The Asbury Park Press gives new life to the floundering Dems

Bob Cullinane, right



Skip Hidlay


Meet the new driving force behind the Monmouth County Democratic Freeholder candidates' campaign; Asbury Park Managing Editor William "Skip" Hidlay, and adventure seeking reporter Bob Cullinane.

Back in late August, a divided Freeholder board, after months of study, voted to reappoint County Counsel Malcom Carton. Skip and Bob were not too happy. Neither was I. It was a bonehead move, politically and governmentally, perpetuated by the two Freeholders the Asbury Park Press unwittingly elected last year. As I said in my August 30th post, the boneheads ceded the moral high ground, and the good will of the APP, that our Chairman claimed with his Ethical Roadmap.

For the most part I admire the APP, and their parent, Gannet. More than most, they are holding greedy politicians feet to the fire and exposing waste, fraud and abuse in government throughout their coverage areas. They have done more to reform government in New Jersey than perhaps any other single person or entity. But this time, they have let their emotions and their agenda get the better of them. They should be first and foremost journalists, reporting the facts and reasonable analysis. This week they got it wrong.

They are not stupid, so I assume they know that their coverage of the Monmouth County legal bills is distorted. They have to know that the reforms voted on in August are not reflected in the year to date numbers that they are reporting. Obviously, this week they are up to something other than reporting the news. They are out to influence the upcoming Freeholder elections, "sadly," they say. That the boneheads made another bonehead move by insisting that Cullinane's questions be submitted in writing does not justify Skip, Bob and the rest abandoning their journalistic integrity.

More importantly, what the APP is up to is counter productive to their own agenda. The APP unwittingly gave us the boneheads who are thwarting reform. Now they are unwittingly consolidating the boneheads' power, at least for another year.

By trying to defeat Andrew Lucas and Anna Little, the APP is playing into the hands of the old Republican guard. Neither Anna nor Andrew were the candidates of choice of the party establishment. The rank and file of the Monmouth County Republican party are leading the revolution for better county government, and the APP is about to snuff out those efforts.

Andrew and Anna are the most competent candidates, and they are reformers. Anna voted against the reappointment of Carton and has asked every department head in the county government to prepare budgets with 5% and 10% cuts, in an effort to make our county more affordable. Andrew has proposed a hiring freeze.

What have the Democratic candidates proposed? Barbara McMorrow has proposed an independent audit to find savings. Newflash: There's an independent audit every year. J. Gregory Gibadlo has proposed selling a county golf course to raise money for teen recreation. These two are clueless, and the boneheads will run circles around them while the Trenton Democrats will move in next year with truckloads of cash and attempt to take over our county and legislative seats. As of now, about the only patronage the Monmouth County Dems have is the Matawan Motor Vehicle office. Does the APP really think there will be a reduction in county spending if Trenton takes over?

If the APP would pay attention to the candidates, their track records and their proposals, instead of their party designation, there is no question who they would endorse; Andrew Lucas and Anna Little.

There is no question the APP will influence this election. Before this week's angry distortions by the APP, Andrew and Anna were for all practical purposes running unopposed. The APP has made it a race despite the fact that the Dem campaign deservedly couldn't get any traction. Hopefully, Skip and his team will wake up and smell the coffee. "Sadly," I fear they won't.

Now we have a race for good government. Our opponents are the APP, who is unwittingly playing into the hands of the Old Republican Guard, and two inept Democratic candidates.

Now that we have a race, we can no longer afford to be polite and promote the illusion of party unity. Our candidates and their team need to take a page from Amy Handlin's playbook and unabashedly declare themselves the reformers that they already are.