Election night we listened to pundit after pundit (some admitting they know little about the 11th District) proclaim Vin Gopal’s victory over Senator Jen Beck was an “upset.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Every indicia of prognostication said Vin Gopal was the favorite, and it starts with the previous census.
I’ve lamented for some time that voting in “districted elections” is like not voting at all. After each census, 10 political big shots, 5 from each party, meet in a hotel room and draw crazy lines that allow them to divvy up the state between the two parties. Democrats having an advantage in this state, their “map” wins, by an 11th man tiebreaker. This is followed by us sheep doing our civic duty and voting even though the pols already stacked the demographic deck. The winning party acts like it was political prowess that won them the election, when in fact the day was won in the hotel room where the map is drawn every 10 years. This system is an inhibitor of democracy. Read the rest of this entry »
Tony Perry, 27, was unanimously selected by the Middletown Township Committee to fill the vacancy created by Stephen Massell’s resignation as the first order of business of the Committee’s meeting last night at Town Hall.
Senator Joe Kyrillos issued the Oath of Office to the millennial Committeeman as his wife, Allanah held the Bible, and his parents, Scott and Colleen, stood with support and pride. Read the rest of this entry »
Senator Sam Thompson (R-LD12) has been invited to the White House.
The senator from Old Bridge who has been hailed as a leader in the fight for tax reform by Americans for Prosperity and the National Federal of Small Businesses, will attend a White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs discussion on State and Local Government Tax Reform and Economic Competitiveness on Thursday afternoon, November 16, according to a copy of the invitation obtained by MMM. Read the rest of this entry »
Monmouth County Freeholder John Curley has hired Angelo Genova, Co-founding partner and Chairman of the powerful law firm GenovaBurns, to represent him in an unspecified matter that Curley apparently wants to keep from becoming public.
Governor Chris Christie appointed Senator Joe Kyrillos to the board of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state’s largest health insurance company, yesterday.
Kyrillos did not seek reelection to the State Senate this year and will retire from the legislature in January. Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon was elected on Tuesday to fill the 13th district’s seat in the upper chamber.
Horizon insures approximately 3.8 million New Jersey residents, according to its 2016 annual report. The company had $12 billion in revenue in 2016 and $85 million in net income.
Senate President Steve Sweeney fought off a surprisingly tough challenge from his Republican opponent, funded by NJEA money. New Jersey voters went to the polls yesterday and turned their attention to all 120 seats in the Legislature, ending a busy election season that was rife with special interest spending, political attack ads and controversial mailers, as… Read the rest of this entry »
Happy November! With all of this warm weather recently, it’s hard to believe we’re just a few weeks away from celebrating the holidays. Either way, it’s a great time of the year and, as always, there is so much going on and so much to do in Monmouth County.
As we approach the end of the year, I would like to give a brief update on the second phase of the Shark River dredging project. As part of the second phase, dredge materials have been temporarily placed on Seaview Island until they are removed at the conclusion of the project next spring. The actual dredging process – which includes pumping the material onto the island to dry – was scheduled to be completed by the end of this year and I am pleased to announce the project remains on schedule. Read the rest of this entry »