Arthur Z. Kamin has a column published at The Caliendo Crier blog, InsideClamdigger, that suggest that John Curley will oppose Barbara McMorrow in the 2009 Freeholder race.
In the complimentary column, Kamin likens Curley to Senator Jennifer Beck and Assemblywoman Amy Handlin for their independence and willingness to speak out about what they think is right, regardless of partisan considerations. Those are admirable traits. However, there is something Beck and Handlin have that Curley will never have. It is that one thing that kept Curley from being elected this year. If John's name was Joan she would be Freeholder-elect.
Monmouth County elects women over men when given the choice.
Maybe Honest Abe can help me out here, but I can't think of one general election in Monmouth County when a man defeated a woman except the 2005 Freeholder election when the Asbury Park Press skewed the results by endorsing a bullet vote for a third party candidate. That was the race when Bill Barham and Lillian Burry narrowly defeated McMorrow and Rebecca Aronson. Green Party candidate Brian Unger received 18,000 votes thanks to the APP. Barham and Burry won that race with a minority of the votes cast.
If the Monmouth GOP hopes to defeat McMorrow and take back control of the Freeholder board in 2009, they need to nominate a woman in order to make it a race. McMorrow will be tough to beat in any event. To cede the gender vote to her right out of the gate will lead to certain defeat. Curley should wait until 2010 and attempt to unseat John D'Amico.
The GOP's female bench is talented but not deep. Fortunately we only need one candidate.
Holmdel Mayor Serena DiMaso should be seriously considered. DiMaso narrowly lost the nomination to Curley this year. Given how close Amy Mallet's victory over Curley was, one has to wonder if gender could have made the difference this year.
Former Freeholder and Highlands Mayor Anna Little has stated that she intends to fulfill her term as Mayor and will not be a candidate against McMorrow. I don't see that changing but you never know. Little will be in the minority when two new Democrats are sworn in as Highlands Council members next week. Freehold might look good compared to serving as a minority Mayor.
Middletown's Deputy Mayor Pamela Brightbill could be a contender. Coming off a huge re-election victory in populous Middletown, Brightbill is a proven winner who could give McMorrow a serious challenge.
Thinking outside the box and reaching back a generation, Dorothy Avallone of Freehold Township is a legendary public servant who could beat McMorrow in her Western Monmouth home turf.
From the southern part of the county, Ocean Township attorney Christine Giordano Hanlon is a rising star if she wants to be. As the Monmouth County coordinator of the McCain campaign, Hanlon developed a base that could help her win the nomination. The voters would love her and wouldn't care that she has not held elected office before.
2009 should be a Republican year in Monmouth County. Either Christopher Christie or Steve Lonegan will lead the top of ticket strongly in Monmouth. Our legislative incumbents will hardly be challenged. The Monmouth GOP needs a good woman to challenge Barbara McMorrow and take back the Freeholder Board. Any of the above fit the bill.
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Brightbill is a no contest for Mc Morrow. If Brightbill lived to be 100 she'd never come close to being the representative Barbara Mc Morrow has proven to be.You are delusional,Mr Gallagher.
I'd pick Christine Giordano Hanlon. Maybe some fresh blood wouldn't hurt the Board.
""...I can't think of one general election in Monmouth County when a man defeated a woman..."
Dorothy Avallone and her running mate John Bradshaw were defeated by John "Flippy" D'Amico and John "Well Done" Villapiano in the 1986 election. Other than Ted Narozanick, Western Monmouth has not fared well in freeholder elections. Art Kondrup (Freehold Twp.) in 1977, Frank Campione (Freehold Twp.) in 1982, Dorothy Avallone (Freehold Twp.) in 1986, Andrew Lucas (Manalapan) in 2006, and Jeff Cantor (Marlboro) in 2007. You might consider Lillian Burry as Western Monmouth, but Colts Neck is more like smack in the middle.
Serena DiMaso is probably on most GOPer's short lists. She's attractive, articulate and is well liked up in Holmdel.
Anna Little would be a formidable candidate, but I agree, she has stated that she would remain in Highlands and complete her term.
Pam Brightbill is expected to be mayor of Middletown in '09, which will give her good exposure. Many GOP freeholders came from Middletown, including Marcus Daly, Ernie Kavalek, Frank Self and Amy Handlin. It is a good base to draw from. Also, the Democratic Party in Middletown seems to have devolved into an angry lunatic fringe.
Christine Hanlon has never held elective office before, but neither did Jane Clayton, and she was an outstanding freeholder and county clerk.
I would also place Grace Cangemi on the "female bench".
Honest Abe said...
I would also place Grace Cangemi on the "female bench".
Agreed.
Thanks for the info Abe
Kamin and Purcell are cut from the same cloth. Both ran once-proud newspapers into the ground.
Kamin operated the Daily Register, back when Monmouth County had 2 dailies. It just got thinner and thinner and thinner until one day they announced that the Daily Register would become a weekly. Then Greater Media took it over and ran it for a while until they replaced it with the Hub.
What specifically are you giving credit to Barbara McMorrow for Anonymous? Being a Union County lap dog or answering to "Flippy" D'Amico's beckon call? Either way she does not qualify for "proven representative" status in my book.......
The Register was a weekly before it ever was a daily.....need to do your homework before you make such declarations.Go back to the late 40's and early 50's for "The Red Bank Register " .Then it became "The Register",a daily and then it was bought by the Asbury Park Press. Look at old pictures of Broad St.,Red Bank and the newspaper was on Broad St. just north of White Street and near Rueseille's Jewelers. Lack of advertising is what does newspapers in because of lost revenue and economic hard times.
Who cares about "your book"? Mc Morrow has practiced bipartisan politics very successfully in her endeavors to serve the people of this county,which she has done handily. You sound like one of the vicious ah's from Middletown whose sole credits are character assassination which no one has any respect for.
What's this character assassination stuff you keep writing about? Be specific.
To Anonymous 8:41:00 PM: I know it was a weekly before it was a daily. Then it went back to being a weekly again.
I agree with you that lack of advertising is what does newspapers in, but I think businesses didn't advertise because Kamin was so far out there on the left it would be bad for business, just like Purcell.
So Anon, what specifically has Barbara McMorrow done to "practice bipartisan politics very successfully in her endeavors to serve the people of this county,which she has done handily," as you put it so eloquently. I'm looking for specifics.......
If anything has been proved the past 3 county elections, it's that the people of Monmouth County certainly know how to ticket split.
Thus I wouldn't rely on Corzine's unpopularity in this area, and believe me he is unpopular here. The GOP Gubernatorial candidate will win Monmouth. We have an incredibly strong Assembly group who will all win with relative ease, although that doesn't mean we have to fight hard. I expect the 12th to be heavily contested and last time it was incredibly close.
None of this matters in the freeholder race. Relying on coattails is not a strategy, it's a recipe for losing.
We need to offer a strong candidate who can beat McMorrow, and right now your female argument seems to make sense, despite my bias towards Curley.
That being said, we don't want to be accused of offering up a female just because we think that's what the voters want. The good news, as covered, is there is no lack of great talent of female Republicans on the Monmouth County bench who could run.
Has Christine expressed interest in even running for office or are we just playing the throw out names game?
Eric Sedler said...
Has Christine expressed interest in even running for office or are we just playing the throw out names game?
To my knowledge Christine has not expressed interest. However, her name has been mentioned often as a possible candidate.
Attend a freeholder's meeting,anonymous 10:00 p.m.,and you'll need no explanations and you are entitled to none. Old adage, "There are none so blind as those who choose not to see".
What has Burry done, and please don't tell up the FEMA thing again, anyone who thinks that was her idea is on crack? The fact is outside of the party power brokers McMorrow has a great deal of respect from democrats and Republicans. Maybe if the GOP tried to deal with issues instead on this name calling BS they would still be in charge.
So, bottom line, still no direct answer on anything McMorrow has done. And, please I have attended Freeholder meetings and I am no fan of Freeholder Burry either. It's amazing all I asked for is what McMorrow has done and now I'm somehow a "Republican" name caller...UGH!!!
You are an uninformed and arrogant individual.. Try educating yourself or at least read the newspapers. All you want to do is argue and maybe anonymous is just a cover for someone whose ashamed of what they don't know and is too lazy to take the time to learn. And no one called you a republican anything. Is that what you are??? Who cares anonymous 1:16 .
Well, if Christine runs, she has my support, but that's a givin, since I do live in the town she's Republican chair of.
Funny Anonymous 8:55 is bashing me for being......Anonymous. However, still no answer on ANYTHING Freeholder McMorrow has accomplished. I'll be waiting while you still are thinking about it.
Poster 9:31.....what have you ever accomplished with your viper's tongue. Old adage " When you sleep with the dogs, you get fleas." What reward are you looking for. an appointment to a sewage authority???
And yet STILL no answer....Amazing!
What has McMorrow done? In a bi-partisan manner, she brought pay to pay reform to Monmouth County, she brought the budget review task force which found ways to save money and increase efficiencies resulting in a leaner budget, an IT audit and strategic plan. She started a Go Green Save Green initiative, similar to Middletown and other municipalities. Check out her bio. She might even become one of us one day--she is certainly nothing like the trenton democrats.
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