Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long will be unopposed for re-election

Sea Bright Democrats Expect A Primary Fight Over Council Nominations

Councilman Marc Leckstein: Gopal with overrule local chairman and award him the party line in the primary

Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long. photo credit:RedBankGreen.com

Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long is poised to lead the tiny coastal borough’s recovery from Superstorm Sandy for another four years.

Long, an Independent, will file her nominating petitions this week, over two months before they are due for Independent candidates.  Both the Democratic and Republican municipal chairs  have said that they won’t field candidates against Long.

“I am hopeful the voters of Sea Bright will give me the opportunity to see through our rebuilding from Sandy, the recovery of our municipal finances and the economic revitalization of our downtown,” Long said in a prepared statement, “I want to make sure we incorporate lessons learned from Sandy to improve our future resilience, and that we continue to engage and empower Sea Bright residents to be an active part that process.

“Over the last three and half years, we have seen that when we roll up our sleeves and work together, we succeed. If we keep bringing that spirit to the tasks at hand, I know Sea Bright’s potential can finally be realized. I am honored that the Democrat and Republican party organizations are not opposing my re-election bid, and am very very grateful. I look forward to working with them all to keep Sea Bright moving forward.”

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Victoria Dean apologizes for facebook post

Marlboro Board of Ed VP, under political attack, suspects that a second alleged facebook post is a fabrication

Marlboro Board of Ed VP Victoria Dean, right and Marriem Yousef, a Muslim Marlboro High School junior at the conclusion of the March 10, 2015 BOE meeting

Marlboro Board of Education Vice President Victoria Dean last night apologized for racially charged posts made on her facebook page on February 8, during public workshop meeting of the board in the Marlboro Middle School Auditorium.

The offensive post came to light over the weekend when Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal’s Jersey Shore Insider blog posted a story accusing Monmouth GOP Leaders of displaying racist posts on social media.  The story accused Union Beach Mayor Paul Smith of posting a “rant” calling President Obama “A Communist, a Muslim and an Illegal Immigrant,” and Dean of displaying and liking a post on her facebook page that stating that “America isn’t America anymore!  It’s run by foreigners including THIS RAG HEAD PRESIDENT!”

The Asbury Park Press picked up the story on Monday, attributing Gopal’s blog as the source without citing it as a partisan website as is their custom when they cite this website or other conservative websites.

Smith shared a meme on his facebook page that included a photo of Obama holding a pint of dark beer in one hand and while is other hand was raised with his thumb up. The meme caption was ” A Communist, a Muslim and an Illegal Alien walk into a bar……The Bartender says ‘Hello Mr. President…”

On her facebook page, Dean posted a link to a story about a Waterbury, Connecticut school district honoring the Muslim holidays Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha by not scheduling tests, field trips or major school events on those occasions.  Dean added the caption “Pandora’s box opened” and tagged fellow board member Craig Marshall. Mark Garza, a Texas resident who Dean says is a childhood friend, posted the offensive rag head comment which Dean then liked.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Insiders: Monmouth Dems will only compete in LD 11 this year

Vin Gopal

Monmouth County Democratic insiders tell MMM that all Monmouth County and Legislative Republicans except Assemblywomen Caroline Casagrande and Mary Pat Angelini will essentially get a free pass to election this year as Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal has been unable to recruit candidates or raise money for the legislative races in legislative districts 12, 13 and 30, or the County Offices of Freeholder and Clerk.

Gopal is expected to leave the candidate recruitment in LDs 12 and 30 to the other counties included in those districts.  The 30th district, currently represented in the Assembly by Republicans Dave Rible and Sean Kean, has 12 towns in Monmouth County and two in Ocean County. Seven of the fourteen towns in the 12th district are on Monmouth County.  The other seven are split between Burlington, Ocean and Middlesex Counties.  The 12th district is represented by Republicans Ron Dancer and Rob Clifton.

Gopal’s trial balloon last December of making a second run for Assembly in the 11th himself( he ran in 2011) went over like the Hindenburg with State Democrats, other County Chairs and Special Interest donors who he had convinced that the money they invested in Monmouth County last year would lead to a pick up of Freeholder seats.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Valentine’s Day-Presidents Day

HighlandsNJFlowers.com

Valentine’s Day is this coming Saturday. Monday is Presidents Day.  If you have not taken down your Christmas decorations, it’s time.

For couples who share Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal’s admiration for Essex County, Newark is offering vacant lots for $1000.  Couples (of any gender mix) can show up at City Hall on Saturday from 9am to noon with $500 to secure their plot.  The other $500 is due at closing.   The catch?  The couples have to build a home on the property and live in it for five years.

Ladies, you don’t have to get your guy a present. You are a gift.  But if you want to, a new HD TV is acceptable.  Head over to Airport Plaza in Hazlet and visit IEI for the best selection and pricing.   Guys, don’t even think about getting your love a TV for Valentine’s Day.

At the very least, guys, you must get you lover flowers and/or chocolate.  Good news! You can buy those right now from MMM advertisers InTheGarden in Highlands for flowers and Suzi’s Sweet Shoppe in Middletown for chocolate.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Joe Grillo is for the birds

Giuseppe “Joe” Grillo, a Democratic candidate for Monmouth County Freeholder last year, has accepted a position as Director of Development at the New Jersey Audubon Society.

Working out of the non-profit’s Bernardsville headquarters, Grillo will be responsible for operations management, supervision of staff members overseeing membership, gift entry and prospect research.  He will collaborate with the VP of Development in designing and implementing a fundraising strategy.

Monmouth Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal’s blog has not reported whether  Grillo will be commuting over an hour each way to Bernardsville from his current home in Asbury Park or if he will move to the Somerset County town where there are no parking meters. During his campaign for Freeholder last year, Grillo complained that it is impossible to live in downtown Asbury Park without getting parking tickets. Starbuck’s, where Grillo’s wife works as a manager, has a store in Bernardsville.  A shorter commute and free parking may prove compelling to the couple should the job work out for Joe.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

On Anonymity, Integrity & Personal Attacks

By Jim Granelli

To be honest, I’ve had a draft of an article like this on my desktop since before Christmas. But the recent article about John Heyer, AKA Vin Gopal, AKA Monmouth County Democrat Chair has created an opportunity to tie the current matter into the above issues.

Integrity as one dictionary describes it is “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.” That was the point of exposing Vin Gopal as a real person behind Jersey Shore Insider. It was a lie of omission, for if the real truth were known about the editorial bend of the Jersey Shore Insider blog, one would be able to put it all in context.

One of the tip off’s that something was fishy was finding out that John Heyer was a Democrat Freeholder who died in 1905. No one in Holmdel knew of John Heyer, nor was he found in any public records. That wasn’t too smart of a move Mr. Gopal. It raised a flag. Furthermore, that Gopal has not replied to MMM with a comment should raise a flag with you; telling you that  a) he got caught and b) he’s got something to hide.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Predictions: 2015

The Green Bay Packers will eliminate the Dallas Cowboys from Super Bowl contention with a victory in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs next Sunday.

Governor Chris Christie will announce that he is a candidate for President of the United States.  Christie’s independent polling numbers will drop to the low 40’s in New Jersey, but his national popularity will rise.

Kim Guadagno will officially be the Governor of New Jersey on more days than Christie will be in 2015. Yet, Guadagno’s name recognition will not exceed 20% in independent polls.

U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman will announce 3-4 indictments in the George Washington Bridge/Port Authority fiasco.  Christie will not be one of them. Neither will Acting Governor Guadagno.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Winners and Losers of 2014

Winners

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon led the effort to terminate New Jersey’s Red Light Camera Program.

O’Scanlon and Co. have been relentless in monitoring the Red Light Camera Program and telling the truth about it. They have hired independent experts to investigate complaints and document fraud within the program.  They have sorted through data that has regularly been obfuscated by the red light camera companies (and bureaucrats friendly to them) to reflect improved safety conditions at RCL intersections where in fact conditions had often worsened.   They have worked hard in getting the word out about the program’s failure and corruption. They have countered expensive advertising campaigns by the red light camera companies and countered expensive lobbyists working the halls of the Statehouse, without the benefit of the profits the red light camera companies stole from the motoring public to fund their efforts.

In thwarting the Red Light Camera Program’s renewal, O’Scanlon has proved himself to be “the real deal”….a leader who fights for the right thing because it is the right thing. He is an example of what a “public servant” should be.

Christine Giordano Hanlon 

Dubbed The Architect by Monmouth GOP Chairman Shaun Golden, Hanlon designed Golden’s defeat of John Bennett for leadership of the County Party, avenging her razor thin 3 vote defeat by Bennett in 2012.  By building a coalition of previous regional rivals and splitting Bennett’s 2012 coalition, which he failed to nourish, Hanlon demonstrated strategic leadership without seeking the limelight or accolades.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Report: Gopal Considering Another Run For Assembly

What will Dan Jacobson do?

Vin Gopal

Ever the optimist and desperate for relevancy, Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal is floating his name as a candidate for Assembly in 11th District.

The district’s Assembly seats are currently held by Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande.  Gopal and Red Bank Councilwoman Kathy Horgan lost to Angelini and Casagrande by over 3000 votes (out of 37,093 cast) in 2011.  Former Democratic Assemblyman Dan Jacobson, publisher of the triCityNews and AsburyParkSun earned 2358 votes as an Independent candidate that year.

MoreMonmouthMusings hereby endorses Gopal for one of the Democratic Assembly nominations in the 11th.

We were worried that 2015 would be a boring year politically in Monmouth County and that we’d have to start covering restaurant openings to keep our traffic up next year.  With Gopal on the ballot, MMM’s political focus would be assured for another year.

Another reason we like Gopal as a candidate for Assembly is that it takes an issue of the table for Sheriff Shaun Golden’s reelection in 2016.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

DiSomma: Squash Zipprich DUI Video

Sean DiSomma

Sean DiSomma, the Chairman of the Red Bank Republicans and a candidate for Council in the upcoming election has requested that MMM not to publish the video of Councilman Ed Zipprich’s arrest for Driving Under the Influence and not to release it to any other publications.  Zipprich is one of DiSomma’s opponents in the election.

“Linda (Schwabenbauer, DiSomma’s running mate) and I decided to run our campaign on the issues…making Red Bank’s government more affordable,” said DiSomma, “Zipprich’s allegation that we are responsible for the release of the video to the Asbury Park Press is baseless.  Mr. Zipprich says he’s working every day to be a better person.  I hope that is true and that he retracts the allegation.”

“Last year the Democrats went into the gutter with false allegations against me,” DiSomma continued, referring to Demcratic County Chairman Vin Gopal’s false allegation last October that there was a warrant out for his arrest in Texas for an unpaid speeding ticket, “two wrongs don’t make a right.  If this campaign is on the issues, we win.”

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet