Cullari Assails Little’s Record as Mayor

Ernesto Cullari’s primary campaign for the GOP congressional nomination in the 6th district of New Jersey followed this mornings rebuke of Monmouth County Tea Party Coalition leader Frank Cotton with an attack on former Highlands Mayor Anna Little’s conservative credentials.

“A Record of Backdoor Tax Increases,”  is how the Cullari campaign characterised Little’s tenure as mayor from 2008 through 2010, citing  borough ordinances:

So-called TEA (taxed enough already) Party activists and former mayor Anna Little has a strange obsession with taxing residents of the Highlands through back door fees, fines, and license increases during her time as mayor.

 

During the worst recession since the Great Depression mayor Anna Little sneakily increased numerous borough fees, fines, and licenses pushing struggling families and businesses closer to the edge!

Little has not returned a call for comment and her campaign does not have a spokes person.

This is just the beginning, according to a source familiar with the Cullari campaign’s plan for the next month.  Little’s record as mayor, freeholder and the public record of her law practice will all be subject to public scrutiny over the remaining 32 days of the primary campaign.

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Now, the truth

www.moremonmouthmusings.net/
[Monmouth Tea Party Coalition Endorses Anna Little in CD-6
By Frank Cotton
Last election Anna Little proved to be someone that would represent the people and
not party politics. She has endured hostile treatment by former supporters that appear
to be “party centered” and not concerned with the decay and downward direction of
our country.]

By Kelly Ann Hart, Chief Executive Officer, Cullari for Congress

It’s unfortunate that Anna Little and her current supporters do not see what’s actually going on.  More importantly, it’s unfortunate I need to respond to these accusations but the urgency of facts is necessary.   

Anna Little declared her candidacy for Congress in November 2010 during her concession speech. Along with her speech she informed the public of her foundation and PAC’s for her re-election campaign.  Then in early 2012 Anna declared her run for U.S. Senate, to run against Robert Menendez… her failure to acquire the 1000 signatures (throughout the state) on her petitions led her to announce her run, once again, for Congress in District 6.  Her announcement came days after Ernesto Cullari declared his candidacy.

This inconsistent behavior from Anna Little is what drove her professional team away from her.  There is no personal vendetta against her; although, Anna will claim different as she has done numerous times in the past.  I take strong offense to anyone making false claims against me or our team that we would for one second not be concerned with the direction of our country.  Frank Cotton, who ran himself on a few occasions as an independent and also claims to be conservative, should at the very least call those people he is making ridiculous claims against and convey the facts.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Monmouth Freeholder Lillian Burry Endorses Ernesto Cullari For Congress

Asbury Park , NJ – 04/17/12 – Ernesto Cullari, candidate for Congress in the 6th District, has received the endorsement of Monmouth County Freeholder Lillian Burry. Lillian believes that Ernesto is the best choice to defeat Frank Pallone this November.   

“Ernesto Cullari, albeit new to the political arena, has a sensitivity for what people want from their government.  He has a congenial demeanor.  Ernesto’s medical background makes him eminently  qualified to tackle Obama-Care.” Said Monmouth County Freeholder Lillian Burry

Freeholder Burry, a prolific figure of Monmouth County, has been fighting for the taxpayer on the Freeholder Board since 2005. She was the first woman Director of the Board. Prior to her election as a Freeholder, Ms. Burry was a Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and Committeewoman in Colts Neck. She is also a business owner and broker in her realty firm, Colts Neck Realty.

Cullari and Burry both believe in limited government and personal responsibility. Freeholder Burry spearheaded the 0% tax increase effort in the County Budget in 2008, and has held the line on taxes and spending throughout her tenure. Ernesto Cullari applauds Freeholder Burry for her service to the people of Monmouth County and appreciates her endorsement.

“I am honored to receive the endorsement of Freeholder Burry. She has been a fighter for the people’s interests in Monmouth County while keeping Monmouth County an affordable place to live. Her strong support of  our County Park system has made Monmouth County a beautiful place to reside. Freeholder Burry’s endorsement further adds to the list of economic conservatives who have endorsed my candidacy. The coalition we are building to defeat Frank Pallone in November is growing larger by the day.” -Ernesto Cullari

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Little Quits Politics, Launches Musical Career

Falling short of the required 200 signatures to be a candidate for Congress, former Highlands Mayor Anna Little announced this morning that she is quitting politics and launching a career as a singer.

In an email blast to supporters the former freeholder and 2010 GOP nominee for Congress from New Jersey’s 6th district said,

“I have come to the conclusion that I can do more to serve we the people, born and unborn, with my God given musical talent than I can in the rough and tumble world of politics.   We have made a difference together, you and I, over the last two years that has given rise to certain opportunities that you made possible.

Governor Chris Christie has offered me the opportunity to sing the National Anthem at Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium.  Texas Governor Rick Perry said he would have me sing the Anthem at the Cowboys-Giants game in Arlington this November.  Christie and Perry have promised to put a good word in for me with the 2013 Inaugural Committee to sing at President Romney’s swearing in ceremony or at the very least at one of the balls.

Ernesto Cullari has introduced me to his contacts at Disney.  Their talent scout thinks I can be the next Angela Lansbury, who according to Disney’s site is everyone’s cup of tea.  I could be next in line to play Mrs. Potts in the sequel and reprises of Beauty and the Beast on film and on Broadway.

In the meantime, I will be replacing the Kate Smith recording of God Bless America during the daily sunset ceremony at the Sea Gulls Nest at Sandy Hook.  Proprietor  Ed Segall is a big Pallone supporter.  Given the opportunity to serve we the people, born and unborn, with my musical talent, it is just not right to put my new employer in such an uncomfortable position.  I can see Sandy Hook from my house.”

Little, who lost the Monmouth GOP endorsement for Congress in the 6th district to Cullari, had counted on the Middlesex GOP to deliver the 200 required signatures during the convention that nominated her last Saturday, March 24.  However, at the end of the day, there was only 75 signatures.  Little collected another 135 signatures last week.  Upon learning that Cullari had filed 500 signatures with the NJ Secretary of State on Friday, including those of 120 Middlesex County GOP convention delegates, Little realized that her petition would probably not survive a challenge given the duplicate signatures.

Little’s email continued:

This is not the end of Anna’s Army, but a new beginning.  With my voice, we the people, born and unborn, can transform the culture of our country that you have been working so hard to save. 

My backup chorus will be known as Anna’s Army.  You can participate by volunteering to sing in the chorus, buying our CD’s and downloading songs from our soon to be launched website, or by making Little contributions. 

All the Little contributions you make will go to the same work they have always gone to, just in a different form.

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Cullari not deterred by GOP Split in Congressional District 6, New Jersey

East Brunswick, NJ –   On March 16, the Monmouth County GOP selected Ernesto Cullari as their choice to defeat Frank Pallone.  Saturday, March 24, the Middlesex GOP voted Anna Little to take their line, making it clear they had no intentions of keeping the party in district 6 united during the most trying election cycle of our time.  

As of two weeks ago, Little was fiercely running for US Senate against Joe Kyrillos.  She campaigned by asking for donations and signatures from supporters.   Knowing her obvious failure, Little then decided to run against newcomer Ernesto Cullari.  Her decision came just days after Cullari’s announcement.

In 2010, Little was defeated by over 10% by incumbent Democrat, Frank Pallone. 

“It’s a shame we are dealing with a split line in District 6.  With the ballot having Obama on top this year, it would have been better for the Middlesex GOP to unite through the primary.  On Tuesday, June 5th the voters in both counties will decide which Republican they want to represent them against Frank Pallone.  After Anna Little’s approximate 10% loss in 2010, and failed U.S. Senate run, I think the choice will be clear to them.  Ernesto Cullari is focused on one thing; beating Frank Pallone in November and returning the position to the constituency of district 6”, said, Charles Measley, Campaign Manager.

“My team and I are undeterred that the Middlesex County GOP did not vote in our favor, but this in no way means we will back down.  Monmouth County GOP has put their trust in me to defeat Frank Pallone in November and that is what I intend to do.”  Congressional Candidate, Ernesto Cullari.  

Ernesto Cullari is a businessman, medical professional, and columnist for local newspapers. Ernesto is prepared to take the fight to Jersey’s most corrupt politician and the author of “Obama-Care”, Frank Pallone. 

For more information on Cullari for Congress you can find us on facebook at facebook.com/cullariforcongress and on twitter at twitter.com/ernestocullari or visit our website at www.CullariforCongress.com.

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Little Announces For Congress, Claims GOP Support

Anna Little announced her candidacy for Congress from the 6th district this morning in an email blast that also sought petition signatures, campaign volunteers and donations.

Little claimed that support from unnamed “GOP leaders” was instrumental in her decision to abandon her U.S. Senate primary campaign against Joe Kyrillos in favor of a congressional campaign:

During the past week, GOP leaders have offered us their support to run in Congressional District 6. You earned this opportunity by winning the GOP Primary, off the line, in 2010. By offering us their support this year, the GOP is respecting the wishes of grass roots New Jerseyans. This is a tremendous opportunity to continue what you started in 2010.

After many meetings, planning, and discussions with grass roots patriots, we have concluded that continuing what we started in 2010, to defeat Frank Pallone, will best serve the interests of the people of the State of NJ and the grass roots conservative movement statewide.

Little lost the Monmouth County Republican endorsement for congress from the sixth district to political newcomer, Ernesto Cullari on Friday morning.  The Middlesex County GOP convenes on March 24th to award their endorsement.

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Moment of False

Members of the Monmouth GOP nominating committee are on their way to the Molly Pitcher, saying to themselves and each other, “Anna Little?  I’m really going to vote to nominate Anna Little?”

The head office has determined that it is better to give Anna Little the party line in the primary for the 6th congressional district nomination than to take the chance that she will find a way to get 1000 qualified signatures to get herself an off the line spot on the primary ballot for U.S. Senate against Joe Kyrillos.

Barring a come to Yahweh moment, that is what is going to happen this morning.

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Little attends Kyrillos’s fundraiser

For those who doubt the veracity of our sources here at MMM, and are waiting for an announcement from Anna Little that she is dropping out of the U.S. Senate race, consider that Little was working the room at State Senator Joe Kyrillos’s fundraiser in Holmdel tonight.

Expect an announcement from the former Highlands Mayor, no later than Wednesday, that she will seek the nomination to once again challenge Frank Pallone in the 6th Congressional District.   The MiddlesexCounty GOP screening committee meets on Wednesday night.  Little has confirmed to Middlesex GOP officials that she will be there seeking the 6th district nod.

Ernesto Cullari has also been invited to the Middlesex County screening.

The Monmouth County GOP primary line will be awarded by the nominating committee on Friday morning.  The Middlesex County GOP primary line will be awarded at a convention on Saturday March 24.

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Will The Real Anna Little Please Stand Up

By Art Gallagher

Has anybody seen the real Anna Little lately?   I haven’t seen her in months.

I’ve been intentionally restraining myself from writing about Anna Little since election day.  We have a long history.  Given that history, I offered her inner circle, which despite perceptions to the contrary I am not a member of, a private critique of what worked and what didn’t work about her congressional campaign.  If not for our relationship, I just would have written my observations as I have after every election since I started this blog.

Little’s recent actions as Mayor of Highlands, my hometown, and the decision she will have to make next week over a labor agreement with the Highlands PBA compel me to treat her as I would any other public figure and write my observations with the candor I’ve been known for, yet have been withholding in her case.

When I started preparing this piece, it reminded me of the long running TV game show To Tell The Truth which ran in various forms from 1956 through 2002.  The show featured a panel of four celebrities who were charged with correctly identifying a described contestant with an unusual occupation or experience.  The “real” contestant and two impostors won the game if they fooled the panel.  The real contestant was sworn to tell the truth when answering panelists’ questions.  The impostors could lie. The game was over when the host said “Will the real X please stand up?”

The more I worked on the piece, the more I realized that To Tell The Truth didn’t fit.  There were more than two impostors and they all inhabited the same body.  Maybe Sybil is a more appropriate analogy.  I don’t know that the psycho drama fits, but the multiple personalities and characters may be the majority of Little’s remaining supporters. Her Army is quickly becoming a figment of her imagination.

I think the real Anna Little is the woman I’ve known for almost 10 years.  She’s been a principled public servant who would fight to do the right thing.  She would fight for an ideal, regardless of the power and resources of her foes, winning and losing political battles, with scars.  Often she produced improbable results.  She always landed on her feet and emerged from battle with a smile.  She was uncompromising to the point of being a pain the ass, but she was usually right.

The real Anna Little started the year as a Tea Party mama grizzly with charm.  Tri-City News publisher Dan Jacobson called her “Sarah Palin with brains.”  Her stump speech for the CD-6 congressional primary was musical and inspiring. It hit all the patriotic notes and inspired the best in her audiences.  While she was challenging the establishment, she positioned herself as a uniter, promising the local and state party leadership that win or lose the primary she would rally her Tea Party supporters behind the Republican ticket. 

Little delivered on her unity promise, partially, when she supported Joe Oxley for reelection as Monmouth County GOP Chairman hours after her stunning and improbable primary victory over Diane Gooch was official.  However, she only went so far in uniting the troops.  She never healed the primary wounds with the Gooch camp.  There was griping and sniping from the Little camp throughout the general election campaign that the local GOP was not doing enough for her. She let that fester.  While there was public unity with the Monmouth and Middlesex leadership, Little repeatedly snubbed the Union County GOP leadership.  For now, let’s just say that Little’s horrendous showing in Plainfield was not solely the result of Frank Pallone’s superior ground game in the city.

The “real” Anna Little would not let those wounds fester.

Once she got her bearings in place for the general election, Little positioned herself as a “Chris Christie Republican” rather than a “Mama Grizzly.”  This was not a Sybilesque malady, but smart political strategy.   Christie had won the 6th congressional district in the previous election and his popularity was strong among the constituencies Little would have to win over in her quest to unseat Pallone.

When Little is on her game, her communications skills rival Christie’s and Palin’s.   However, as the campaign progressed the inspiring stump speech she consistently delivered during the primary was often replaced with a defensive justification of her candidacy that fell flat.  At home she would tell her audiences how much the national GOP and PACs in Washington loved her, as if the campaign was about her and as if her audiences cared.   In Washington, she would tell her audiences how loved she was at home.

She was on her game and at her very best when among her enthusiastic supporters.  Her performances at the debate at Temple Shalom in Aberdeen and at the health care forum in Red Bank were extraordinary.  However, when in the presence of those who challenged her and without her “Army” to back her up, Little was often strident and argumentative. Her appearances with NJN’s Michael Aron, before the editorial boards of the Star Ledger and Asbury Park Press and one on one versus Pallone on News 12 are examples of when she was not at her best and needed to be.

Where was the “real” Anna Little?

Behind the scenes, Little actively alienated herself from long term supporters who would frankly tell her the truth about what was working and not working.  It was as if she took constructive criticism from team members as personal attacks.  The “real” Anna Little wouldn’t do that.  She would argue and debate with trusted team members and then make a decision.  The Anna Little that showed up during the general election campaign turned her back on her best local advisers and surrounded herself with “yes” men and women and people who did not know the district.  She’d gone from a Palinesque Tea Partier, to a Christie Republican, to a Nixonian paranoid.

As the campaign reached its critical peak in mid-October, Little introduced yet another personality.  She took a hard right turn and morphed into a Mike Huckabee Republican, only without the cornball charm.  The fair tax, abortion and strict Ron Paulesque constitutionalist philosophy were not issues to emphasize during the last weeks of a general election campaign. Not when she had polling data that indicated a moderate Republican could defeat Pallone.  She was pandering to her Right to Life supporters who were upset with how she handled the life question during her NJN appearance with Aron.

Despite these problems which were grumbled about behind the scenes among Tea Partiers and Regular Republicans alike, Little’s political stock was flying sky high, even after the polls closed and she lost by double digits when most observers were expecting a nail biter.  In the final days of the election Monmouth County politicos were rooting for her victory because they didn’t want to have to compete with her in the event of a vacancy in the State Legislature after redistricting.   Win or lose, she was expected to be a force to be reckoned with in Monmouth County politics.  

In perhaps the fastest fall from grace since the Howard Dean scream, Little squandered torched that hard fought for political capitol before she got off the stage at her Shore Casino headquarters on election night.  Apparently concerned about insulting either her Tea Party supporters or Regular Republicans who she never truly united, Little insulted both in her concession speech which was short on humility and gratitude and included an announcement of her 2012 candidacy for congress in a district that hasn’t been drawn yet, and the formation of three new political organizations, including one called “Anna’s Army” which she apparently presumed all of her hardworking supporters would just sign on for without any acknowledgement of what they had just finished doing and sacrificing.   Did she expect to lose?  How else could she have planned and even named these three new organizations within two hours of the polls closing?   One television reporter commented on the air that Anna Little just wants the limelight. 

Was this the “real” Anna Little?  Did she have me fooled all these years?  Was I the one who misunderstood her when I argued with others that they didn’t really know who she was?  Maybe so.

This brings me to the present and why I’m writing this piece that has been eating me up inside since November 2.

I can support the Tea Party Mama Grizzly, the Christie Republican or the Huckabee Republican.  The Nixonian paranoid is tough to deal with, but I’m Irish too and have dealt with such passive aggression for 52 years.   I could forgive the election night performance and help her recover some of the political capitol she squandered.  But I can’t support a Republican Mayor who is turning into a Corzine style Democrat as her latest character.

On December 1^st Little sandbagged her Republican colleagues on the Highlands Council.  She showed up unexpectedly and joined the Democrats on the council in approving a hastily drawn labor agreement that will either needlessly increase the costs of Highlands government or handcuff her successor in managing Highlands budget like Jon Corzine did when he made a hasty deal with the state workers unions on primary day in 2009 so that Vice President Joe Biden would join him on the stage for his campaign kickoff. Corzine’s deal prevented Governor Christie from laying off state workers during the first year of his administration.   Little’s deal probably won’t prevent layoffs in the Highlands Police Department.  More likely the deal will end up costing Highlands taxpayers between $60,000 and $150,000 over the next two fiscal years.  Little knows this.

The payoff for Corzine’s expensive sellout was clear. What Little thinks she accomplishing, after assuring her Republican colleagues that she was with them, is a mystery.  Maybe she’s delusional enough to think that her actions will win her union support in her hypothetical rematch with Pallone in 2012.  Hopefully she just had a bad night and didn’t realize the consequences of her actions, despite her words to the contrary that evening and since.

Fortunately Little has a second chance with this one.  The PBA agreement has to be voted on again on Wednesday December 15^th.  Little could miss the meeting, which means the agreement would not carry on a 2-2 vote. Or one of the Republican Littles could show up.  For the sake of Highlands taxpayers, I hope the Little Corzine does not show up.

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Waiting to exhale

Angst.

The turnout is said to be great throughout Monmouth and Middlesex Counties.   What does that mean?

One senior Monmouth Democrat told me they were expected a blood bath in local races, but that Pallone and Holt would still win by a couple of points.

Gerry Scharfenberger told me the turnout is very strong in Middletown and that it appears to be 2-1 R.

The turnout in Highlands is high, both R’s and D’s are out.  Pallone had a nasty piece arrive in the mail yesterday.  Is that bringing the D’s out?

Middlesex County Republcian candidates are posting on facebook that the turnout is strong and steady.  They seem to feel good about it.

Frank Pallone tweeted that SEIU health care workers are canvassing for him. I have visions of seniors being dragged from their nursing home beds for one last vote before they move on the heaven or Chicago.

Rebecca Williams, a “New” Democrat running for council in Plainfield, told me the turnout was “pretty good.” Darn!  She told Poltickernj it was light this morning.  It is not snowing in Plainfield.

I’m so nervous that I incorrectly made a credit card payment on the web for $4000 when I meant to pay $400.  I called the company and thankfully didn’t have to push 1 to speak to an English speaking person in Bombay.  Angela, the nice lady in Florida, where it is cloudy and raining, calmly listened to me while I solved the problem myself on the website.  I told her that talking to her was better than Xanax.   That made her day.  Then I told her to vote for Marco and she rushed me off the phone, “we’re not allowed to talk about that.”  I’ve never taken Xanax.  Is it any good?

Toni Angelini told me, via facebook, to have a drink.  I told her I was affraid of doing something (or writing something) stupid.  I think I just did that anyway.

I can’t wait for this to be over.

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