Tax-cutting Fair Haven Mayor gets third Tea Party endorsement with 96% of the vote
12th District Republican congressional candidate Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre announced today that he had received the support of the Bayshore Tea Party Group, marking the third Tea Party endorsement he has received this month.
“I am proud to accept the endorsement of the Bayshore Tea Party Group,” said Halfacre. “I was very impressed by the vetting process and the informed, energized and engaged members of the group. I am honored that such a group would choose to support me in our fight for our shared principles of lower taxes, smaller government, individual liberty, and a strong national defense. With their help, I will defeat Rush Holt and give the 12th District of New Jersey a representative who reflects their values, not the values of Nancy Pelosi and Barack Oabama.”
In a letter to Halfacre (see full text below), Bayshore Tea Party Group Leader Barbara Gonzalez said “As you know Bayshore looked at several candidates for District 12. Each one was given an equal opportunity to debate the issues, answer questions, meet our members and clearly state their positions. After the completion of the vetting process, hundreds of our members voted. The results were overwhelming-you received 96% of the votes.”
She went on to add “With this endorsement comes our promise to work with your campaign and offer our assistance, as may be requested.”
Halfacre said that the momentum for his candidacy continues to build. “In 2010, there will be great political battles and they are not going to be fought primarily with money- they are going to be fought house by house, block by block and neighborhood by neighborhood. Emails, social networking, word of mouth, and groups of active, informed citizens like the Tea Party Groups and others will be the weapons and soldiers in these great battles. For a candidate with the right message, and a history of actions to match his or her words, overcoming a financial disadvantage is now more possible than ever before.”
“This latest endorsement is further proof that my record of lowering taxes and my small government, pro-business philosophy is resonating with voters in the 12th District. More importantly, it also adds to our list of thousands of people who will help me spread that message over the next nine months.
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Yawn. He still can't beat Holt.
Hey, people who do not live in Fair Haven ..... HE DID NOT LOWER TAXES THERE!!
He sure did.
So where were these hundreds of votes cast and counted? How were these hundreds of people provided with information on how to vote? Sounds like old time NY city politics
FYI: check out the Monmouth Tax Board website:
http://www.visitmonmouth.com/page.aspx?ID=277
2007 Tax rate (Halfacre's first year in office): .491
2008 tax rate: .481
2009 tax rate: .470
I am not a Wall Street Insider, or an insurance salesman, Travis, but my math seems to indicate that taxes are lower now than when he took office.
So where were these hundreds of votes cast and counted? How were these hundreds of people provided with information on how to vote?
About 500 members of the Bayshore group voted. The two candidates appeared in front of a joint meeting of the Bayshore and Jersey Shore groups. There have been private conversations with them also. Of course, not all members met the candidates, but there's plenty of information on them available, especially on this site :-)
He lowered the tax rate but how much did the assessed home value go up? Now do the math!
A modest Fair Haven home paid 5,882 in 2008. In 2009 they now pay 6,088 for an increase of 206.00 Now how is that lowering taxes? And this is on the least expensive homes in Fair Haven.
Don't brag about lowering taxes unless it's true. Your opponent will make mince meat out of you.
I don't think it's in any Mayor's powers, or even state legislator or Governor, to control the property values.
He did not lower taxes! If he wanted to he could have lowered the tax rate more. NO excuses. He is sending false messages aka a lie.
"He lowered the tax rate but how much did the assessed home value go up? Now do the math!"
Thank you for stating the truth.
Tax bills have risen year after year.
He failed to regionalize services. He spends taxpayer money on purchasing land during the deepest economic recession of our times when his taxpayers could use a break. Rather than let go an already overpaid borough employee when she knowingly invalidates her contract, he keeps her on the payroll when another could do (and has been) doing the job just fine for less money. Don't try to 'spin' Halfacre's first mayoral term to suit his political ambitions. It don't add up.
I must have missed the Reassessment that caused the home values to go up? Oh there wasn't one. You are showing your ignorance of municipal taxes.
You are also adding in county and school taxes, over which mayor has no control.
Next!
You guys are so right, I mean, it's so easy to lower taxes, isn't everyone doing it?
I love how the haters have shifted, in a matter of four posts, from "he didn't lower taxes" to " well, he lowered them, but the assessments changed".
It's easy enough to check: did the town go through a reassessment? Revaluation? No?
Then he lowered taxes.
Tax bills have gone consistently upward. What people resent is Halfacre's spin that they have been lowered. Tax bills have not been lowered.
Plus, he has spent on ridiculous unnecessary expenditures and given outrageous raises to certain employees...and then not been willing to realign the staff and let an employee go when they openly admit to no longer doing their job. The bond debt in his town is outrageous; ask his own tea party public who regularly attends his meetings. And his dependence on always going into closed session is very suspect.
He didn't lower taxes. He lowered the tax rate, Fair Haven is still paying more in taxes this year than last year. If he wants to claim he lowered taxes, he should have brought the rate down enough to be able to clearly state he lowered taxes for Fair Haven residents period. You are claiming it's the school and the county raising it their portion, granted they increased their budgets and passed it on to the tax payers, therefore he cannot claim He lowered taxes for Fair Haven residents, a bigger check is written this year regardless of the split. I don't hear him knocking the School District or County spending, so he is still part of the problem, quick to blame everyone else. Hence: higher taxes. Typical politican twist. He should state the facts! he should try saying, I lowered the tax rate but Fair Haven will pay higher taxes this year compared to last year~give facts and show where the money went. You blame the County & Schools, how are you going to really lower taxes in Fair Haven? Get to work, do something, quit passing blame.We do not need another blamer in Washington. Come up with solutions. It's not lowering taxes when Fair Haven taxpayers must write a larger check this year. You'll be eaten up and spit out in Washington.
You are all right to a certain extent.
The only way to determine if Halfacre lowered taxes is to look at the actual $ amount a fairhaven resident paid in municipal taxes last year and what they are paying this year.
Not a Halfacre fan but you can not hold him responsible for county and school taxes.
You guys are so weak.
We can hold him accountable for not doing a thing about it. Unless he is willing to go to bat for the residents, businesses and taxpayers, by confronting the County and school boards, what you imply is Taxes will never go down, only up, and accepted by him as being ok. If he is not willing to bring the tax issue into focus, what can we expect from him in Washington? Mike listen to what our Governor is saying. Gain a set, Mike, before it’s over for you.
I am not voting for Halfacre but that is assinine. It is not a mayors job to go after the county and school board for what they spend.
You obviously have no idea how government works.
You sure can have meetings with the County to discuss spending and you can also speak to the school boards to discuss spending. You don't know what you are talkng about, prove to me it cannot be done. Key: you must want to do it, you must want to cut spending, you must get creative. It should no longer be business as usual in my town if you plan to ever lower taxes.
Two points - 1. There is still no answer how these "hundreds" of votes were cast and counted. did 500 people show up and vote? 2. Anyone who looks at what a goverment collects in taxes from one year to the next to determine if "taxes were cut" is an idiot. Local Government can borrow millions to put off the actual cost of todays spending. The real test is to look at the spending each year. If it has not gone down the politician has not cut taxes, he has just moved the day you have to pay them to the future.
I am a big fan of the Tea Party movement. To me, it means freedom and independence from political manipulation and the corruption of both major parties. However, I am puzzled by the tea party groups endorsing Halfacre claiming hundreds of members each.
First, why would any real organization with hundreds of participating members, endorse anyone 4 months before the primary? This thing is just getting started. Why would any thoughtful person commit this early before the candidates go at it for a few months and we see who wears well and rises to the top. Politics is a brutal business. I, at least, want to see who has the stuff to go 15 rounds. That candidate will do better against Holt and better for us in Washington.
Second, "Save Jersey" has been running a CD-12 poll that's basically a dead heat. But each candidate only got about 200 votes. Where are the many "hundreds" these group organizers claim to speak for?
I may be wrong, but it looks to me like these endorsements are pretty hollow stuff. Seems like a couple of organizers grandstanding to put themselves in the limelight. I'm sure they speak for themselves and a few others but to claim more than that is just the traditional political BS and manipulation that got me interested in the Tea Party movement in the first place.
I hope the Halfacre campaign isn't behind this stuff. If they are, Sipprelle's claim that Halfacre is just another professional politician looks pretty accurate.
This is priceless. It has now gone from Halfacre didn't lower taxes, to je lowered them but the assessments went up, to he didn't fight the other, seperate legal entities so they could also lower taxes.
Priceless.
Elected officials be on notice: unless you ALL lower taxes, none of you lowered taxes.
Priceless.
1. There is still no answer how these "hundreds" of votes were cast and counted. did 500 people show up and vote?
The vote was electronic. It's 2010, you don't need to get people together to punch a ballot.
First, why would any real organization with hundreds of participating members, endorse anyone 4 months before the primary? This thing is just getting started.
The truth is that primaries are strongly influenced by the county organizations awarding the lines. Since the tea party movement is independent and operates outside the party machine, it must act before the county conventions begin, which is getting very close (about 5 weeks for Middlesex, for example). And things are not getting started. The CD-12 race began almost 9 months ago. Of course, there will be people jumping into the race until the petition deadline, you can't wait until then.
Second, "Save Jersey" has been running a CD-12 poll that's basically a dead heat. But each candidate only got about 200 votes.
Oh come on, everybody noticed that Travis is entering like 20-30 votes at a time.
The fact of the matter is that if you look at the positions of halfacre and Sipperelle their is absolutly no difference between them.
You are left with asking yourself would I rather have a wall street finacier or a lawyer politician?
Still a toss up.
How about do a want a Rich guy or a good speaker?
Ahh the hell with it just flip a coin.
OK, I understand about the county lines, but where are the 500 people that this Bayshore Tea party claims voted 96% to endorse Halfacre in the CD-12 poll where Halfacre has 200+ votes?
It doesn't make sense. Even in the old Soviet Union they never claimed a 96% vote in a rigged election because it would seem too fake. That why this endorsement game seems really phoney and that there is a real attempt to manipulate folks going on.
Halfacre IS a professional politician, and he has been conniving with "self-appointed" tea party leaders to receive sham endorsements based on statements that are so preposterous as to be laughable. "96% of the vote" after a "long and arduous" vetting process, in a vote conducted with a phantom organization that operates via email! Ha! Mike would fit right in with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, locked into their conference room together.
Why don't you go to a tea party meeting one day, to get a feel of it before reaching conclusions? Oh wait, I forgot you hate "teabaggers" and all those conservative nuts who bitch about the Constitution and stuff. Sipprelle himself said he doesn't fit the mold of all those "right-wing extremists" (or "terrorists" as his buddy Baron Hill called them).
Now, Now it seems the truth hurts the Halfacre camp. The difference between the 2 candidates is simply knowledge. Halfacre is a real estate lawyer, and Sipprelle is a successful entrepreneur. It's a no brainer, Sipprelle has importatnt businesss knowledge and all the skills that go with business operations etc. He brings much more to the table to benefit The People in his district. With Christies' focus on cutting spending, and bringing jobs to NJ, Sipprelle has the skills and know how to assist the Governor's mission. Real estate attorney's are a dime a dozen. Keep him as Mayor. We need to win a seat! not dream of winning a seat.
Great questions were asked of the Tea Party, still no answer. How were the votes cast & counted and when? How many in the Group? Simply questions,and the Tea Party continues to avoid an answer. Just put an end to false rumors for your candidates sake. You do post here, please answer. How do you join? I believe in Tranparency doesn't Mike Halfacre?
I believe in Tranparency doesn't Mike Halfacre?
Then please tell us who you are!
A citizen of the Great United State of America.
I'd like to know who in Scott Sipprelle's camp thinks its a good idea to question the integrity of the leader of a Tea Party group- and a woman, no less-because he didnt win the endorsement.
"I couldnt possibly have lost a vote...the bright, sincere,concerned citizen and patriot who started this group and has dedicated her time to building it up is a liar."
Arrogant, elitist, and classless.
12:42: Did he really say that??
More than likely not said. Grasping things out of the air. Fight fair now. Remember you are both from the same party so let's not bury yourselves too deep where you cannot get out. Talk about the issues that is what is going to wins this. And Sipprelle has always carried himself with Courtesy and Class, so calm your pipes Tea Party. Remember lies are classless. Now go talk about the issues,plans and possible solutions, many minds are not made up yet. Who knows some else may enter the race.
the Rep party needs the tea partiers of all types and groups, and Independents, and libs, and conservatives, and a few enlightenend Dems, to build a coalition of the willing, to wipe out these marxist maniacs, before we have nothing to jabber about and philosophically parse!.. God help the GOP, and America, if we/they screw this year up!!..
Spent time with some Tea Party members this weekend. The group is falling apart; too many chiefs, too few indians. Lots of people leaving and founding other 'patriot' groups, etc. Too many egos running amuck with their new-found sense of self-importance. Power is a dangerous thing in inexperienced hands. Very sad. I agree, if we lose this one this year because of this nonsense, we have blown it big-time. IMO, Tea Party endorsements should have waited until after the primaries. After what I heard this weekend, they are losing members and credibility by the day.
someone did answer how the votes were made above, apparently they were made "electronically" anyone buying that can see me about a bridge in Brooklyn. Seems the same crew is trying to control the Tea Parties that try to run the Dem and GOP party machines. Hopefully the rank and file Tea party members can keep the bosses from destroying their party as well
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