Thursday, May 27, 2010

Costigan Will Challenge Oxley For Monmouth GOP Chair

John Costigan. Photo credit: Rhoda Chodosh
Howell Township GOP Municipal Chairman says he will seek the chairmanship of the Monmouth County Republican Organization at the party's statutory reorganization on June 15, 2010. He will be challenging incumbent Chairman Joe Oxley who has said he will seek a second two year term.

Costigan, who has in recent months publicly declared his support for a second Oxley term told MoreMonmouthMusings that his primary motivation for seeking the chairmanship is his concern for who would succeed Oxley in the event that he is appointed Monmouth County Prosecutor by Governor Chris Christie.

Current Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin's term expires at the end of July. It is widely believed that Christie will replace Valentin, a Corzine appointee, despite that fact that Valentin worked for Christie in the U.S. Attorney's office.

The Monmouth County GOP has yet to adopt by-laws, as required by legislation signed by Governor Corzine in October of last year. At a meeting of municipal chairs last month, Oxley said that the by-laws would be ready for adoption in July. The chairs recommended that succession of the county chair be handled via a new election by the county committee within 45 or 60 days of a vacancy, with the Vice Chair presiding over the party during that interim period. Costigan was present at that meeting.

Oxley said, "I am seeking a full two year term as chairman. We've accomplished a great deal in the last two years. Our organization is in much better shape than it was before my election. We produced historic results last year with an over 65% plurality for Governor Christie and in gaining control of eight municipalities."

Oxley has refused to comment on the prosecutors job, saying "that is a gubernatorial appointment and I will not presume to speculate about who the Governor will appoint." He said that the matter of succession will be determined by the municipal chairs upon the adoption of the by-laws.

52 comments:

Is this really necessary said...

well, since we've come a long way under Joe with much hard work since 2005's disaster, it may not be the best time to change horses, but it's still America..but, let's face it, this is almost hypothetical, since it appears many current municipal chairs did NOT do their JOBS, and did not file full slates for county committee seats for this June, so there will likely not be a plurality voting for Chair on June 15, unless more of the towns wake the heck up, and find/write-in some interested Republicans to fill their seats, to begin with!!.. and yes, bylaws are over-due, but have heard are in the works,must be ready and in place, soon.. while doing them, we suggest stongly that the Chair candidate(s) reveal their Vice-chair choice PRIOR to the vote: it's only fair, since, just as you are saying, people ought to know who'll be running things, while a new one gets elected..you know,sort of like a Pres./Vice Pres. and Gov./Lt. Gov.-ticket kind of thing!...

Anonymous said...

Oxley has done a good job restoring the GOP majority and bringing stability back to the party. Such a challenge is stupid based on speculation of an appointment, which even if it does occur, Costigan is not the answer for chair.

Anonymous said...

It's refreshing to see new young blood taking over both in Monmouth and Middlesex...

Anonymous said...

John is exactly what the party needs now.
He is energetic (ask our Lt. Gov), he is well liked and a very reputable Munie Chairman.

Anonymous said...

John Costigan will surely unite the party. I guess the earlier posts are friends of the current Chairman because the rest of us feel unwelcomed, and made to feel unimportant. His dismissive attitude and rude tone with those who don't bring a BIG check to the party is unacceptable.
John has always offered to help in every town and never ceases to amaze people. I believe that the party would be best served to have a Chairman as honorable as John Costigan.

Baba O"Riley said...

Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Anonymous said...

I am not a big Oxley fan but Costigan always struck me as a little nuts. Granted he is a very hard worker but I'm just not sure about him.

The next prosector should be the former first assistant Al Kenny.
he is the most qualified.

I can not wait to see these by laws which where obviously put together behind closed doors.
I am sure they will maintain the status quo.

Art, its adoption not adaption

Anonymous said...

John is helpful and a good guy, however, he does not have the skills or resources to run significant campaign--and more importantly--raise the money needed for them.

Anonymous said...

Chairman Oxley has proven that he only cares about one thing, where his next job is. In 2008 he fed more money to towns than the county and lost the county but he did get municipal work for his firm. In 2009 he turned COUNTY HQ into Christie HQ. While I agree helping Christie was important, HIS priority should be the COUNTY. He has ignored anyone who calls him, and if you do by chance get to speak with him he rather scream at you.

I think he has done more harm than good for the party. To state that he has done a good job restoring the majority, he was also the Chair when we lost it.

I think we need a uniter now and John Costigan is that guy!

Anonymous said...

Joe has been a leader and has devoted countless hours to build up the party that was left in shambles after years of failure. It is almost unbelievable that anyone would want to change horses now after such a successful year last year. Some people are incredibly small minded...

Anonymous said...

Joe has been a leader and has done alot to bring make this party successful after years of failure. Unthinkable to change horses now, especially with John Costigan. What success has John had in Howell? Its a mess over there. We don't need that legacy in the County party. Disastrous...

Let's be smart and fair said...

nobody's perfect, those of us who've lived through several chairs can tell you each had both good and weaker points.. check the current financial condition:good, check the record:good, check the outreach/ engagement of more new folks, whether for McCain, Christie, or the county at HQ: good.. it is good to see new faces, whomever has motivated them!..we take whatever volunteers we get each cycle: some stay, some go, that's how it is, and will always be, when you ask people to do grunt work for free!..BTW, a consideration here: if one can't get their own petitions filed properly, it begs the question of how would one manage 53 towns'worth??..just sayin'..think,all, before reacting..

Anonymous said...

We in Monmouth County deserve to be led by someone who is above question, Who is the Sheriff that Solomon Dwek refers to? Why are numerous people promised jobs and the same blonde gets them all? Just the mere thought that any of this is true is enough to make all of us think that it is time for change. Don't make it sound as if it's a high crime, Oxley did it to Adam and all Oxley really wanted was Municipal contract paybacks to pad his billing hours. John Costigan may not be the prefect Chairman but he is far better than what we got!!

Be fair and honest said...

please explain,we missed it: WHAT did Oxley do "to Adam"??..are you nuts?..not that we ought to, but you brought it up,going back to the brief stint of Adam, it is true that he was busy putting us into some $30,000 in debt, trashing the HQ, totally excluding ANYone who wasn't a "best bud"..on and on, but the idea was to do better, and move forward.. there's several reasons nobody went with the idea of giving Adam another 2..so, really, stop it.. you can hate/disagree with/be jealous of Joe all you want,for your own personal reasons, anyone can have them, but, the SMART thing is, when you can look at the entire picture.. John C's a nice guy, but I want to know, WHO really wants to control the org.??.. I bet it ain't John!...finally, the facts simply prove we are in better shape right now, than we were with either Fred N. or Adam, so, in a so-called "Republican" year, this logically is not the time to change who's at the county helm....

Anonymous said...

Chairmen Oxley delivered a 65,000 vote plurality for Governor Christie. Chairmen Oxley was on the Governor's transition team for Law and Public safety. Chairmen, mayor, sheriff, American Jail Association president, New Jersey Sheriff's Association president, Constitutional Officers Association of NJ President, Sheriff of the year for the National Sheriff's Association. Oxley's integrity is beyond reproach. His work ethic, good name and reputation is second to none! His great character is evident in all he has done on behalf of our County organization.

P.S. Lifetime member of the Affiliated Republican Organization of Monmouth County.

P.S.S. Lifetime member of the Fraternal Order of Police

Anonymous said...

In response to: Thursday, May 27, 2010 9:59:00 PM

Genius,

Sheriff Oxley hired Adam as an undersheriff. He quit that job. Adam personally chose not to run for re-election as chairmen. In part, because he destroyed the career of Anna Little. Don't blame chairmen Oxley for either of those decisions.

Costigan, is clearly not a better choice. How is the Howell republican organization doing? They have 60 county committee seats and only 12 people running for office. Complete failure by any standard. A year or so ago every elected official was independent. Not a leader by any stretch of the imagination.

Anonymous said...

No strings attached to John.
He is an experienced Monmouth Co person who puts Monmouth Co first.
Furthermore,he was so helpful to our Lt. Gov. No doubt Kim would urge us to vote for him.
Good luck John!

Anonymous said...

John Costigan is one of the nicest people I have ever met, a true gentleman and hardworking individual, he is EXACTLY what our party needs to successfully move forward. Chairman Oxley has been disengaged from the grassroots and it shows.

Charles Measley said...

I have known and worked with John for the past 2 years , John is very good man and works extremely hard for the Republican cause. After John completed his service in the Marines he began working to advance the Republican party and also to build a strong grassroots movement for the campaigns and individuals he helped work and coordinate with. John is a great man and if he is appointed chairman he will bring the Monmouth County Republicans to new heights!

Anonymous said...

John Costigan--the knight that will save us all....Give me a break...the factions will be back in full force I'm from another municipality--I don't want the guy from Howell deciding the GOP fate..no thanks.

Anonymous said...

oxley ain't perfect.
better then puharic.
about the same as dowd.
I actually think Nieman was the best but he came on board during a transition time when he could make nobody happy.

But the real question is where will costigan rank?
No question he is one of the hardest working political operatives in the County.

My question is where do you get he is a uniter. Where is the evidence for that. to me he seems to get a litt;le confrontational with people who disagree with him.

please explain the uniter tag?

Anonymous said...

Being nice and being a worker does not necessarily make a strong leader for this diverse bunch, who need all types of help, counsel, stroking,calming down,and strong talking-to's, at times!.. it's basically a thankless job, and those who've held the big "title" will tell you, one person can never "herd all the cats" successfully to everyone's total satisfation: the point still is, we are in better shape than we were the past 4 years, so this is no time to change!..

Anonymous said...

To all Republicans:
We will not get a finer man for Chairman than John Costigan.
He is "Mr. Monmouth County"

Unknown said...

I do not know Mr. Castigan personally. I have always liked the Oxley's in their positions around the county. But let me explain one instance that concerned me about Mr. Oxley. He asked and was invitied to one of the local Tea Party candidate vetting sessions. He spoke twice on the same night. The first time he spoke for about 15 minutes and it went well, the rank and file liked him. He asked to speak a second time and his wheels fell off. He had been touting himself and his tenure as sheriff, lauding his accomplishments, which he has a right to do. A question came from the audience regarding the then recent Obama directive lifting constitutional restrictions of Interpol in the USA. He knew nothing about it. The Tea Party audience rose in spontaneous anger, yelling at him because here was a man outlining his law and order credentials yet uninformed about that most recent occurance. I could see the fear in his eyes and he quickly exited the venue. This does not make him a bad fellow, but is food for thought and cause for a closer look.

Anonymous said...

Mark,

I was at the meeting you reference. Oxley didn't ask to speak twice. Moderator called him up a second time. There was no fear in his eyes. He is a very eloquent and gifted speaker. Finally, he didn't quickly exit the venue. In fact he stayed long after the event ended. My impression is the group was very pleased he spent as much time as he did. Lets be fair with our criticism

Open Space and other accomplishments said...

It's been so long since someone who just wants to do what's right has put his hat in this ring.
Say what you want but there is no disputing that John Costigan has been the hardest working man in western Monmouth County politics for decades and he's done it all without seeking personal fanfare. He does not seek the spotlight and has always been too modest about all his hard work. There are many elected Republicans throughout this county who know they owe Costigan for their win. Hopefully they will remember this and will be there for him.

I know him personally and believe me, we rarely see eye-to-eye on just about everything political but, and I say this with the utmost conviction: He is always a consummate gentleman and his ego NEVER gets in the way of what he honestly believes is best for the Party.

If that's not a good enough reason to elect him then so be it.

Vote for the whole county said...

once again, while we all have personal experiences which color our opinions, in the case of choosing a leader for the entire county organization, I'm sorry, John C. is Howell, which is always in a battle with itself, on any given year, and is a nice and helpful worker/support person elsewhere.. there are obvious other, (likely elected), people behind this challenge, do not believe for a second it is all Costigan, have seen him attend many events, work for all the candidates, and help and praise Joe all along,these past two years.. some people are just not happy being cogs in the wheel, and/or a leader within their own district or county, no, they want to control it all.. since most electeds would be criticized for trying for chair here, guess some are pushing John as the figurehead..I predict it won't be successful....

Anonymous said...

I like John personally and he is a hard worker. However, he is not chairperson quality and lacks the totality of the skills necessary to lead an entire county political organization. In watching the mob mentality for the last several years, every chairman has been widely critized and there have been calls for their head; no matter who has had the job. I suspect it is not an easy one and most likely do not know or understand the many challanges a county chairperson faces; I know I do not.

What I do know is that Joe Oxley has the management experience, policy experience and political experience to lead and he has done so. He deserves to remain as chairman and has my support in this regard.

John is a nice, hard working person and I know this first hand. However, he is not qualified nor ready to leady a county political organization.

Joe DiBella
Howell Township, NJ

Anonymous said...

Joe DiBella

You were the Mayor of Howell, and I would bet John Costigan worked his tail off helping you get elected. You can't be serious when you say John Costigan is "not qualified nor ready to lead a county political organization. John knows the in and outs of this organization and perhaps is a man of few who is as honest, ethical,hard working and committed to Monmouth Republicans. Can you say the same? You will, but many will say different. Howell and most if not all Monmouth Municipal Chairs and committee persons should support John Costigan.

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr. ex-mayor DiBella,
You state publicly John doesn't possess "chairman qualities". It appears to me you didn't have mayor qualities and that is why you are an ex!

this is silly said...

this is not a good time to change chairs: we need to focus on getting the Congressional candidates, (2 of 3 will be NEW, trying to beat incumbent liberals), and 2 of the 3 county candidates, Golden and Arnone, are new, and need much volunteer time/help with getting their names more known..we just do not need another divisive chairman's election in 2010,( the last 2 of 3 chair elections took a lot of time to smooth over, and obviously some still haven't recovered/given up, from a loss!) to distract rank and file and take away from the goal of attaining the most GOP victories, all down our ticket!..support Oxley and let's move on toward November, please..

listening to an accused felon? said...

5-27, 9:59: perhaps you were not involved when the county had other sheriffs.. there was Lanzaro, for at least 4 terms, and Kiernan,a D, before that!.. so, how do you know which "sheriff" Dwek may mean?..or, whether it's a lie to begin with?.. and, with Joe having served the last 3 terms before Kim G., Dwek, who's obviously singing to reduce his own jail sentence as other creeps have done, and Dwek, having been a known/reportable contributor to many politicians, over many years, shame on you for casting aspersions on Joe, just because he was the most recent sheriff,when Dwek went awry!! when in doubt, many throw accusations and drag it down to personal attacks!.. we do not need this stuff, period, it's nonsense, and irrelevant to who's a better leader, for the next term!....

Charles Measley said...

John has more years of experience with getting people elected then I have been alive. He is an excellent choice for chairman this November! With John's experience and leadership. He will bring the Monmouth County Republicans to an overwhelming victory this November!!

Anonymous said...

I suspected that my comments would turn to someone unwilling to have the courage to post their name attack me. That is fine. I was elected two times in Howell and gratefully won both times with very good margins. I opted not to run another time (one as councilman and one as mayor). In both instances John worked his tail off for me. He is a disciplined hard worker with a devotion to the cause. I like John personally. I am also personally grateful for his work and suppport over the years and he knows that.

Having said all of this, this does not automatically translate to him being the best person to be chair of the county party. In my estimation, one needs to evaluate all of the roles and responsibilities necessary to be chairman and its bigger that what I think John is ideally suited for. This is just my opinion based on what I know.

People unwilling to put their names on posts can attack me rather than offer solid commentary on the characteristics of what is necessary for a chairman. However that is, in my view, contrary to the necessary debate on the issue.
This is however the norm and unfortunate behavior we have all seen over the past 5 or 6 years within the party and it is why we have had such turnover in the chairperson's role.

This is not perspnal about John and I think its best that people maintain the separation of who we like from who has the totality of skills necessary; overall experience, organizational skills, political savvy, managerial experience, policy experience, fundraising capabilities, public speaking, engagement with state officials and state political leaders, etc.

I support Chairman Oxley and hope that John Costigan remains a top trusted adviser and worker within the heirachy of the county leadership where he is today and where he plays a key role. Everyone plays a role and has a part and what John does today is precisely where we need him in my opinion.

Joe DiBella
Howell, NJ

DiBella for freeholder, sometime? said...

good for you, and well said, Mayor D...it's all the new elected county committee needs to know, to make the correct choice on June 15th..I would ask Chairman Oxley to name his vice chair ahead of time, someone very experienced and battled-tested whom the people know and like, ok?( and I don't think it has to be a female, either) I think it would go a long way to establish and re-affirm confidence in the rank and file from all over the county, if Joe would do that....

Anonymous said...

Oh lets face it it doesn't really matter. none of the elected officials listen to the chairman. they all go off and do their own thing. Really in Monmouth County their are so many overblown egos that the thought of the chairman being a leader is ludicrius.
the position is almost irrelevant

Don't throw in the towel yet said...

anon,2pm: sad but true, you aren't wrong, but, this situation is likely because we've had 3 chairs in 6 years, and the respect factor was never able to get re-established.. all the more reason to re-elect Joe,and it wouldn't hurt to tell our electeds to get over themselves a bit, and play nicer in the sandbox with each other, and to communicate more, for the good of ALL on the team, with the Chair..

Art Gallagher said...

anonymous 2pm and 3:14 pm make great points.

The postion of chair has been weakened by the constant turnover. I plead guilty to contributing to the turnover, as this blog was a strong critic of the last two chairmen.

The power vacuum actually started with Dowd.

Dowd was right back when he called for Bennett to step down in the face of the app's relentless attacks. A good case can be made that Bennett's ego cost the GOP control of the Senate, if not both houses of the legislature.

Yet Dowd's stature was already weakend by his well known problems and his erratic behavior. Bennett had a state wide power base and money. I wonder how New Jersey would be different, and how Monmouth County would be different had both men been more statesmen like and contributed to an orderly transition of power for both of their offices, rather than fighting to keep power that they had clearly already lost.

Dowd was also right to replace Ed Stominski on the Freeholder ticket with Rob Clifton. That he did it with a small group in a "Navesink palor deal," the Monmouth equivalent of a backroom deal was understandable given the bloody public battle with Bennett, but it lead to his political demise with the emergence of GOP for change.

Since then the factions and the egos have been running rampent.

Fred Neiman did a lot right and he did a lot wrong. Factions and infighting lead to the demise of his chairmanship. He contibuted to the infighting and made his situation worse. As Dowd was weakend by dumping Ed Stominski, Neiman as weakend by dumping Ted.

Adam Puharic was just not ready for the job. His heavey handed manner was laughable. His dumping of Anna Little from the Freeholder ticket lead to the GOP losing control of the county. The Dems never would have gotten someone of John D'Amico's stature to run for Freeholder in 07 had Little been on the ticket.

So what makes Joe Oxley different from the last 3 chairmen? One major thing is that he has not challenged an incumbent Freeholder off the ticket.

Another major difference is that while he predecessors were very "out in front" and in the papers, Oxley's leadership has been quiet and behind the scenes. He's gone out of his way to avoid the press. He hasn't engaged in any public battles. There are still factions, but there are less of them, their battles are not public, for the most part, and there is less energy associated with them.

It doesn't hurt that we've been winning.

Oxley hasn't been perfect. No one could be in the enviroment he inherited. He has done a commendable job and he has gotten us back on the right path.

John Costigan is a true gentleman and a tireless, generous hard worker. The critiques here of the job he's done in Howell are valid, however the mess he inherited in Howell was as easily as unmanagable as the mess Oxley inherited in the county, if not more so.

I think Costigan's candidacy is an expression of the frustration many have felt with Oxley. By the nature of the job, and by the nature of the players and egos in the organization, there has been an inevitable push back toward decisions the chairman has made. The previous three chairmen produced angry and hostile push backs. Oxley has simmered that down to frustration. That is progress.

Here is something to consider; If Oxley were to announce that he was not seeking another term, would John Costigan be the strongest candidate for chairman? Would he even seek the office?

If the answer is no, it makes no sense to elect him based on speculation that Oxley might vacate the office within a month or two.

Oxley could nip the succession problem in the bud by having the convention adopt a succession by-law that requires a new election within a specified time of a vacancy. Such a rule is highly likely to be a part of the complete by-laws anyway when they are adopted.

TR said...

So if Costigan is worried about succesion then the question is what are the rumors about who Joe would have as vice chair?

I look back and realize we made a big mistake with Nieman. He put in a democratic process. Yes he tried to throw his weight around and game the system a little but we overeacted to that.
He did a lot to support local organizations. More then is done now.
He found ways to raise money that got around the pay to play mania.
On reflection was that a bad thing?

When you think about it he did an extroadinary job considering what was going on at the time.

Then we traded Ceaser for Caligula.
Hoo boy.

Now where are we. Right back where we started, as far as a chairman is concerned. Things are run like they where when Dowd was Chairman except truth be told Oxely is not as powerful as Dowd was and their has been a lot of jockying by power brokers behind the scenes. We do not have a democracy we have an oligarchy.

And why are they looking for power because pwer = money.

The more things change the more they stay the same.

We need a chairman who will give policy power to the rank and file and who is more interested with what is best for the Country , State, County and Party in that order and not with who is going to get what job.

Show me that person and they will have my vote.

Anonymous said...

Oxley has done horrible! The way he has gone about these elections for Congress is awful. If he wanted to do some good work Anne Little and Mayor Mike Halfacre would have had the party line. Instead, he, just like most of the GOP, goes straight to who has more money, not who is the candidate.

Old pol.. said...

while I am supporting Anna and would support Sipprelle if I was in CD 12, one thing you miss is, it is not a bad thing for a chair to want the opponents, incumbents who already have name ID and a lot of money, to need to spend in June with a monied opponent, to weaken them somewhat for Nov... we have to stop thinking so emotionally about our party, and start thinking more strategically!.. we are sectionalized, we have our friends and favorites, we want to be in charge, we want to be "famous," we want our personal horse to always win, then we get to be the political "geniuses", etc..the job of chair requires a steady hand, a strong intellect, good and tough background and experience,an ability to listen to all, consider all outcomes, then make a decsion and stick to it, knowing full well that's what a real leader MUST do, and that you can never please everyone!..those of you who will be able to vote, will learn what Joe has done to bring us back from bankruptcy, offer training to newbies, and raise money and spend money on his candidates, and carry us back from the embarassment of 2005.. if that's not good enough for some egos out there, well, too bad, and shame on your selfish and narrow-minded selves!.. many of you don't know a former chair, Fred Kniesler, back in the 80's, who, through no fault of his own as leader, got stuck in a bad year and lost the Board, but fought back and had it back in 2 years.. his main slogan/ mantra was: "emotion is a luxury I can't afford".. he meant, the chair cannot always go with the emotion of the moment, or his personal feelings, but, overall, what he thinks will do the most good in any situation.. it's called "leadership", friends, and, like him personally or not, Joe Oxley is, and will continue to be, a good "leader"!!

Anonymous said...

"12:19:00 PM"

I agree with most of what you say, but disagree on your conclusion.

The correct strategic move this year in NJ6 considering the anti-incumbent mood, the tea parties, Gov. Christie, etc., would have been to give Anna the top line and recruit Diane to do what she does best which is raise money. With Anna the candidate and Diane the fundraiser, we would have literally demolished Frank this year.

But that's not what happened and the Monmouth GOP is about to suffer it's worst embarrassment ever and we have been made to suffer through embarrassing smears from the Gooch people as a result who bought into Oxley's lie that Gooch would sail to victory over Anna.

In other words, Oxley is a terribly horrendous strategist and he has to go. It is because of him that we even had to have this primary that has divided the Monmouth County GOP probably irreparably for a long, long time.

On that note though, since I can guarantee you in three election cycles "tea party" candidates will control a majority of the county committee, I guess I can thank him in the same way I thank Obama for waking this Country up.

Anonymous said...

Anna Little is not much different than Frank Pallone as she needs the salary and pension just like Frank does. At least, Diane Gooch does not have to be beholden to special interest groups b/c she needs funding from no one. Bet that missing Freeholder salary was a good motivator to run for congress.

Unknown said...

You vicious creature. No such thing could be further from the truth. Now make sure you stop at the Gooch A/R table yourself.

Anonymous said...

Couple of points

1. By law, the vice chair of a county organization must be of "the opposite sex" So, any male chair is required to select a female as vice chair.

2. Agreed anyone running for chair should announce vice-chair selection. D not know if it was "announced," but Fred Neimann had committed to Norine Kelly that she would be his choice prior to that election and that fact was well known. Don't think that was the case with Pruharic and Oxley.
3. Agreed as well that the succession issue should be in place. Great suggestion for this to be addressed at the reorg prior to election of chair.
4. Have the Chairs actually run the campaigns? Just asking as I have no idea. Have to expect more professionals involved - none of the last few chairs could have had much exp. including Oxley except for his own as sitting sheriff I understand he was involved nationwide and in a bunch of stuff, not helping organize or run anyone else's campaign.

"we can work it out" said...

11:09, we can agree to disagree.. it's fine with me if the TEA's get involved and run and help, and win as part of our GOP, so they prove they aren't just flashes in the pan!..again, just because I disagree with Joe on giving the line to Diane and am still with Anna, that's ok, we'll see how it goes, and I'll still support Joe, believing it's not time to change chairs, this year.. disagree though, while CD 6 is a pretty significant part of the county, we do have 12 and 4,too, so, do not think any irreparable damage has been done where there's a primary: it's how we weed them out, and the idea is to be big enough to GO with and help the winners, as a party, in the fall.. we must stop taking these intra-party contests so personally, and just let them go at it,give up grudges, and move forward to victory..

Anonymous said...

was told recently that the statute requiring a male chair to name a female vice chair(or, vice versa), has been changed.. I believe in Middletown, Peter Carton, their chair, has Cliff Raisch as his vice chair..just a point of info.. let's see what/who we get this time..

Anonymous said...

What an uninformed comment.
Joe didn't give the line to anyone. There were 92 people invited to voice their opinons: Every municipal chair, every past and presenet state official and every past and present county official. Very huge cross section of everyone who knows how to win an election. Most importantly Joe's process has produced winners and diminised malcontents.

Anonymous said...

and, how many of that 92 invited folks actually showed?.. I heard like 50 or so.. would've been extremely surprised if the line in 6 this year,hadn't gone to vice chair Diane..and, in those votes,many of the "electeds" and "formers" thought it's fine for the "monied ones" to just go for it, less for the org. to raise, let's face it!

Move forward said...

diminishing "malcontents"to any degree with this bunch is a major accomplishment right there, and deserves re-election for Joseph..look, who needs another race or conflict??.. we should be winning everything this year, how bad can this Admin. screw things up, before there isn't a swing back to the right, on every level, at least to show we are breathing and broke, out here!!??

Anonymous said...

Joe didn't give the line to anyone. There were 92 people invited to voice their opinons

What Joe did was switch to a secret vote, so everybody who committed to vote for a candidate based on experience, positions and credibility could switch their vote to whoever Joe told them to vote for, and whoever promised their organization more money.

Anonymous said...

Grace from Howell.. with the 2nd largest county committee John Costigan has proven that he can do the job..he works 24/7 for county committee. W are the majority of workers for our county when it comes to making phone calls and manning the booth for the Republican Party at the County Fair. We are 60 strong and will make our voices heard on Tuesday 6/15.