Atlantic Highlands Councilman Jack Archibald has withdrawn his candidacy for reelection.
Archibald submitted a letter to the County Committee which was read at a meeting of the borough’s Republican county committee on Monday. In his letter, the councilman stressed he is completing his term which runs out Jan. 1, 2018, and will continue serving the borough. However, citing personal reasons and commitments, he said he will not seek another term.
The councilman has been on the governing body for the past 25 years, serving on every committee at some time during his tenure. He has received commendations for work he has done and projects he has instituted or pursued while serving on Harbor, Police, Finance, Public Works , Recreation and Water and Sewer.
InsiderNJ.com is reporting that an anonymous Monmouth County source has said that Freeholder Gary Rich will not be running for re-election in November.
“Chairman Shaun Golden sat down with Rich last night to tell him the organization is going in another direction and Rich opted not to fight,” the site reported their source said.
MMM has confirmed that Golden and Rich met yesterday, but it is not clear if Golden is pushing Rich out or if the two term Freeholder is leaving on his own volition. Rich has been giving mixed signals about his intentions; he has told people he is running, but he has not raised any money nor attended any political events recently. He has left at least two Freeholder meetings early since the first of the year. Neither Golden or Rich have responded messages seeking confirmation of their meeting’s content and tone.
Councilman Peter Doyle has his eye on DiMaso’s Freeholder seat
Atlantic Highlands Councilman Peter Doyle
The entrance of Monmouth County Freeholder Serena DiMaso and Middletown Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger into the race for the GOP nominations for the Assembly seats currently held by Assemblywoman Amy Handlin and Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon has prompted one rumored candidate to declare that he is not running for Assembly and to express his interest in DiMaso’s seat on the Freeholder Board should she elected to the legislature on November 7.
Atlantic Highlands Councilman Peter Doyle released this following statement this afternoon:
All three seats in the 13th legislative district appear to be up for grabs next year.
If published reports are to believed, Assembly Members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon are heading for a primary in June for the GOP nomination to succeed Senator Joe Kyrillos in the New Jersey Senate.
If both Handlin and O’Scanlon compete on the June ballot, rather than letting the County Committee members choose a nominee at a convention, both Assembly seats will be vacant.
A simmering feud within the Atlantic Highlands GOP boiled over into the public eye yesterday afternoon during the Borough’s reorganization meeting as three of the five Republican elected officials split with two of their newly reelected colleagues to elect a Democrat up for reelection this year as Council President.
Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno who was on hand to swear in veteran Councilmen Jack Archibald and Peter Doyle to their new terms was not pleased by the drama. “You’re killing me,” Guadagno said to Mayor Fred Rast, a Republican who supported the unorthodox move, according to a prominent county Republican who was present.
Republican Councilman Lou Fligor nominated Democrat Roy Dellosso to be Council President. Jacob “Jake” Hoffman, also a Republican, joined Fligor, Dellossa, and Democrat Robert Sutton in electing Dellosso to the largely ceremonial post. Archibald and Doyle voted no.
Monmouth County Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon is making statewide waves and generating statewide headlines in his quest to prove that red light cameras are not safety devices, but revenue generating ripoffs.
O’Scanlon makes a compelling case, backed up with engineering, that yellow lights should be timed for actual speeds that motorists are driving, rather than by the posted speed limits. He convinced MMM that’s he’s right on the issue, and that might be the subject of a future post. Read one of these articles if you want to bone up on that issue now. What prompted my call to O’Scanlon was politics, not policy.
There are no red light cameras in O’Scanlon’s legislative district, the 13th in Northern Monmouth County.
As the Assembly Republican Budget Officer, O’Scanlon has one of the highest, if not the highest, statewide profile of his fellow Republicans in the Assembly.
The last time O’Scanlon made statewide headlines on a issue not related to the budget he was speaking out in favor of medical marijuana and against towns that were using zoning laws to keep happy medicine dispensaries and farms outside of their boundaries. MMM’s unscientific poll indicated that his position on 420 could cause a 180 among his supporters in the 13th.
I wondered if O’Scanlon might have political ambitions that, in addition to his commitment to doing the right thing, are motivating his activities outside of his district.
With all the attention and excitement being paid to Joe Kyrillo’s U.S. Senate candidacy and a new map that most think makes Frank Pallone even harder to beat, there is little if any talk about a GOP candidate in the 6th Congressional District.
So let’s throw some names out there and have then have a poll. I start with names that come to mind. Please add names in the comments. Over the weekend I’ll create a poll.
Former Highlands Mayor Anna Little
Selika Josiah Gore, Marlboro
Matawan Councilwoman Toni Marie Angelini
Matawan Councilman Tom Fitzsimmons
Assemblywoman Amy Handlin
Atlantic Highlands Councilman Peter Doyle
Keyport Mayor Bob McLeod
Former Middletown Committeeman Tom Wilkens
Middletown Mayor Tony Fiore
Hazlet Committeeman Scott Aagre
James Hogan of Long Branch
Oceanport Councilman Joe Irace
Former Freeholder Bill Barham
Former Assemblyman, triCityNews Publisher Dan Jacobson
Serena DiMaso. In her third try for the office, Monmouth County’s new freeholder was victorious by a wider than expected margin. During this campaign, Serena revealed a dignified strength and tenacity that had been missing from her earlier bids.
Joe Oxley. The chairman who had done away with conventions due to the chaos and deep divisions that often resulted, lead the county party in an orderly and adult gathering that left the party stronger.
Peter Doyle. The previously little known West Point graduate, a councilman from a small town (only 8 committee votes in Atlantic Highlands) introduced himself to the county as a strong leader with a bright political future. He exceeded expectations with his third place finish and is considered a front runner for future county or state vacancies.
Bob Walsh. The Howell Mayor ran a positive, passionate and clean campaign. His concession to DiMaso during the first few moments of the second ballot vote was the right thing to do for party unity.
“I treat people the way I’d like to be treated,” Walsh said in an post election interview, “Serena won, it’s a simple as that. She worked hard and ran a clean campaign. She’s a wonderful woman who has my complete support as a freeholder and in the coming election in November.”
Tom Fitzsimmons. The Matawan councilman and political consultant managed a positive campaign for DiMaso. He proved to be the best vote counter and bs detector in the field.
The Monmouth County Republican Party. The days of a raucous divisions are certifiably behind us. The party produced four very qualified candidates, elected the best, and left the convention unified. Worries of having a quorum present proved to be unjustified as 487 committee members showed up to preform their statutory duty.
Monmouth County Residents have an outstanding Board of Freeholders.
Holmdel Patchprovided accurate and timely coverage of the election which is syndicated throughout Patch’s other Monmouth County sites.
Losers
Ryan Green. The Manalapan Committeeman didn’t realize that, like Doyle, he was never going to overcome the countywide support that DiMaso and Walsh had built in previous runs for the office. Doyle got it in the last week of the campaign and kept building relationships for the future. Green threw an ill advised Hail Mary pass with his 11th hour press release bashing DiMaso. DiMaso intercepted the errant pass and ran it back for a touchdown, leaving Green and Manalapan Chairman Steve McEnry, the advisor, damaged. Rather than leaving this campaign with a base to build on going forward, Green finds himself stuck in a hole that McEnry let him dig. Green was slated to be Mayor of Manalapan prior to entering the freeholder race. Now he’s an ambitious committeeman who has been publicly chastised by a newly elected freeholder for breaking the “11th commandment.”
Steve McEnry. See Ryan Green above. Manalapan has 52 county committee members. Green only received 39 votes total. An embarrassing failure for the Manalapan Chairman.
Jim Giannell. The Kingmaker’s winning streak has been broken. After his candidate, Walsh, conceded, Giannell graciously passed the mantle to Fitzsimmons.
Monmouth County Democrats. DiMaso was not the candidate they were rooting for. Regardless of who their new chairman is, Vin Gopal or Frank “LaHornica” LaRocca, they will be hard pressed to field a competitive slate this year.
The Asbury Park Press.As of 5:25PM they still have not reported that Monmouth County has a new freeholder. APP has made no mention of the special Title 19 election since Christmas Eve.
Manalapan Township Committee Member Ryan Green, a candidate for Freeholder in tomorrow’s Title 19 election, has taken the gloves off in what until now has been a clean and collegial intra-party contest.
Green issued a press release late last night criticizing the Holmdel Township Committee for considering selling land, including land purchased with Green Acres dollars, to close a budget deficit. Green based his criticism upon a January 6 article in the Holmdel Patch.
Holmdel Deputy Mayor Serena DiMaso is competing with Green, along with Howell Mayor Bob Walsh and Atlantic Highlands Councilman Peter Doyle for the freeholder seat vacated by Assemblyman Rob Clifton.
“To learn that the Holmdel Township Committee would consider selling one of our most valued resources in Monmouth County, open space, is very disappointing. I have a strong record of preserving open space, as I believe it improves our quality of life. I will never support selling any of it,” Green said.
Green said he believes very strongly that when governing bodies purchase land, especially with Green Acres funding, it should be maintained as open space. He said he has been a leader in preserving open space in Manalapan since joining the Township Committee.
He is also concerned that selling land, as the Holmdel Township Committee is considering doing, is a short-term solution to address Holmdel’s looming budget deficit.
“In order to address budget deficits, we need long-term solutions. We need to prioritize what services are being provided, reduce spending, and find new shared services agreements that can save taxpayer dollars. Once that land is sold, it’s unlikely that Monmouth County will ever get it back,” Green stated.
DiMaso shot back, “If we sell, it would be 10 acres of a 400 acre facility to a soccer academy. It will be deed restricted for recreational use, so it will remain open space, and its use will not change. The sale will have Green Acres approval.”
“The Plum Lane property that Ryan ‘read’ about was not purchased with Green Acres money. It was donated to the Township and is surplus land.”
“If Ryan wanted to engage in a genuine debate about open space, why wait until the 11th hour with a press release? I saw Ryan on the campaign trail three times this week. He has my number and my email. He could have brought this up anytime. This type of last minute distortion is very disappointing coming from a so called Republican. Maybe Ryan’s ambition and NJEA DNA is more dominant in his character than his status as a Republican, especially one who promised to run a positive campaign. If he broke this promise to a fellow Republican, what promises will he break to the Monmouth County taxpayer? ”
Update from Ryan Green:
I was informed of this issue while walking door to door on Wednesday evening. I have never mentioned one of my fellow candidates by name during this campaign, nor have I ever engaged in personal attacks. The actions of the Holmdel Township Committee raise a legitimate policy issue for Monmouth County regarding open space, and I feel that it’s important for the voters to know where each candidate stands on this issue.
Freeholder Director John Curley is not taking sides in the campaign for Assemblyman Rob Clifton’s seat on the county governing body which will conclude on Saturday with the Title 19 convention of Republican County Committee members at Colts Neck High School.
“We have four very strong, smart and articulate candidates,” said Curley, ” I will be proud to serve with and run with whoever the party gives me on Saturday.”
The successful candidate on Saturday can be sworn in as Freeholder upon resigning from their current office. The new freeholder and Curley will be the presumptive GOP nominees for this fall’s election.
Curley said he expected the election to be a close contest to Holmdel Deputy Mayor Serena DiMaso and Howell Mayor Bob Walsh. He said he is impressed with both Atlantic Highlands Councilman Peter Doyle and Manalapan Committeeman Ryan Green, both of whom are making their first bid for county office. “We’ll be hearing from then again,” he said.
All three seats in the 13th legislative district appear to be up for grabs next year.
The filing deadline is April 2.