

There are literally hundreds of winners in this campaign county wide.  From candidates making their first bid for elected office, to the seasoned pros defending their records, to the selfless volunteers who knocked on doors and made over 50,000 phone calls to voters. We congratulate the entire Monmouth Republican team.

On every championship team there are stars who get the accolades on behalf of the entire team.  Here are five special mentions from this hard fought victory:

The top Winners of the Battle for Monmouth:

Lillian G. Burry. Burry has been elected county-wide 4 times. Three of those four elections were hard fought.  None had the benefit of up ballot coattails. In 2005 she prevailed despite the anti-Republican sentiment generated by Operation Bid Rig.  In 2008, Burry prevailed as the top vote getter over the Obama wave that saw an unprecedented Democratic turnout.   The low turnout race of 2011 was relatively easy.  In the campaign that just concluded, Burry’s integrity was maliciously maligned by Gopal and his henchmen armed with hundreds of thousands of Democratic money wheeled into the county from Trenton, Essex, Hudson, Union and Middlesex counties.

Burry stood tall and fought hard.  She is a proven winner, in politics and life. A role model for women and men, Burry embraces the toughest challenges and prevails with honor.

Shaun Golden.  Already a rising star after his huge reelection victory as Monmouth County Sheriff in 2013, Golden risked his career in taking on Chairman John Bennett last spring in-order to lead beyond the status quo .

Bennett boasted of his fundraising prowess in his campaign to retain the Chairmanship, but left Golden with an overdrawn check book on June 10.

Undaunted, Bennett’s turd was just another challenge for Golden to overcome.

Shaun has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the face of adversity by doing what he said he would do. He assembled a strong team by appointing an unprecedented four Regional Vice Chairs. He empowered municipal Party leaders and candidates, expanded the Party’s demographic diversity, established a strong social media presence and fed the rank and file when they came out to work. He raised money and got the job done without wasteful spending. When all the money is counted the Democrats will have outspent the Republicans 3 or 4 to 1.

If the hapless NJGOP is ever to gain traction in the State, it will take a leader like Shaun Golden to make it happen.

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Final: Burry and Rich win with a comfortable margin

With all districts and vote by mail ballots counted, Freeholder Director Lillian Burry and Deputy Director Gary Rich have been reelected.

After a major software snafu with the tabulation software that kept election officials up all night, the numbers were reported on County Clerk M. Claire French’s website at 6:13:58 this morning.

147,150 ballots were cast.  Burry 72,050, Rich 72,754, Luttrell 63,922, Grillo 63,102

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Calling it for Burry and Rich

Monmouth GOP Chairman Shaun Golden announces Congressman Chris Smith’s victory and Freeholders Lillian Burry and Gary Rich’s lead

Monmouth County election officials said that it will likely take until 4am to complete the count of ballots in today’s election.

With approximately 60% of the vote counted, Republican Freeholders Lillian Burry and Gary Rich are leading Democratic challengers Lawrence Luttrell and Giueseppe “Joe” Grillo by over 6,000 votes.

Burry 51,211, Rich 51,594, Luttrell 45,123, Grillo 43,199.

MMM does not see a path for the Democrats to make up their deficit and calls the race for Burry and Rich.

Congratulations!

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Unofficial Results–Updated often

Monmouth County Freeholder results as of 11:12 PM: Burry 51,211, Rich 51,594, Luttrell 45,123, Grillo 43,199.

Monmouth GOP Chairman Shaun Golden announces Congressman Chris Smith’s victory and Freeholders Lillian Burry and Gary Rich’s lead

10:38 PM  Multiple municipalities are reporting that the electronic cartridges from the voting machines are not being read properly.  Paper printout of the results are being transported to the Board of Elections in Freehold.

MMM is reporting results from GOP headquarters at the American Hotel in Freehold. At 10:38 the County Results are as follows:

Burry 43, 940, Rich 44, 472, Luttrell 39,716, Grillo 37,773.

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Tinton Falls Leaders Endorse Burry and Rich for Freeholder

Tinton Falls Mayor Gerry Turning, Freeholder Director Lillian Burry and Tinton Falls Council President Gary Baldwin

Tinton Falls Mayor Gerry Turning and Council President Gary Baldwin threw their support behind Monmouth County Freeholder Director Lillian Burry and Deputy Director Gary Rich in the Freeholder’s bid for reelection next Tuesday.

“Monmouth County has been Tinton Falls partner in controlling the cost of government and in revitalizing our economy in the wake of the great recession and the closure of Fort Monmouth.  Lillian and Gary has been right there in the lead,” Turning said. “I have worked with Lillian at Fort Monmouth and with Gary on solutions for the homeless. They are great people who are tremendously committed with a great work ethic.  I find them very committed and deserving of reelection.”

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DiMaso: Don’t be fooled by silly season rhetoric

By Freeholder Serena DiMaso

This year’s election season doesn’t carry with it the big ticket names for President or even Governor, but in Monmouth County and Holmdel it certainly does.  Freeholder Director Lillian Burry and Deputy Director Gary Rich have worked diligently for the residents of our county.  In Holmdel, our Mayor Pat Impreveduto and Committeeman Greg Buontempo mirror that work ethic and continue to deliver the best quality of life for our beautiful community.

Any one who knows me, knows how often I tell the story of why I chose Holmdel and Monmouth County. BUT,  in case you haven’t heard, here’s the short version, we wanted a place we could raise our children and they could raise their children. We wanted a community that boasted the best school systems, park systems and quality of life in all of New Jersey.  We found it.  It’s all right here in Holmdel Township, Monmouth County. Why?  Because of the leadership of the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders and the Holmdel Township Committee.

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Can Monmouth County Voters Be Duped?

Luttrell and Grillo are counting on it

Trenton Democrats are funding the deception

Monmouth County Democratic Freeholder candidates Lawrence Luttrell and Giuseppe “Joe” Grillo have been saying on the stump that, should they be elected, they would govern the way they campaigned.

Given their latest campaign mailer, Luttrell and Grillo are promising to govern with trickery and deceit.

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The Monmouth Dems Finally Have An Idea

Democratic Mayors Pan Their Freeholder Candidates’ Call For A County Ethics Board

By Art Gallagher

Democratic Freeholder Candidates Larry Luttrell and Joe Grillo with Congressman Frank Pallone and campaign volunteers

The Monmouth County Democrats have finally put forth a proposal to improve County Government.

It is not a new idea. It is not even a good idea. But at least they have put forth an idea for debate instead of spreading the lies and baseless character assassinations that have comprised their campaign so far this year.

Their campaign had been wholly negative; primarily baseless character attacks on Freeholder Director Lillian Burry.  They lied and said Burry hired an unqualified campaign worker for a mental health position.  Even after their lawsuit alleging that Burry had a conflict of interest over the Andrew Lucas farmland preservation deal was thrown out of court, they continue to beat that drum.  The GOP controlled Freeholder Board has cleaned house at Brookdale Community College since former President Peter Burnham was caught with his hands in the cookie jar. Yet the Democrats have been blaming Burry for Burnham’s transgressions.

Democratic candidate Joe Grillo told The Asbury Park Press that he wants to reinstate a County Ethics Board.   I know I’m being generous by saying this is a proposal to improve County Government instead of calling it an excuse to keep talking about the baseless allegations they are making about Burry.  But what the heck.  MMM is fair and biased. Let’s play along and debunk the idea on its merits.

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