Jeana Sager is defiantly continuing her campaign for Middletown Township Committee.
The Chairmen of the Monmouth County and Middletown Democrat organizations have condemned the anti-police comments of Middletown Township Committee candidate Jeana Sager reported by MMM yesterday.
The Democrats credited NewJerseyGlobe with our scoop in their statements released on facebook and twitter. The Globe credited MMM in their coverage and via twitter.
Jeana Sager wants to end drug treatment, expand syringe access and lock up police officers
One of the Democrat candidates for Middletown Township Committee thinks cops are criminals who should not be involved in combating the opioid crisis. Their other candidate is Sean Byrnes.
Irv Beaver, 73, of Waterview Way, Belford, a long time Middletown Democrat volunteer, activist and County Committeeman, was arrested on Sunday afternoon for stealing and vandalizing campaign signs supporting Republican candidates for local, county and congressional offices, as well as Middetown Board of Education candidates who the Middletown Democrat organization opposes.
Beaver retired from Middletown Police Department in 1988, at the age of 44. On his social media pages, facebook and linkedin, he purports to be an investigator for the NJ Attorney General’s Office.
Michael A. Katz, a 45 year old live long resident of Middletown, has thrown his hat into the ring for the Democratic nomination for Middletown Township Committee.
The Middletown Democrats only submitted one candidate for the two seats up this year. The candidate who gets the most write-in votes in the primary tomorrow will likely join William E. Hutton on the Democratic slate against Republicans Deputy Mayor Stephanie Murray and Committeeman Tony Fiore.
Katz launched his campaign last week after MMM reported the vacancy and suggested that Democrats write-in Michael Morris. Katz said he thinks he has as many as 50 write-in votes so far. 26 is the minimum required to get on the general election ballot. If no candidate gets 26 write-in votes, only Hutton will appear on the ballot for the Democrats in November.
Middletown Mayor Stephanie Murray and Committeeman Tony Fiore tour North Middletown with Congressman Frank Pallone and U.S. Senator Bob Menendez last week. photo via facebook
Middletown Mayor Stephanie Murray and Committeeman Tony Fiore, a former mayor, will be the Republican candidates for Township Committee this fall, according to an announcement on the Middletown Township Republican Organization’s facebook page this weekend. If reelected, Murray will serve her second term; Fiore his third.
The Middletown Democrats have yet to announce their candidates. On Sunday, Party Chairman Don Watson told MMM that he would be filing candidates petitions today, the deadline for candidates seeking a partisan nomination, but declined to name the candidates. Watson indicated it was possible he could change candidates overnight.
The Middletown Library Board of Trustees will consider hiring a part time executive director to replace Susan O’Neal.
O’Neal submitted her resignation to the board last evening as part of a negotiated termination. Board President Brock Siebert declined to comment on O’Neal resignation, citing a confidentiality agreement. The termination won’t be official until approved by the Middletown Township Committee. Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger also declined to comment.
O’Neal’s salary is $119,816, according to Data Universe.
O’Neal’s continued employment became untenable when her emails with Linda Baum, a Democratic candidate for Township Committee revealed that she was colluding with the Middletown Democratic Party to undermine the authority of the Board of Trustees. The emails were released as a result of an Open Public Records Act request on the part of Committeeman Tony Fiore. Fiore became suspicious that O’Neal and Baum were colluding when Baum shared confidential information she should not have been privy to at a public meeting. Baum unsuccessfully sued to block the release of the emails.
Brock said the board’s personnel committee will meet next week to discuss a search for O’Neal’s replacement. Hiring a part time executive director is one option he wants to committee to consider.
Following the lead of MoreMonmouthMusings, the Middletown Democrats and the Asbury Park Press have endorsed Congressman Frank Pallone for the Democratic nomination to complete the term of the late U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg.
Frank Pallone at 2010 Highlands Clamfest. The 19th annual clamfest ends today in Highlands. Pallone was there on Friday night
MMM, the first website in the world to endorse Pallone for the Senate nomination, did so on June 25 because the congressman asked publisher Art Gallagher for help, because Gallagher believes the Republican nominee, likely to be former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, stands a better chance against Pallone than against Newark Mayor Cory Booker, and most importantly, a vacancy in Pallone’s 6th district congressional seat would be fantastic for MMM’s web traffic. Our advertisers would love it!
The Middletown Dems say they endorsed Pallone because he “did the best he could” on a variety of issues. In reality, they are hoping for money from Pallone to fund races even porn distributors are taking a pass on.
The Asbury Park Press endorsed Pallone, even though they say, “Voters can’t go wrong, no matter which way they lean in this primary, ” because they hope hometown Pallone will spend some advertising dollars,drive up newsstand sales and website visits.
All three endorsements come down to money. Only MMM will admit that. We like money and we need it! Go Frank Go!
Linda Baum trying to convince voters to support her last summer. facebook photo
Linda Baum, a past and present Democratic candidate for Middletown Township Committee, presents herself as an advocate of open government and transparency. She even wrote an article on her campaign website about how citizens can made Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests.
Yet, when it comes to her own email correspondence with Middletown Library Director Susan O’Neal, Baum is far from open and transparent. She sued the Library Board of Trustees and Township Clerk Heidi Brunt to prevent her emails from being released under an OPRA request made by Brunt on behalf of Township Committeeman Tony Fiore. Fiore is the Township Committee’s representative on the Library Board.
Judge Lawrence M. Lawson ruled on Monday that Baum’s emails with O’Neal are government records and must be released per the OPRA request. Lawson’s decision can be viewed here.
Baum argued that the emails were private, had nothing to do with Library operations, and could be used against her politically.
Fiore asked Brunt to file OPRA requests for the emails that O’Neal exchanged with Baum and Melanie Elmiger from January 2012 and May 15, 2013 when it became apparent that Baum and Elmiger had information about Library business that had only been discussed in executive sessions and was not yet public.
“I look forward to seeing the emails that Linda Baum attempted to illegally block from the public,” Fiore said, “It is a shame that her frivolous lawsuit will cost the taxpayers of Middletown and the Middletown Public Library thousands of dollars that could have been used for other purposes.”
Former Democratic Senate, Assembly and Freeholder candidate Lenny Inzerillo and Democratic Gubernatorial candidate posing with pizza this evening at a Middletown Democratic fundraiser. facebook photo
