Sunday, February 19, 2006

Little Gets My Endorsement

Having considered all the candidates William H. Seward has concluded that Councilwoman Anna Little of Highlands is the best choice to fill the open Freeholder seat.

She is a classy candidate. Not a negative word about any of her opponents. No meaningful controversy about her stands on the issues, her professionalism or her qualifications. The immigration lawyer controversy is a non-starter and a lame attempt by those who support other candidates to knock her.

She will work well with the current Freeholders and she will be a strong candidate in November. She is the best candidate for the party to unite behind. She will be a very good Freeholder and a strong asset to our party for years to come.

The only other serious candidates are Joe DiBella of Howell and Bob McKenna of Wall. Neither Bridget, Kleinberg nor DeSeno have a serious shot.

There is just too much controversy around DiBella. He should mend his fences in Howell and build a track record as Mayor for a full term or two before moving on to higher office. Joe on our ticket is the Democrats best chance of winning a seat in November.

McKenna is controversial for other reasons. His angry,combative style and attacks of the current Freeholder Board indicate that should he be elected to fill the open seat that there will be more division and acrimony on the Board than there is now and worse, that it will be very public. Bob’s stand for lower county spending is a good one, but he needs to sell it rather than ram it down the throats of his fellow Republicans. Bob’s position that he will not be a Freeholder candidate in November if he doesn’t get his way this time is immature and arrogant. He needs to get rid of the holier than thou attitude and polish up the salesmanship skills that made him a great insurance broker. He has a lot to contribute and he disempowers himself and the party by stating that he won’t contribute if he doesn’t get his way.

If Bob can lose the attitude, he would be a more effective chairman than any of the other candidates mentioned so far. He would also be a good Freeholder candidate if Ted doesn’t run. But he shouldn’t seek or hold both positions.

So there you have it my fellow Monmouth County Republicans. For the good of our county and the good of our part, I encourage you to elect Councilwoman Anna Little of Highlands as our next Freeholder.

9 comments:

Downtowner said...

I think your analysis is good, but a bit harsh on Bob. I know it could appear the way you are saying, but he really is a bit better than that. This is just my opinion of course but I think, in terms of the county, he would probably be a good pick for at least one of the two positions.

At the end of the day, be it Democrat or Republican, the best candidates in the race will produce the best result. I do believe that both Anna and Bob, in whatever order, would be the best two for the GOP insofar as the regular everyday taxpayer is concerned.

I think Billy Barham is great, as is Lillian Burry, but if Ted leaves that would leave the board to the shark tank that is the reservoir of GOP comers, sans these two very fine individuals.

Honest Abe said...

"Joe on our ticket is the Democrats best chance of winning a seat in November."

I would agree, Mr. Secretary.

Art Gallagher said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Art Gallagher said...

Sorry let's go devils, you can keep guessing if you like, but I'm not geri or jim.

Michael, while I respect your opinion, my endorsement and analysis stands. Readers are free to agree or disagree with my analysis and endorsement.

My critiques of the candidates are hardly "personal attacks." I'm not hiding under cover of Seward to attack anyone. I don't feel that I need to protect my job or family by maintaining Seward. But I do think its better for our party that I do. We'll see if people stop posting. I think it will be just the opposite.

Art Gallagher said...

Michael,

No apology necessary, but thanks for clearing the bit about personal attacks up.

My personal situation will not be enhanced by Mrs. Little's election. I am very much a private sector Republican and my involvement in politics costs me money.

One of the things I like about Mrs. Little is that her practice is not in muncipal law. Her livlihood does not depend on her involvment in public serive.

While I agree with you that illegal immigration and homeland security are critical issues, I don't agree that Mrs. Little's status as an immigration lawyer or her membership in the American Immigration Lawyers Association makes her a liberal.

Immigrants, both legal and illegal and entitled to legal representation. Before you go painting Mrs. Little with a liberal brush and associate her with the lawyers you have witnessed abusing the system perhaps you should talk to her. I suspect you will be impressed.

Having met all the candidates, I think Mrs. Little will be the best Freeholder for the rest of this year and the best candidate to anchor the ticket in November.

Art Gallagher said...

I understand and support your concern, and I wouldn't pretend to be an expert as you obviously are.

As you said, Mrs. Little is a conservative and is engaged in a lawful profession. Any candidate's profession is subject to scrutiny in a campaign. If we're going to have an attorney as a candidate, in the current environment, I'd rather have one who doesn't make there living at the tax payers expense

Downtowner said...

The Courier has opened up a new blog, at: http://www.bayshorenews.com/blog/. if anyone feels like being involved, we do allow anonymous postings and i hope we have a spirited crowd.

Downtowner said...

Bill:

With your permission, some hard things were said about me at the monmouthrepublicans blogspot in "Lincoln Day +1" and my response is not being posted on that site despite a characterization of me.

I posted my response on my site and on Abe's and I would like to do the same here. Of course, I would understand if you didn't think it was appropriate to post it here and pulled it, but i feel strongly that just one side of any story is a wrong side. Consequently, I will post my response here unless you see fit otherwise.

My response to "Lincoln Day +1" was:

"Well, I have not endorsed any candidate for any election. Giving one's opinion and giving an endorsement are different things entirely. Second, I have always been an advocate of the best people for the toughest jobs and this elephant-donkey stuff is better left to elementary school lunch rooms in my estimation. Third, I supported that chairman you're crowing about so much and things seemed to turn out for him (though I think he has turned out to be a great disappointment). And, I do not believe that neither Mr. Niemann nor Mr. Gallic knows what the heck a Republican is, unless making money is what the new definition of the word is.

"As for the Middletown Republicans, I have yet to be challenged by a fact error or a false statement outside of party rhetoric nonsense. I have my facts and I've presented them and you counter them with partisan nonsense opinion. I was a Republican when I made those statements and, in some part, the inability for this party and this chairman to comprehend the difference between right and wrong is a substantial reason why I am a Democrat now. One can dress the facts up all they want and bark about them to kingdom come outside the tent, but there are things that are true regardless of how they are framed.

"If you intend on making allegations against me, it would only be fair to allow my comment, given the fact I have always permitted the same to anything I have ever written or commted about anyone. But, then again, that would reflect honesty...something that is largely devoid from the current county Republican chair's administration, in my considered opinion."

Thank you for the consideration of this request.

Downtowner said...

question about the whole "credibility of the blog" thing...what?

blogs are supposed to be places where people can speak their minds.