GOTCHA!

Well, it seems the financial house of the Monmouth County Democrats is not exactly in order either.

The Asbury Park Press reports that the Dems have not filed their 2005 year end reports that were due on January 17, and worse, that they did not report over $90K in inkind donations to the Freeholder campaign of Barbara J. McMorrow and Rebecca Aaronson, last years opponents of Bill Barham and Lillian Burry. This begs the question, "What else hasn't been reported?" Spending in municipal races perhaps?

In the same article, the APP also reports that our esteemed chairman, Frederick P., filed a complaint with ELEC yesterday. Chances are that Fred gave the APP this story, effectively deflecting the heat he's been taking this week and throwing the Dems off their game. This begs the question, "When did Fred know?" Did he discover this while doing the research for his OP ED piece and Chairman's letter defending his fund raising practices, or has he been sitting on this to use as an October surprise?

I think its probably the former. Either way, its too bad. It would have been a great October surprise.

Speaking of unfiled reports, has Lenny Izerillo, Anna Little's opponent this fall, filed his reports for his 2003 Assembly race against Joe Azzonlia? Come on Old Hickory, stop planning on re-naming buildings and get your house in order!

Is it Scudiery or Scudery? Oh Fred.

Fred Got It Right!

No, not my identity. And no, this is not an April Fool's Joke.

In is Op Ed piece in today's Asbury Park Press, Fred got it right. Well, he got some of it right.

Fred said:

"Make no mistake about it. New Jersey's Democrats are a cash/fund-raising machine. Republicans have two choices. Raise money legally or unilaterally disarm and surrender 50 years of Republican values and leadership to our opponents. We cannot do this."

My friend Abe's opinion to the contrary not with standing, I say Fred is right. We cannot unilaterally disarm. And we can't count on the Democrats to "do the right thing" and limit their fundraising and spending anymore than the law requires.

While I applaud Freeholder Anna Little for turning down the donation she did because it violates "the Spirit of the Law", I don't agree that it violates the spirit of the pay to play law that was constructed by our Democratic Legislature in Trenton. The spirit of that law is: Let's tell the suckers (voters) that we reformed the system, make it more difficult for candidates to raise money directly, but let the vendors and special interests keep funding our campaigns in a way that is more difficult to track. What Anna Little did was uphold the Spirit of the People, who are fed up with the system that we have,not the spirit of the pay to pay law which was never designed to limit pay to play anyway.

Anna Little and two of her potential running mates, Terence Wall and Robert Kleinberg, have pledged to run grass root funded campaigns and not accept PAC money. I applaud them and will be donating. You should donate too. However, I consider this very risky in the face of the money the Democrats will very likely be spending. But I digress.

Back to Fred. My problem with Fred is not his funding raising. Indeed, I believe that until the system changes for real, the Chairperson, whoever he or she may be, needs to raise as much money as he or she can within the framework of the law and the existing system. At the same time, the Chair should be calling for meaningful reform, as Fred has done and continues to do.

My problem with Fred is his ineptitude at leadership, team building and public relations. He has failed to build relationships with the rank and file and he burned the bridges that brought him into office. He squandered a great opportunity to bring a new culture to our county party and he alienated many a committed and talented team player. He failed to sell his agenda and educate the party as to why we need to raise funds through PACS, and his efforts to sell that agenda now, through his speech at the Affilated dinner last week and in his OP ED piece today, are too little to late. His Al-Qaeda remarks to the press were "beyond the pale" as Terence Wall would say. The fact that he has used his position to enhance his income, despite promising to do just the opposite, as reported in today's Courier is another example of Fred's ineptitude at leadership, team building and public relations. His agenda is not to lead our party, but to gather as much money and power as he can.

We need a new Chairperson. One that can bring everyone, even Fred, together. Someone who can be a credible voice for reform while at the same time raising the large sums of money we need to fund our county, legislative and municipal campaigns. Someone who can develop and empower future candidates and party leaders. I don't think Mel Hood or Ed Staminksi are the answer.

Jennifer Beck comes to mind. Anyone got any other suggestions?

OK Freddy, who am I?


From today's APP article:
Niemann said he chose the [terrorist] analogy to illustrate what he called the "underground and covert" nature of a faction in the county party that he claims is small, yet subversive.

"These individuals never disclose themselves. They communicate by way of blogs, gossip and rumor," Niemann said. "I know who they are. But I believe in the (Ronald) Reagan commandment: Do not publicly criticize anyone in your party."

That Ronald Reagan reference is funny. You call us terrorists and then say you follow the 11th commandment.

Your days are numbered Freddy boy, but I have a deal for you:

Send an email to BillSewardnj@aol.com with my real name in the subject line within 10 minutes of hearing about this post and I'll make a $3,000.00 contribution to the PAC of your choice.

Get it wrong, and you resign immediately. I'll reveal my real identity to prove you got it wrong, upon release of your resignation letter. So Fred, do you know who I am? This offer expires at 7pm, March 28, 2006.

Keeping it Real and Getting to the Heart of the Matter:
The Wall Interview, Continued

I received the following messages from Terence:

"Hi

I'm trying to work with you (willing to not know who you are) but the "are you still beating your wife" stuff posted on your website is a bit beyond the pale.

Primarily because it is inaccurate.

I need to know what direction you're looking for with this blog (i.e. issues or just blather)

I'm fine either way but need to know if I should continue directing people to it. If it’s a hit parade I can’t be bothered

T "

And, culled from a subsequent email (sorry to not be verbatim):

"Thank you for trying to keep this thing real (it can be positive or negative – all I ask is that it is real)"


So, let's get real and stop ignoring the elephant in the room. This is not going to be easy. It could make a huge difference, if Terence has the courage to engage, and I hope he does, for his sake and our county's sake.

Terence,

I'm not looking for a positive or negative spin.

I am looking for an honest interview where my readers get to know you and can make an informed decision about your candidacy for Freeholder.

This years election is very important to the future of our county. The new and emerging fund raising scandal makes our candidate selection all the more important.

Given your experience and name recognition, you should be the front runner, winning the nomination, and the election in a slam dunk. Your refusal to accept PAC money, while not popular within certain factions of the party, will play very well in the with the general electorate and the press.

However, I don't think you are the front runner. The controversies about you and what you call the "are you still beating your wife stuff," are killing your chances. You have tried to handle that "stuff" by ignoring it, calling for discussion of county issues only and, simply saying the "stuff" is not true. I don't think your strategy is working. Your candidacy makes that "stuff" county issues and fair game.

I left the Affiliated dinner on the 24th very disappointed in our choices of candidates.

DeSeno gave a good presentation but won't win because he has no organization and hasn't paid his dues.

Kleinberg's rambling presentation was awful. He coulda been a contender.

Lucas is not ready from prime time.

DiBella was relaxed for a change. Talking to his old friends, joking about his weaknesses and the controversies about it him. He acted like he has the nomination in the bag, and at this point he probably does, which means we will have a Freeholder from Howell named Barbara.

And you, Terence, were great, except for the fact that you are refusing to deal with the controversies about yourself. There are many people angry at you and others fearful about what stunt you might come up with next.

You say that your critics' posts on my site are beyond the pale, primarily because they are not true. Rather than ignoring them or hope I delete them, let's tell the truth and hopefully get beyond them.

I'm on record as saying that DiBella can't win in November. Given the weakness of the other candidates, that leaves you as our best hope of maintaining our all Republican Freeholder Board, unless another candidate comes forth.

If you don't find a way to neutralize what your critics are saying about you and make people like you anyway, ala Bill Clinton, you can't win either.

With the hope that you can change the buzz about you, I ask that you honestly answer the following questions:

1) Do you have a tape of Serena DiMaso uttering anti-Semitic remarks. If so, why haven't you released it. If not, please explain yourself and clean up this mess once and for all.

2) If elected, will you continue to serve as Keansburg Borough Manager. If not, how will you support your family? Will you complete your term on the Holmdel Township Committee?

3) The redevelopment of the Lucent site is of critical importance to the future of Holmdel and the future of Monmouth County. You have claimed a leadership role in this issue. How do you plan to positively impact this redevelopment while at the same time managing Keansburg and running a county wide race for Freeholder.

4) Did you ever explore running for State Senate as a Democrat?

5) What have you learned since your primary race for Assembly? Did you try to trick primary voters into thinking John Bennett was supporting you? If so, what have you learned from that experience and how will those lessons impact your future races?

6) Given the demands of office holding, public service often means sacrificing private sector accomplishments and quality family time. How has your public service impacted your career and your family? Has it been worth it?

In your blog on jerseypolitcs.com, http://www.jerseypolitics.com/tmwall.html, you talk about an indefinable drive to get the job done that has nothing to do with money, power or prestige. While that drive may be indefinable, please speak to your experience of it, why you do what you do, and what you get out of it.

Please email me your responses and I will post them as comments to this thread. This thread is closed to other comments

The Terrance Wall Interview

Email interviews are not easy, especially for a blogger who wants to maintain anonymity. When Terence emailed me with the offer of an interview he requested a face to face with a promise of confidentiality. While I have no direct or personal reason to doubt Terence's word, that was a risk I was unwilling to take. We settled on a email interview and I promised to post the questions and answers verbatim.

I'm not exactly satisfied with Terence's responsiveness, and I will address this in follow up questions.

For now, here are the questions and Terence's response. I will email my follow up and additional questions to Terence, as well as post them here over the weekend.

1) Please introduce yourself to the voters. Tell us about who you are, your age, your background, family, education, professional history, public service history. Please highlight your most significant accomplishments. Also, tell us your most significant mistakes and what you learned from them.



2) Why do you want to be a Freeholder? What makes you qualified for this position? What do you want to accomplish in your first term as Freeholder?

Terence's response:

Dear Fellow Republican:

Many wonderful towns make up the great county of Monmouth. Our towns are large and small, rural and urban. To be true, in each region of the county there are neighboring municipalities with distinctly different issues and concerns. Monmouth County Freeholders understand this and work together with their peers to help all municipalities, regardless of size or status, to keep Monmouth County great.

My name is Terence Wall and I would be honored to work on your behalf. I’m 38 and a lifelong resident of Monmouth County. My lovely wife Jeanne and I live in Holmdel with our daughter Georgette.

The campaign website is http://www.monmouthmatters.com/ .The site will be constantly updated and designed to reflect your ongoing feedback. Since my campaign refuses to accept any PAC contributions, your support would certainly be appreciated. We need to return to grassroots campaigning.

I’d like to share a few thoughts with you about the issues of the day.

Taxes must be stabilized. My track record is one of cutting budgets and slashing tax rates for everyday citizens. I will share this record with the Monmouth County voters

Open Space and Farmland must be preserved for today and for future generations. My track record on preservation of open space and farmland is well documented and this experience will help any municipality who seeks urban parks and suburban preservation on a multi-jurisdictional basis will find someone who will roll up their sleeves and go to work.

Stay Local – I would dedicate my term to understanding the key local issues facing our communities – regardless of the challenge – and collaborate with local officials to design long term solutions.

Your vote on April 8th would be greatly appreciated and - if selected - you can be sure that we will win in November and ensure that the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders remains in good hands.

Thank you

Sincerely,

Terence M Wall

Professional Background –

Certified Emergency Medical Technician (Past Vice President of the Holmdel First Aid Squad) – Duty Crew Member for 8 years
Professionally licensed in the following – Insurance (Life and Health), Securities (Series 7) and Real Estate
Taught Continuing Education for Insurance Producers
Administrator – Borough of Keansburg

Past President – Holmdel Rotary
Past Board Member – Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Monmouth County
Finance Chairman – BBBS of MC

First elected to the Holmdel Township Committee in 1998 (primary and general)
Re-elected in 2001
Re-elected in 2004

Chaired and Vice Chaired numerous committees such as recreation, public works, finance and served as Charter Chairman of the Open Space Advisory Council

Significant accomplishments as an elected official:

1. GPU High Tension Power Line Project – fought and won
2. Nike Site – spearheaded preservation
3. Chase Tract – preserved by casting key vote against sewering
4. DePalma Farm – preserved by personally working with the farmer
5. F and F Nurseries – preserved in a multi-jurisdictional fashion
6. Lucent Redevelopment – work in progress

You Go Girl!


Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 03/24/06

7 NEW COMMITTEES: $55,100 contributed by county contractors

CRITICS: Freeholder Little spurns donation; Handlin speaks out

GOP exploits pay-to-play loophole


BY BOB CULLINANE
STAFF WRITER
The Monmouth County Republican Organization has created seven new political committees that one state lawmaker says appear to be designed specifically to circumvent New Jersey's strict new pay-to-play law.

And a Monmouth County freeholder — newcomer Anna Little, a Republican — has refused to accept a campaign contribution from one of the newly formed GOP committees, saying to do so would "violate the spirit" of the pay-to-play law.

Little said she returned a $2,600 check from the Holmdel Committee For Good Government on Monday because "I was unsure of the origin of the funds in the account" and "I don't care to be involved in a scandal."

The Holmdel committee is one of the seven GOP municipal political committees, all with the same treasurer and mailing address, that were established in October. The pay-to-play law took effect Jan. 5.

The law was designed to restrict the amount of campaign contributions that businesses holding government contracts make to candidates and political parties, in some cases banning the contributions altogether.

All seven of the new GOP committees have received contributions from companies or individuals holding large Monmouth County contracts.

Of the $67,595 contributed to the committees' accounts, at least $55,100, or 81 percent, has come from contract holders, according to filings with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission.

Such an arrangement "is the political equivalent of having offshore bank accounts," said Assemblywoman Amy H. Handlin, R-Monmouth, a former freeholder who stepped down Jan. 24.

Handlin said the new GOP committees are proof of a serious loophole in the new pay-to-play law, permitting political contributions to be rerouted, or "wheeled," from committees to committees, or to candidates.

"The new (pay-to-play) law sounds good and feels good, but it's a systematic statewide shell game," Handlin said.

Fredrick P. Niemann, chairman of the Monmouth County Republican Organization, said Wednesday that he was unaware of the existence of the seven new GOP committees.

However, Freeholder Little said Niemann telephoned her Tuesday after learning that she refused the contribution from the Holmdel committee.

"Fred tried to convince me to accept the money," Little said of that conversation.

Josh Elkes, finance chairman of the Monmouth County Republican Organization, said he was aware of the seven GOP committees but would not comment further about why they were established or how the funds would be used.

Terence M. Wall, a Holmdel committeeman who is one of several people seeking a GOP nomination for county freeholder this year, called the new committees "a matter of concern."

"Monmouth County citizens want to see an end to pay-to-play and the movement of funds through various PACs (political action committees)," he said. "It's time for it to stop."

A single treasurer

The seven municipal GOP committees created in October are: Aberdeen Committee for Good Government, Holmdel Committee For Good Government, Howell Committee for Good Government, Interlaken Committee for Good Government, Long Branch Committee for Good Government, Neptune Committee for Good Government and Union Beach Committee for Good Government.

The treasurer for all seven is Glenn Hopler of the Lincroft section of Middletown, and the mailing address for all is a post office box in Shrewsbury.

Hopler, who could not be reached for comment, also is the treasurer of the Monmouth County GOP Leadership PAC, which was established Dec. 29 with an initial deposit of $7,200.

That PAC received funds from a $750-per-plate reception in January, which was hosted by Niemann. Niemann said he did not know how much money was raised at the event.

"I don't know what PACs we have or how much is in them," he said.

Frederick M. Herrmann, executive director of ELEC, said the new Leadership PAC has not yet registered with the commission. He said a PAC must register if it expects to spend $4,300 in a calendar year, or within 10 days of spending $4,300.

It is not clear if the new PAC has made such an expenditure. If it has, but did not register with ELEC, it is subject to a fine of $6,000, Herrmann said.

Where money came from

Herrmann said he could not comment on specifics about the seven new committees.

"But clearly," he said, "there would be no point in having contribution limits if you set up, say, five committees and they're all collecting money and it's all being coordinated by one person."

He said state election law does not forbid the same person from acting as treasurer of several party committees or PACs, but such a scenario "could be an indicator that (the committees) are connected. And generally speaking, that would be a problem."

Among the largest contributors to the seven committees are three engineering firms that together were paid more than $3.7 million by Monmouth County in 2005, according to financial records. The firms are:

Birdsall Engineering, which gave $29,900 to the committees. In 2005, Birdsall was paid approximately $2.8 million by Monmouth County, according to the county financial records.

French & Parrello Associates, which gave $10,000. In 2005, it was paid approximately $475,000 by the county.

T&M Associates, which gave $5,000. In 2005, T&M was paid approximately $490,000 by the county.


Congratulations Freeholder Little! You truly are a different kind of politician than we have been used to here in New Jersey

The Field is Widening

The following individuals have declared their candidacy for the three year term of Freeholder:

Robert Kleinberg, Mayor of Marlboro

Joseph DiBella, Mayor of Howell

Terence Wall, Holmdel Township Committee and Keansburg Borough Manager

Andrew Lucas, Manalapan Township Committee

Brian Reilly, Spring Lake Councilman

J. David Hiers, Ocean Township Committee

Thomas DeSeno of Howell is said to be running but has yet to formally declare.

The Affiliated Republican Club is hosting a Candidates Night at Doolan's in Spring Lake on Friday the 24th.

As previously announced, Terence Wall's interview is in process and hopefully will be published by Friday. All candidates are welcome to submit to an email interview. The first two questions are:

1) Please introduce yourself to the voters. Tell us about who you are, your age, your background, family, education, professional history, public service history. Please highlight your most significant accomplishments. Also, tell us your most significant mistakes and what you learned from them.


2) Why do you want to be a Freeholder? What makes you qualified for this position? What do you want to accomplish in your first term as Freeholder?

Any candidate that wishes to be interviewed, please submit the answers to these questions to BillSewardnj@aol.com

Preparing to interview Terence Wall

Freeholder Candidate Terence Wall has contacted me about interviewing him. He and I are hashing out how we might actually do this, but we have agreed on one thing, that it would be acceptable to him if I ask you, my readers, to suggest questions that I might ask him in the proposed interview.

If you have questions that you would like me to ask Terence in the interview, please email me at BillSewardnj@aol.com, or post them here.

I am willing to interview, via email, any Freeholder candidate who wishes to use this blog to get their message out. The questions and answers will be published verbatim in their entirety. I may or may not editorialize, but the entire interview will be published regardless of my editorial position.

This could be interesting. Thank you Terence.

GOING NOWHERE, BUT FAST


Mayor is pulled over for speeding
Joseph M. DiBella of Howell campaigned for traffic safety
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 03/8/06