What’s the concern about Eatontown mayor’s job?

By Art Gallagher

Eatontown Mayor Dennis Connelly

The Asbury Park Press is peddling a story about Eatontown Mayor Dennis Connelly’s recent employment as the manager of the Motor Vehicle Commission office in Freehold.  But other than a gadfly’s complaint about the position being a patronage job, The Asbury Park Press did not back up their sensational headline, Concern raised over Eatontown mayor’s new job, with any concerns.

What is the concern?  It is a patronage job.  If a Democrat is elected governor next year, Connelly, a Republican, will be out of the job.  A Democrat will be appointed to that job.  Will The Asbury Park Press be concerned then?

Connelly did not try to hide that he had taken a job with MVC.  He announced it on facebook.

Last year, Freehold Borough Councilman Kevin Kane was a Democratic candidate for County Clerk.  He got trounced by Clerk Christine Hanlon, the incumbent Republican.  Four months later Kane landed a $65,000 per year job for Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop.  Kane is boosting his pension credits from being a part time councilman with his new job.  The Asbury Press did not express any concern about Kane’s new job.  The Jersey Jounal/NJ.com was concerned.

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Gopal blames County Republicans, MoreMonmouthMusings for Middletown High School North controversy

Monmouth Democratic Chairman “Goofy” Gopal and Belmar Mayor “Lawless Matt” Doherty also blamed a protest at a campaign fundraiser on the Monmouth GOP and this website

In an email to the members of the Middletown Board of Education and Superintendent of Schools Dr. William George, Monmouth County Democrat Chairman Vin Gopal blamed the controversy about his candidates for Surrogate and Freeholder campaigning in a Middletown High School North honors Government, Law and Public Policy Program (GLP3) seminar on the Monmouth County Republicans and this website.

“I feel sorry for the school district that the County Republicans and a local blogger are trying to create a witch hunt and create an issue that does not exist,” Gopal wrote in his email last evening.

There he goes again. Whenever things go wrong for Gopal he blames the Republicans, this website and the boogeyman. 

That’s one of the reasons why we call him Goofy.

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Monmouth Democrats were invited to campaign at Middletown High School North during school hours

Second Middletown Teacher caught engaging in Democrat partisan activity during school hours this year

A photo of Monmouth County Democrat candidates for Surrogate and Freeholder speaking to a seminar of Middletown High School North freshmen and sophomore participants in the school’s honors Government, Law and Public Policy Program (GLP3) Pathway was posted on the campaign facebook page of Surrogate candidate Vincent Solomeno last Tuesday with the caption “Thrilled to join Matt Doherty and Sue Fulton for Monmouth County Freeholder 2016 and speak to students about county government at Middletown High School North.  Get involved!”

None of the three candidates have any experience in county government.

The seminar was supervised by Patti May, a teacher who is a Democrat candidate for Borough Council in Eatontown.  Monmouth County Democrat Chairman Vin Gopal held a fundraiser for the teacher at the Jumping Brook Country Club in June.

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Maggie Moran denies working for AshBritt post-Sandy

Maggie Moran

Maggie Moran, the only Democrat political consultant/campaign manager to lose a statewide race in New Jersey in the last twenty years and the wife of Monmouth County freeholder candidate, Belmar Mayor “Lawless Matt” Doherty, denies that she did work for AshBritt Inc. during the aftermath in Superstorm Sandy, as has been reported by MoreMonmouthMusings and many other publications.

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More Lawlessness from Dirty Doherty

Belmar Mayor “Lawless Matt” Doherty just can’t stand the fact that residents of his community had the audacity to gather in front of his home to protest the fact that his administration is screwing over one small business in town while he his arranging for a major donor to his freeholder campaign land a helicopter in a borough park while patronizing another business.

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Doherty, Gopal continue to bully young protester

Gopal likens Belmar protest to a home invasion

17 year old says he wasn’t paid to protest

Vin Gopal speaks at Doherty fundraiser while Sen Cory Booker and Matt Doherty look on. photo via facebook

Belmar Mayor “Lawless Matt” Doherty and Monmouth County Democrat Chairman Vin Gopal are continuing to use a naive 17 year old boy as a political pawn in an attempt to create sympathy for Doherty because his “safe space” was violated by Belmar residents who protested outside the mayor’s home during a fundraiser featuring Senator Cory Booker on August 10.

The residents were protesting Belmar not authorizing a local restaurant to transfer their liquor license to a new location, despite the fact that the borough had approved the building of the location and the mayor had signed a redevelopment agreement authorizing the location.  They were also protesting the mayor allowing a $2500 campaign contributor to land a helicopter in a borough park without obtaining the consent of the Council or providing public notice.  Doherty said the restaurant owners, the Harmon brothers, made a bad business decision by building out the new location without first obtaining approval of the license transfer.

MMM was the first to report on the protest the morning after it occurred.

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Court Orders Belmar To Hold A Referendum On “Matt’s Law”

Belmar Mayor “Lawless Matt” Doherty had a bad couple of days in Court last week.

After hearings on Thursday and Friday, Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Katie A. Gummer  Ordered that a referendum on Matt’s Law,   the Pay to Play ordinance that Doherty and the  Belmar Council passed earlier this year that would allow the mayor to hide the identity of donors to his campaign for Monmouth County Freeholder, be held in the Borough on September 27, 2016.

Judge Gummer reiterated her earlier ruling that Belmar’s current Pay to Play ordinance which requires the disclosure of all donations and requires Belmar officials who accept donations from borough venders, developers and liquor licensees to recuse themselves from decisions involving those donors’ applications and business with the town is “the law of the land.”

Matt’s Law “is suspended and has never been in effect,” Judge Gummer said from the bench on Thursday.

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“Lawless Matt” Doherty defies Court, Pay to Play Ordinance

Defy– openly resist or refuse to obey

Mayor “Lawless Matt” Doherty speaks during the Two Year Hurricane Sandy Anniversary while Governor Christie practices his Trump sidekick pose(Governor’s Office/Tim Larsen)

In his latest campaign finance disclosure with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, Belmar Mayor “Lawless Matt” Doherty did not disclose the names of donors who gave his campaign $300 or less, as required by Belmar’s Ethics and Pay to Play Law.

Before he stopped talking to MoreMonmouthMusings, shortly after he declared his candidacy for Monmouth County Freeholder in January, Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty told us that his borough’s pay to play ordinance was unenforceable.  Never-the-less, he pushed the Borough Council to pass a new ordinance that would allow him to take donations from people and entities who have business with or are regulated by the Borough and not to disclose donations less than $300.

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May 17 is the voter registration deadline to vote in the June 7 primary

New voters can still register to vote in the June 7 primary. The deadline is Tuesday, May 17.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are still battling for the Democratic Presidential nomination and locally, the Democrats have an election to choose who their County Freeholder candidates will be on the November general election ballot.  Running for Freeholder under Clinton’s line are Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty and Brenda Sue Fulton of Middletown.  Running with Bernie Sander are Angelica Ashford of Manalapan and Laury Wills of Little Silver.

The Republican presidential primary has been settled, with Donald Trump the presumptive nominee.  Ted Cruz and John Kasich remain on the New Jersey ballot.   The Republican Freeholder candidates, Freeholder Director Tom Arnone and Deputy Freeholder Serena DiMaso are running unopposed for their nominations.

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Monmouth Dems Have A Freeholder Primary

Democrat Chairman Vin Gopal blames MMM publisher Art Gallagher for his primary fight

By Art Gallagher

Monmouth Dem Freeholder candidates Brenda Sue Fulton and Matt Doherty face a primary challenge from Bernie Sanders supporters Angelica Ashford and Laury Wills

The two Democrat nominees for Monmouth County Freeholder will be decided by voters in the Democrat Primary on June 4 as two candidates affiliated with the Bernie Sanders for President campaign filed to run for the nominations on Monday in Freehold.

Angelica Ashford of Manalapan and Laury Wills of Little Silver will be running against Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty and Brenda Sue Fulton in the Democrat primary.  Doherty and Fulton are the choice of Monmouth Democrat Chairman Vin Gopal and will be bracketed on the primary ballot with the Hillary Clinton for President campaign.

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