Year in review: November 2015

Jonelle Melton

Three Asbury Park Men were charged with the 2009 murder of Jonelle Melton, a 33 year old Red Bank Middle School teacher.

Democrats Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey defeated Republican Assemblywomen Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande in the 11th Legislative District.  A Democratic SuperPac funded largely by the NJEA spent $1.5 million in the race, including television commercials implying that Angelini is inappropriately profiting from the drug abuse prevention non-profit that she leads.

For all the special interest money spent on behalf of the Democrats, Angelini lost to Downey by only 253 votes and the top vote getter, Houghtaling had only 713 votes more than the low vote getter, Casagrande.  Low voter turnout in Republican strongholds Freehold Township and Colts Neck was the difference in the election.

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Year in Review: March 2015

Victor “Buddy” Amato photo via dogsdeservebetter,org

The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders voted to sell the two county owned nursing homes.

FEMA announced it would review every Hurricane Sandy related flood insurance claim.

SPCA Chief Buddy Amato retired six months earlier than planned after being sued for sending sexist and racist text to agency employees.  MMM reported that Amato’s accuser, Suzanne DesMarias, has a long history of suing her employers for harassment and work related injuries.

MMM reported that the Monmouth Democrats would consolidate their resources in the 11th Legislative District in an attempt to unseat Assemblywomen Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande.

A federal jury in Trenton cleared the Monmouth County Correctional Institution of any wrongdoing in the death of a 22 year inmate who became violent after being refused the use of a cell phone.

The year in review: 2015

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Democrats oust Republicans in Assembly’s 11th District

TRENTON — In maybe the biggest upset of Tuesday’s legislative races, Democratic challengers have ousted both Republican incumbents representing the Shore’s 11th District in the state Assembly. Democrats JoAnn Downey and Eric Houghtaling defeated Republican Assemblywomen Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande, according to the Associated Press. It’s the first time since 1991 that Democrats have… Read the rest of this entry »

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In LD 11, Angelini and Casagrande trailing Houghtaling and Downey

With 158 of 160 districts reporting, incumbent Republican Assemblywomen Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande are in danger of losing their seats to Democratic Neptune Township Committeeman Eric Houghtaling and Attorney Joann Downey of Freehold.

Houghtaling is leading with 14,836 votes and Downey has 14,602. Angelini has 14,523 and Casagrande has 14,285.

Republicans are not conceding the race, which they are saying is “too close to call.”

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An Open Letter to Democrats in New Jersey

By Ernesto Cullari

Dear Democrats,

We want you. That’s right; we in the Monmouth, Ocean & Middlesex County GOP organizations want you to vote for our candidates on Tuesday November 3rd. The reason? Your own self interest.

Half of you want to leave New Jersey at some point, according to a poll conducted by Monmouth University and the Asbury Park Press. New Jersey actually leads the nation in families fleeing their home state to more affordable places like Florida and North Carolina. For every family that moves to the Garden State two families pick up and leave.

Elections have consequences. It’s no longer my team versus your team, families in New Jersey are hurting. For the last 15 to 20 years Democrats have ruled the State Senate and the State Assembly; with the exception of the Republican Governors we’ve had, we’ve had no reprieve from higher taxes and higher spending. It’s taken a toll on all our families.

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Asbury Park Press Endorses Angelini and Casagrande in LD 11

Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal is having a bad day year.

The Dems have put their eggs in the LD 11 basket this year, hoping to pick off one or two of New Jersey’s only all female legislative delegation in Assemblywomen Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande.

Vin made sure that his county candidates for Clerk and Freeholder are residents of the 11th, in hopes that a hometown turnout boost for the county candidates, who are hardly campaigning elsewhere in the county, might help Eric Houghtaling of Neptune and Joann Downey of Freehold over the finish line.

Only in the 11th will you find a typical election year showing of road and lawn signs. Houghtaling and Downey are advertising on ESPN and even FoxNews.

Gopal has historically been able to count on an assist from the Asbury Park Press. Not this year and not where he needs it most.

In endorsing Angelini and Casagrande, APP called them “among the strongest legislators in New Jersey.”

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Monmouth Legislators: No more Ebola Patients at Fort Monmouth

The legislators representing Monmouth County from the 11th and 13th Districts want the New Jersey Department of Human Services to stop housing asymptomatic Ebola patients at Fort Monmouth at then end of this month when the current agreement to do so expires and they are calling on the members of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority to reject DHS’s request to extend the arrangement.

Senators Joe Kyrillos and Jennifer Beck joined with Assembly Members Amy Handlin, Declan O’Scanlon, Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande in issuing the following statement:

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Insiders: Monmouth Dems will only compete in LD 11 this year

Vin Gopal

Monmouth County Democratic insiders tell MMM that all Monmouth County and Legislative Republicans except Assemblywomen Caroline Casagrande and Mary Pat Angelini will essentially get a free pass to election this year as Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal has been unable to recruit candidates or raise money for the legislative races in legislative districts 12, 13 and 30, or the County Offices of Freeholder and Clerk.

Gopal is expected to leave the candidate recruitment in LDs 12 and 30 to the other counties included in those districts.  The 30th district, currently represented in the Assembly by Republicans Dave Rible and Sean Kean, has 12 towns in Monmouth County and two in Ocean County. Seven of the fourteen towns in the 12th district are on Monmouth County.  The other seven are split between Burlington, Ocean and Middlesex Counties.  The 12th district is represented by Republicans Ron Dancer and Rob Clifton.

Gopal’s trial balloon last December of making a second run for Assembly in the 11th himself( he ran in 2011) went over like the Hindenburg with State Democrats, other County Chairs and Special Interest donors who he had convinced that the money they invested in Monmouth County last year would lead to a pick up of Freeholder seats.

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Monmouth Legislators: Close Fort Monmouth Ebola Houses on June 30th

The legislators of the 11th and 13th districts have jointly written the Acting Commissioner of the NJ Department of Human Services requesting that the facilities designated to quarantine travelers from Western Africa arriving at Newark-Liberty Airport for 21 days to ensure that they have not contracted the Ebola virus be closed when the agency’s current agreement with the Fort Monmouth Redevelopment Authority expires on June 30th.

The letter, dated March 1 and signed by Senators Joe Kyrillos (R-13) and Jennifer Beck (R-11) as well as Assembly members Declan O’Scanlon (R-13), Amy Handlin (R-11), Caroline Casagrande (R-11) and Mary Pat Angelini (R-11) reiterates the law makers’ concerns expressed in a Februay 3 letter to Commissioner Jennifer Velez, Esq. regarding the lack of notice to the public and elected officials regarding the designation of the facility and the negative impact the facility could have on the marketing of Fort Monmouth properties.

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Monmouth GOP Honors Claire French

Monmouth County Clerk M. Clair French address the Monmouth GOP convention. Chairman Shaun Golden in background. photo by Art Gallagher

An impressive crowd of over 400 Monmouth Republican County Committee members gathered on Saturday morning to nominate their candidates for State Assembly, County Clerk and Freeholder.  The size of the crowd was impressive not only because of the weather but because the results of the convention were a foregone conclusion as there were no challengers to the incumbent Assembly Members, Freeholder or Governor Chris Christie’s nominee for County Clerk.

Free of any competitive tensions, the mood at Colts Neck High School was upbeat, friendly and proud among the grassroots leaders who came out for Chairman Shaun Golden first nominating convention.  Freeholder Deputy Director Serena DiMaso noted both the size and enthusiasm of the crowd. “This crowd is almost as large as last year’s convention when we had a competition for the freeholder nominations,” DiMaso said, “We’re in really great shape and that is a testament to Shaun’s leadership.”

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