Candidate Forum in Middletown Canceled Due to Republican Lack of Interest

For Immediate Release

10/3/22

 By the Middletown Democrats

Middletown NJ - Middletown’s so-called “leadership” has shown itself again with the refusal of the Middletown Republicans to participate in this year’s Candidates Night sponsored by the Lincroft Village Green Association (LVGA) and moderated by the League of Women Voters. This is the second year in a row that the forum was cancelled due to lack of participation. Candidates Night was scheduled for October 19th.

Last year, when one of the Democratic candidates for Township Committee could not participate, Democrats insisted that the event continue even though it would appear imbalanced. The League of Women Voters opted to cancel the forum. The subsequent cries from the GOP last year were disingenuous and outrageous. 

 

What a difference a year makes. The Republican candidates have decided that participating in an open forum like Candidates Night is of no interest to them, depriving our voters of an opportunity to hear for themselves where the candidates stand. Multiple attempts were made by LVGA to have the Republican candidates attend, including a personal plea by a LVGA member at the September 19th Township Committee meeting. True to form, the voice of a resident was simply ignored. 

Refusing to participate in this year’s Candidate Night is just another example of the contempt and distain the Township Committee has for the citizens of Middletown Township. Those residents who attend the meetings, speak up, and challenge the Township Committee are often subjected to eye rolling, snickering and disinterested sighs. These committee members feel enabled and entitled by their stranglehold on Township politics, to the detriment of all voters – regardless of party affiliation.

Democrat Paige Gregorio states, "I’m disappointed that I won’t have the opportunity to connect with voters and answer questions about me, my perspectives, and how I plan to earn their votes on November 8th. Republicans in Middletown have been in power for 40 years, but how much do our voters really know about them? I’d like to know if the incumbents are on the right side of women’s rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, and other important national issues. Or are they just radical conservatives who support Donald Trump and the January 6 insurrection?" 

 The Middletown Democrats believe it is time to take these elected officials to task for their self-interest and cronyism. They should be admonished for treating our taxpayers poorly. They should not be rewarded for stocking our Planning Board with friends and sycophants. And most importantly, they should be held accountable for the ineptitude and failures at TOMSA that resulted in the death of a worker and the findings of serious safety violations. The Middletown Democrats warned voters about political patronage at the TOMSA years ago.

 "The lack of response by our currently elected local officials is indicative of their strategy for this year's election. They want low voter turnout. They want uninformed voting. They rely on that to stay in power. It aligns with the radical, undemocratic national GOP agenda,” candidate Rocky Rios has stated. We could not agree more.

Press Release: Middletown Republican Party fails to file campaign finance reports for 4 years

For Immediate Release 

10/26/2020 

 MIDDLETOWN – On October 22, 2020 -- in “Middletown GOP says they’ve filed campaign finance reports. NJ says they haven’t.” -- the Asbury Park Press reported an alleged serious violation of New Jersey campaign finance law by the Middletown Township Republican Organization, involving the Organization’s failure to file quarterly financial reports to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJ ELEC) for the last four years. Even though the State sends written reminders to political organizations to file these reports, the Middletown Township Republican Organization has not filed a report since the 3rd quarter of 2016, when it reported $39,000 on hand.  State Assemblyman Gerard Scharfenberger’s daughter, Alannah, was listed as the Treasurer when the last report was filed in October 2016. She is married to Middletown’s Mayor, Tony Perry, who was appointed to the Township Committee in November 2017 to fill his father-in-law’s seat. Since 2016, the Organization has made contributions to other political campaigns and committees in the amount of $22,650, per the ELEC reports filed by those other entities. Those outflows and the initial collection of monies have gone unreported by the Middletown Republican Organization. The Asbury Park Press obtained copies of multiple violation notices mailed out by ELEC. 

These reporting requirements matter. New Jersey’s Pay-to-Play Law prohibits a local government from awarding a contract to a vendor who has made a political contribution unless a “fair and open process” has been used. For the last 4 years, the donors to the Republican Organization in Middletown are unknown. This hurts transparency and diminishes the ability of the citizenry to hold public officials accountable. The State’s Pay-to-Play laws are also intended to address “wheeling”, the practice of channeling money through different political committees to circumvent contribution limits. When political organizations ignore their reporting requirements, enforcing the law becomes difficult. 

The flagrant refusal to abide by the law is especially damaging in Middletown, where the Middletown Republican Organization oversees a network of appointments and contributions that can be financially rewarding for the professionals who participate. The all-Republican Township Committee laid the groundwork for pay-to-play when they abandoned a more rigid pay-to-play ordinance in 2012. https://patch.com/new-jersey/middletown-nj/new-pay-to-play ordinance-adopted-at-committee-meeting. Since then, Committee members Fiore, Settembrino, and Hibell have been depositing campaign checks from T&M Engineering; the firm has somehow always been appointed as Middletown’s Engineering firm under this “fair and open” process for over 30 years. This appointment can lead to revenue for the firm exceeding $1.0 Million in a single year. Campaign donations have also come from Maser Consulting, the engineering firm consistently hired by the Middletown Sewerage Authority year to year, and from the law firm of our Township Attorney (Archer & Greiner). 

 More disturbing, Gibbons PC, the law firm of the Republican Party Chairman, Peter Carton, has been appointed as bond counsel to Middletown for decades. (Mr. Carton is quoted in the APP article and claims the required ELEC reports were filed but somehow went missing, and that he, a partner at one of the largest law firms in the State, has no copies.) Middletown is also an important cog in the County Republican sphere of influence, and it is there that he makes his biggest score, where every year his law firm, Gibbons, is appointed Bond Counsel for the County of Monmouth, earning $495/hour for this work. So much for competitive bidding. Remarkably, when Middletown receives financing from the Monmouth County Improvement Authority, Carton’s firm represents both the County and Middletown.

The “fair and open process” exception in the State’s Local Unit Pay-to-Play Law is intended to drive down contract costs through competition, but is a joke when Middletown appoints the same professionals every year. The Township has had the same engineering firm for approximately 40 years. The Middletown Committee members vote together on almost every single matter put before them, because, we believe, they have no choice.

Since 2016, numerous republican candidates have been elected or appointed to the five-member Middletown Township Committee, including Patricia Snell, who is currently running for re election on the 2020 ballot. The gravy train of donations is no secret. Public records between 2016 and 2020 tell a familiar story. In 2018, Tony Perry received two donations from T&M Engineering of $1600 and $1200. (We also should not be surprised that More Monmouth Musings blogger Art Gallagher was actively blogging in support of the republican team, since his company, Gallco Media, https://www.linkedin.com/in/artgallagher/, is getting paid by them. Mr. Perry’s campaign made payments of $1360 to Mr. Gallagher’s company (Gallco) for “Social Media Consulting”.) Committeeman Rick Hibell is no stranger to the benefits of the township’s amended pay-to-play ordinance, having received in 2018 $600 from T&M and $1,000 from Archer & Greiner, the law firm of Middletown Township Attorney Brian Nelson. Newcomer Ryan Clarke has joined in this professional largesse in 2020, receiving $1,000 from the law firm of the Township Attorney, $1,750 from Maser Consulting, the engineering firm of Middletown’s Sewerage Authority, and $1,450 from the ever-reliable T&M Engineering.

But when it comes to collecting professional donations, Committeeman Tony Fiore reigns supreme. In his campaign in 2017, our Township Engineers (T&M), whom Mr. Fiore voted to reappoint every year since then, made donations of $2,600 and $600 to his campaign. Maser Consulting, our perennial Sewerage Authority Engineers, made donations of $2,600 and $1,200. Not to be outdone, Archer & Greiner, the law firm of our Township Attorney, Brian Nelson, donated $2,000. That’s $9,000 in donations for Mr. Fiore from outside professionals working for Middletown. Committeeman Settembrino was right behind him with the following donations from T&M for his 2016 campaign: $2600 on 5/10/2016, $900 on 7/21/2016 and $600 on 9/13/2016. In 2019, Settembrino raked in $1,600 from T&M, $1,000 from our Township Attorney, and $1,200 from Maser.

“This is a serious matter,” said Middletown’s Democratic Chairman, Michael Morris. “We should question not only the ethics of Republican officials, but whether taxpayers have been overcharged for contracts that were awarded without competitive bidding when the law required it,” Morris continued. “That is not putting taxpayers first,” he said.

For supporting documentation .... Click Here

 

Statement: Middletown Republicans Failed to File 4 Years’ Worth OF NJ ELEC Campaign Finance Reports

For Immediate Release: 

10/24/20

 A Statement from Middletown Democratic Chairman Michael Morris concerning the failure of the Middletown Township Republican Executive Committee to file 4 years’ worth of campaign finance reports.

 Middletown –In response to the recent Asbury Park Press article, “Middletown GOP says they’ve filed campaign finance reports. NJ says they haven’t”, which uncovered a serious violation of NJ campaign finance law by the Middletown Township Republican Organization. The Organization has failed to disclose campaign financial records to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJ ELEC) for the last four years. 

 The last report on file with NJ ELEC on behalf of the Middletown Republican organization is from the 3rd quarter of 2016 and showed over $39,000 on hand. Since that time the Middletown Republican organization has made contributions to others in the amount of $22,650, all of which has gone unreported and there is now no way to tell who campaign contributions came from, to whom the Middletown Republicans donated funds to or what amount of money changed hands during this period.

New Jersey pay-to-play laws are very specific and are designed to end the practice of “wheeling”, which is when an entity channels money through different political committees to avoid contribution limits.

 Chairman Morris states:

 “It’s said that if you want to uncover the facts all you need to do is “follow the money”. Unfortunately, that isn’t possible here. There is no way for the public to know who campaign contributions came from, to who the Organization directed funds to or what it spent money on over the past four years. Apparently, the Middletown Republicans must think they’re above the law.

 “In addition, we find out the Treasurer responsible for filing these reports is none other than the Mayor’s wife, Alannah Perry who also happens to be the daughter of former mayor, now NJ State Assemblyman, Gerry Scharfenberger. You would think she’d know better."

 “When you combine this with the release of thousands of private email addresses from the township’s emergency alert database, that Tony Perry’s 2018 campaign used to make false and misleading accusations against a Democratic rival in 2018, you have to wonder about the ethics of not just the Perry family but the entire Middletown Republican Organization”.

Letter: Middletown's Massell Family Connections

The expressed opinions or views of this letter does not necessarily represent the opinion of the MiddletownMike blog:

Dear Editor,

Nepotism has long been a problem across New Jersey politics. But Middletown Township in Monmouth County has become one of the most glaring examples, due to the Massell family.

Stephen Massell is an elected member of the Township Council. The Township Council appointed his brother, Gerald Massell as Municipal Prosecutor. He has his law office at 222 Hwy 35, which is owned by their father, Jerry Massell (a retired Workman's Compensation Judge). Office space is rented in the same building to Richard Thompson, the Municipal Court Judge, also appointed by the Township Council. Stephen Massell’s wife, Emily Massell is employed as a secretary in her brother-in-law Gerald’s law office.

These are very clear conflicts of interest. The Massell family is getting rich off of politics and the Middletown Township Republican Party has enabled this personal enrichment at the expense of taxpayers.


Eric Hafner
Toms River

Nothing Informative about Thursday Night’s Port Monmouth Flood Project Meeting

Thursday night’s Port Monmouth Flood Project meeting which was held at the Port Monmouth's VFW post 2179, was an embarrassment.

What was billed as a non-political meeting to inform, discuss, and update Port Monmouth residents about the long proposed Port Monmouth Flood Project and how the project would prevent widespread flooding from ever happening again, turned ugly when residents became unruly when they realized that they weren’t there to ask question or discuss what can or would be done to help them rebuild their homes and lives after Superstorm Sandy, rather they were there to sign a petition! A petition I would say, designed to hold Congressman Frank Pallone responsible for all the flooding that has taken place in Port Monmouth since 1991 if congressional funds were not secured for the flood project that has been in planning stages for years.

(photo from Middletown Patch)

Honestly, this meeting seemed more like a Middletown Republican campaign rally designed to bash Congressman Pallone (who last week held a “telephone town hall” meeting with 400 Port Monmouth residents to discuss how $91 million of Hurricane Sandy relief funds had been secured from Congress to finally, fully implement the Port Monmouth Flood project) rather than a simple information session designed to inform residents of what can be done to help the neighborhoods of Port Monmouth affected by the storm.

The meeting was put together by Cathy Rogers, a GOP County Committee person for her district in Port Monmouth and whose husband happens to be Charlie Rogers, Middletown’s Office of Emergency Management director. Also in attendance were Middletown’s former mayor, Committeeman Tony Fiore, Committeeman Kevin Senttembrino, Committeewoman Stephanie Murray, Assemblywoman Amy Handlin and Monmouth County Freeholder John Curley.

Rogers opened the show by telling everyone how she, herself had experienced flooding in the past and how she had worked so hard over the years to see that flooding issues in Port Monmouth were addressed by the township (which never happened). She than passed her microphone to a representative from Congressman Pallone’s office (Pallone couldn’t attend, he was required to be in Congress this day for an upcoming vote), who read a prepared statement outlining the scope of the flood project and time frame for its implementation. The microphone was then handed back to Rogers, who went on to stated that she had spoken to Congressman Pallone and would believe what she heard from him, when she saw the work beginning. She said even though this meeting was NOT political, she wanted to stressed that it was extremely important to hold the congressman’s feet to the fire, in order to make sure that the $91 million was released and the work begun (which brought cheers from some of those in attendance and cat-calls from others, for Pallone to be thrown out of office if work doesn’t start soon). Cathy Rogers then handed off the microphone to other officials for comments.

Tony Fiore spoke about how he had worked tirelessly (a vast overstatement) on the issue during his time on the township committee and as mayor, stating how he had went down to Washington DC a couple of times to lobby lawmakers for help in securing funds to alleviate the flooding problems. Assemblywoman Handlin talked about how she also spoke with Congressman Pallone prior to the meeting and expressed her frustration with him for not doing more to secure funds for this project in his previous 20+ years in congress. When Freeholder Curley finally commandeered the microphone, he nearly turned the meeting into a frenzied TEA Party rally! Curley raised his voice and said how he was there to fight for them, the residents of Port Monmouth, and couldn’t fathom how billions of dollars a year in foreign aid could be sent overseas to places in Europe, the Middle-East and Africa with little regard to taking care of Americans first. This of course brought further hoots and howls from the audience and quickly degenerated into calls for Pallone’s ouster if the flood project did not proceed as promised.

At this point Cathy Rogers took back the microphone, amid shouted out questions that went unanswered and calls for further help and explanations as to what people are supposed to do with their lives and homes, she decided that the meeting had gone on long enough ( less than an hour) and was over. But before encouraging audience members to sign her petition and then come up and talk to the invited officials in attendance, she thanked everyone for coming out and once again stated that the purpose of meeting was not to be political, BUT if... if, Frank Pallone didn’t come through on the funding as promised this time, she would make it so!

So much for the night being non-political.

There’s a lot that can be said about Thursday night which I won’t get into at this time but in my opinion, this event was nothing but political and was designed to insight the already frustrated and desperate residents who lost so much during and after Hurricane Sandy. To constantly say that the meeting was non-political and then proceed to bash Frank Pallone as being ineffectual, a due nothing and worthless member of Congress, who doesn’t care about Middletown or its residents - all the while, touting the many things that you and others have done (which in itself is both debatable and laughable) to bring about a resolution to the area’s flood issues is pathetic.

And it wasn’t just me or the people that I met there that thought so.

As I was walking out of the Port Monmouth VFW, I heard other groups of people who were frustrated and huddled together, talking amongst themselves and expressing the same sentiments. They thought that they were there to discuss their problems with township officials regarding assistance with issues related to rebuilding their homes, along with what township could do to help alleviate some of the flooding that is currently ongoing due to clogged drainage pipes and flood gates that don’t work properly.

Instead they attended a pep-rally that called for Congressman Pallone’s head if progress wasn’t made to end the flooding in Port Monmouth.

Middletown Republicans Obviously Don't know Their Neighbors As Well As They Thought

A couple of days ago I was contacted by a friend who received a recruitment letter in the mail from the Middletown Republicans. The Middletown GOP has been looking for bodies to fill County Committee seats and evidently they have been sending out letters to register Republicans around town as a means of identifying those that may be interested in joining their ranks.

"We are your neighbors here in Middletown and serve, respectively, as Chair and Vice Chair of Middletown's Republican Party. From your voting history we know you are a strong Republican..."

 I find this letter somewhat interesting for a few reasons.

First off, it is dated April 18th, 2012 and it was received by my friend on the 23rd, the cut off date for filling petitions for County Committee seats was April 2nd. I think they were a few weeks late sending out this letter.

Secondly, the tone of the letter is weak and seems as if the Middletown Republicans are groveling, almost begging people to join them after extolling all the wonderful things that the local republicans have accomplished:

"Do you think you might be willing to server as such a representative in your neighborhood? It does not entail much effort..."

"... if not, would you be wiIling to be a little bit more involved in your community by joining our Republican club or allowing us to put a campaign sign on your lawn?" 

Also, I would have thought that Middletown GOP Chairman Peter Carton would have been a little more careful about sending out political correspondences that contain his work email. Carton works for the Newark law firm Gibbons Del Deo Dolan and you would think that mixing business and pleasure (in this case recuiting locals to join his Republican Party) is an ethical No-No, but seeing how his corporate bio boasts of his political affiliations, I suppose his bosses condone his use of company resources to promote party politics.

Addtionally, this letter is somewhat funny to me. It just so happens that the person that this letter was sent to, changed their party affiliation a while back and hasn't vote Republican for years.

I think Peter and Chantal need to get to know their neighbors a little better in the future before sending out letters like this again, obiviously they didn't know this neighbor as well as they thought they did.

Letter: Statistics Meant to Mislead Middletown Residents

The following letter appears online at the Atlantic Highlands Herald:

Middletown residents are being misled by the Republican Party once again. As they’ve done many times before, Middletown Republicans are misrepresenting information for their own benefit.

At issue now is the inappropriate use of “per capita” (per person) statistics.

At the candidates forum in Lincroft on October 27th, Stephanie Murray spouted some of the same per capita statistics that appear in Michael Vitkansas’s October 26th letter. The statistics are a recycled version of what we’ve heard in the past from the Town’s Republican officials.

Ms. Murray compared Middletown’s spending per capita to Hazlet’s. Hazlet’s statistic is higher, she points out.

But hold on a minute. Middletown’s population is enormous. There are close to 67,000 residents, far more than in neighboring towns. Further, not all town expenses increase with population – for example, we still have only one town hall and one municipal court, the same as Hazlet. With so many people in Middletown to share those fixed costs, the overall cost per resident drops.

Therefore, it’s inappropriate to compare per capita statistics for towns of different sizes and populations. To do so is deceptive.

Besides a large number of residents, something else that reduces spending per capita is inadequate funding of core services, but I bet Ms. Murray won’t be pointing that out.

Mr. Vitkansas talks about Middletown’s small workforce per capita, but fails to mention that nearly the entire staff of the Parks and Recreation Department was laid off this year.

If the real picture were as rosy as Republican candidates would have you believe, they wouldn’t need to mislead you by pulling statistics out of a hat.


Linda Baum
Middletown, NJ

Letter: Hypocrisy Reigns Once More

Good Morning Editor,

Silly season is upon us and once more hypocrisy reigns in Middletown. The landscape is littered with larger than life signs erected by the Middletown Republicans. The bigger the sign, the taller the tale it tells.

These signs state "Taxpayers First". How does a increase in the certified municipal tax rate of nearly fourteen ( 14%) in 2010 equate to putting the taxpayers of this township first ? The political fakers believe their own fabrications. They distort everything ,even mathematical fact. Remember the delusional diatribe spouted by last year's mayor of this township ? Believes his own fairy tales too ! Remember the Asbury Park Press's editorial "Tongue Tied for a Reason" ?

What Middletown really needs are township committee representatives that remember who they were elected to serve and represent. That has not happened in Middletown in many years of a republican majority.

Bipartisan government is healthy and better serves everyone. One party rule in this town has become a disgrace ! A change is desperately needed so voters cast an educated,intelligent vote. Do not cast a vote for cheat to win tactics.

The republicans believe their own fiction !

Barbara R. Thorpe



Barbara R. Thorpe
Lincroft, N.J.

Middletown Democrats Get Thumbs Up

I received the following letter yesterday, it has also been posted over at the Atlantic Highlands Herald.

I would like to respond to Peter Van Nortwick, whose letter – Middletown Democrats Pose Traffic Hazard – is just plain ridiculous. No one was blocking traffic or running into the street. Some did cross the street, however, because that’s how you get to the other side.

Cars were not screeching to a halt or narrowly dodging pedestrians. But many motorists did show their support by beeping their horns as they passed by. They cheered, waved, and gave us thumbs up. Except Committeeman Settembrino, who didn’t use his thumb.

Mr. Van Nortwick is right about one thing. We were effective at getting people’s attention. Everyone’s except the cops’. They saw no problem.

Linda Baum
Middletown, NJ

Someone Please Dial Whine-1-1; Middletown Republicans Are In Need Of A Waaambulance!!

Every year since 2006, Middletown Democrats have been gathering at local intersections around Middletown showing their support for their candidates during campaign season and every year there has been a cry baby letter to the editor issued by the some connected Republican boot licker stating how these Democrats are running out in traffic, causing disturbances and posing a hazard to drivers.

This year is nothing new, Middletown Democrats were out again this past weekend showing their support for their Candidates Jim Grenafege and Carol Fowler and within hours a recycled letter to the editor made it's way onto the pages of the Atlantic Highlands Herald condeming the democrats and misleading readers.

This letter written by Republican Monmouth County Committeeman Peter Van Nortwick, who also happens to be the appointed Vice-President of the Poricy Park Conservancy and holds various other appointed positions throughout the county, should be arrested for false allegations and charged with plagiarism for putting his name on a letter that has now been rewritten 6 or 7 times over the past 5 years by various other Middletown Republicans !

After all, Middletown Democrats are just exercising their first amendment rights to free speech and to peaceably assemble. Why do Peter Van Nortwick and other Middletown Republicans what to violate their constituional rights by stopping them from doing so; do they hate the constitution ?


Note to Middletown Republicans: Stop your whining over nonsense and address real quality of life issues that effect Middletown like cronyism, taxes, high density housing, taxes, pet projects, nepotism, taxes, roads, brush and leaf pick-ups, the state of education,taxes......

MiddletownPatch: Three BOE Candidates Seek One-Year Term to Address Pressing Issues

Currently up over at MiddletownPatch is an article which profiles the three individuals, Leonora Caminiti, Allen Burns and Ernest Donnelly, that seeking to be elected to the Middletown Board of Education to fill the 1 year unexpired term left by Dan Skelton, who stepped down from the board earlier this year.

The profiles are pretty straight forward and standard, nothing controversial but gives each's position on a couple of topics. So, If you weren't able to attend one of the four BOE Candidate Forums that were held over the past two weeks, these profiles may be able to help your decision making process for whom to vote for.

I attended the Candidate Forum that was held on April 14th at Harmony School and out of these three individuals, I was most impress Ernest Donnelly (Caminiti was a no show). He seemed to has a clear notion of what was needed to ensure that the schools ran properly and efficiently and as a former educator and superintendent himself, he knows what to look for when hiring a new superintendent in Middletown.

Allan Burns did not impress me at all, his stances on some of the issues seemed naive and his outright refusal to approve any budget in the future that included a tax increase was unrealistic in my eyes and came across as pandering.

But go over to the MiddletownPatch website and read the profiles anyway and read for yourself, you may walk away with a different opinion.

Also, remember that I have posted audio from the April 19th Candidate Forum that was hosted by the Middletown Republican Party at the Lincroft Inn.

While the forum was not a great venue for the candidates to express their views (questions where directed at individual candidates only, others could not comment) and it seemed somewhat biased, you can hear Burns and Donnelly speak.

Audio From April 19th Middletown Board of Education Candidate Forum At Lincroft Inn

On April 19th 2011, the Middletown Republican Party held a BOE Candidate Forum at the Lincroft Inn.

The first 11 minutes of the meeting consisted of Republican Club business followed by the Candidate Forum. After each candidate was give 2 minutes to introduce themselves the floor was open to questions and answers.

Candidates Leonora Caminitti, Barry Allen Travis and Richard Morrill did not attend but had statements read.

The meeting ran approx. 1.5 hours and can be heard in its entirety below, but I have to admit I haven't listened to all of it as of yet. I have only gotten through the first hour, I will listen to more as time allows between now and the Board of Education election which will be held next week on April 27th.

My one thought on this meeting is that it wasn't much different that the one I attended in person over at Harmony School on April 14th which was written about in this weeks edition of the Independent

Many Possible Reasons Behind Brightbill's Decision Not To Seek Re-Election in Middletown

It's been nearly a week now since Middletown Deputy Mayor Pam Brightbill announced that she wouldn't seek another term on the Middletown Township Committee.

The news came as a shock to many, including Board of Education member Joan Minnues, who has worked closely with Brightbill over the years putting together events such as the Great Race and Project Prom. According to Minnues, who I spoke to briefly at the April 14th Board of Education Candidates Forum at Harmony School, Brightbill's decision to step down from the Township Committee was a complete shock. She had told me that she speaks to Pam Brightbill often and had just spoken to her the day before the announcement and Pam gave her no indication of her desire to step down, It was a little out of left field.

So was this a last minute personal decision by our two-time Deputy Mayor in order for her to spend more time with her family and other endeavors or something more?

Those of us that have been keeping an eye on Town Hall have speculated privately for some time that Pam Brightbill was on the way out.

Her frequent meltdowns on the dais are legendary and her arrogant, self-serving display in front of the audience for the February 16th Library Board of Trustees meeting, where she squealed her dismay at board members for not sending her emails or keeping her "in the loop", when it was her that had appointed many of them to their positions, made many mouths drop wide open in disbelief through out the audience that night, didn't help matters.

But what really started the speculation flying about Brightbill was her near total meltdown during Committee Comments back at the September 20th, 2010 Township Committee meeting (audio below). At that meeting, she vented angrily at Township Administrator Tony Mercantante, for his lack of follow-up on many issues along with a total lack of communication between Mercantante, the Townships Committee and other various boards and commissions that she was serving on.

That type of public outburst between an elected Middletown GOP Township Committee member and a fellow Middletown GOP appointed official, must have caused just as much disbelief in the rank and file Republicans as it did to those us on the other side. After all, it's a cardinal sin to air dirty laundry out to dry in front of the public, in such a manner.

I think it was becoming evident to the leaders of the Middletown Republican Party that Pam Brightbill was becoming a problem to them and they wanted her off the ticket before she caused any real damage to their chances of winning this year's election.

The audio clip from the September meeting (above), runs 17 minutes long. It is fascinating to hear the desperate tone in Brightbill's voice when she is reprimanding/pleading with Administrator Tony Mercantante for better communication while discussing many other issues haphazardly thrown in.

Deputy Mayor Pam Brightbill Not Running for Reelection In Middletown

The following press release was issued today announcing that Middletown's Deputy Mayor Pam Brightbill will not be seeking re-election to the Township Committee this November. Brightbill will be replaced on the ticket with Stephanie Murray.

Murray is a current member of the Middletown Zoning Board, Housing Authority and is the founder of the conservative leaning Republican women's group Middletown Mornings that will be hosting the 1st Middletown Board of Education Candidate Forum Tuesday morning April 12th:

MIDDLETOWN—Middletown Township Mayor Tony Fiore and Zoning Board Member/Housing Authority Commissioner Stephanie Murray today filed petitions seeking the Republican nomination for Middletown Township Committee for 2011.

“I know Stephanie Murray will serve the taxpayers of Middletown well based on her record of service on the Zoning Board and as a Commissioner on the Housing Authority,” said Mayor Fiore. “Stephanie is not only a tireless member of our community, but also a dedicated wife and mother to three children whose family has lived in Middletown for 10 years.”

“While my commitment to public service is no less now than it was six years ago, I feel that it is the right time to pass the baton to another active member of our community, which is why I am pleased to support Stephanie Murray for Township Committee,” said Deputy Mayor Pam Brightbill. “I know that Stephanie will make an excellent addition to the Committee and help preserve the quality of life we all enjoy in Middletown.”

“It is an honor to have received a tremendous amount of support to continue my public service to Middletown by seeking to serve as a member of the Township Committee,” said Stephanie Murray. “I am looking forward to the challenges ahead to help maintain the quality of life we all enjoy while keeping taxes low in one of the largest municipalities in New Jersey.”

In addition to serving as a member of the Zoning Board and a Commissioner on the Middletown Housing Authority, Mrs. Murray has also served as a member of the Township’s Parks and Recreation Advisory and Open Space Committees. Stephanie is also the founder of a community group known as “Middletown Mornings” which is an open forum for residents of Middletown to meet with their local public officials. Murray holds a B.A. from Fordham University and runs a small publishing company.

Stephanie Murray is also the founder and co-owner of Crescent Moon Press , a small specialty book publishing firm, that publishes fantasy and occult novels.

No Smear Shall Go Unanswered: Latest By Vitkansas Is Not So "Amusing"

In the latest smear letter directed at Middletown Committeeman Sean Byrnes, I am glad that the writer finds it amusing to read other peoples letters that point out the short comings of Middletown’s mayor and other members of his beloved Republican Party. The letter, which is written by Michael Vitkansas, has appeared in various local publications recently.

Truth be told, Vitkansas is a strong and active member of the same, elite Middletown Republicans that he tries to protect by spreading misleading and sometimes inflammatory information about others. As a Republican County Committeeman representing his district in Middletown, Vitkansas has often allowed himself to be used as a tool for the local Republican machine and as a reward for his loyalty, he now sits on a number of local boards and commissions in Middletown, which makes his invocation of the “patriots of the TEA Party” in his letter, laughable in and of itself.

In his most recent lapdog attack letter, Vitkansas goes after a fellow letter writer, Jeff Blumengold, for criticizing the poor job that mayor Gerard Scharfenberger and his GOP majority has done in their planning efforts while trying to run Middletown Township over the past 5 years, by attacking Democrat Sean Byrnes.

In his letter, Vitkansas tries to label Byrnes as a socialist liberal who favors COAH, supports teachers, unions and high property taxes in his attempt to persuade readers into believing something that just is not so.

Those that know Committeeman Byrnes would describe him as a fiscal conservative and a social moderate. Over the 3 years that he has been a Middletown committeeman, Byrnes has made many suggestions on how to reign in the local spending that has resulted in tax hikes that total over 39% to the municipal tax rate over the past 5 years (since mayor Scharfenberger has sat on the committee), only to be rebuked by his fellow committee members. He has never voted in support of a Township budget that has included a tax increase, including the most recently adopted 2010 budget which raises the municipal tax rate by nearly12%

Committeeman Byrnes has repeatedly stated over his 3 years on the Township Committee that programs like COAH need to be revamped and revised so that the burden of such programs do not fall onto local taxpayers. Mr. Vitkansas and others that oppose Mr. Byrnes however, point out his vote to rezone the Avaya property in Lincroft, that rezoned the property from industrial to residential in order to meet Middletown’s state mandated COAH obligation, as proof that he is not sincere or straightforward. Allow me to point out though, that the ones that are not being straightforward and sincere with Middletown residents are Vitkansas and his fellow GOP supporters that attack Byrnes on this issue. After all, it was his friends on the republican dominated Middletown Planning & Zoning Boards that came up with the plan to rezone the Avaya property so that the Township would be in compliance with COAH, not Byrnes. At the time, mayor Scharfenberger, Pam Brightbill and Tony Fiore, all current Republican members of the Township Committee, approved and voted for this rezoning as well.

Sean Byrnes knows that having a strong middle-class is the backbone and foundation of our State as well as our Country. He realizes that education plays a leading role in establishing that foundation and supports teachers and unions in general, knowing that without them there would be no middle-class as we know it today. That being said however, Mr. Byrnes has repeatedly been on the record as saying that he supports Gov. Christie’s “Tool Kit”, that reforms need to be made in order to level the playing field during contract negotiations and that state union members should be expected to contribute more to their healthcare costs.

If supporting Committeeman Sean Byrnes and his record as a member of the Middletown Township Committee in his re-election bid this November labels me as being a “socialist liberal” so be it. I love being a socialist liberal who opposes high taxes, government mismanagement and the entrenchment of the long-standing Republican ruling class.

I also happen to think that those “remarkable patriots in the Tea Party movement” that are “growing in numbers more and more with each passing day” are intelligent enough to know the difference and will also support Sean Byrnes and his running mate Mary Mahoney against Republicans that have borrowed, spent and raised local taxes to the point that it will soon become unaffordable to raise a family and live in Middletown.

Republican Candidate Avallone Challenges Scharfenberger To Debate Before June Primary

Tony Avallone, the Republican Candidate for Middeltown Township Committee, who is running in the upcoming June primary to unseat Middletown's acting mayor Gerry Scharfenberger for the party line on the November ballot, has issued a challenge to the mayor. Avallone wants to debate him at a "Meet the Candidates Night" that he has proposed take place in the Town Hall courtroom on May 24th.

I understand that Mr. Avallone has sent the following letter of challenge to several media outlets and to Mr. Scharfenberger himself, in the hopes that he would feel obliged to agree and debate the issues that are of the most importance to residents such as lack fiscal responsibility and the looming $5M township budget deficit:


May 13, 2010

Letter to the Editor

With approximately 3 weeks left, before the Republican Primary for the Middletown Town Council elections, my email and voice mail have been flooded with inquiries as to when there will be a “Meet the Candidates Night”.

Mayor Scharfenberger, I propose we meet Monday May 24, 2010 at 7:30 pm in the Court Room at the Municipal Center. You have been Intellectually Dishonest with us the residents of Middletown, and I think it is very IMPORTANT that the voters understand the differences that you and I have.

We are almost 5 months into the year, with a projected budget deficit of $5m and still no budget. Why! This is completely fiscally irresponsible. I look forward to meeting with you on the 24th to discuss this subject, and many others, as we prepare for Middletown’s political make over.

Tony Avallone
Republican Candidate for Middletown Town Council

Word of advice to Mr. Avallone, don't hold your breath.

It would be a cold day in hell before Gerry Scharfenberger agrees to stand in front of people and be questioned critically about anything that goes on in Middletown. Scharfenberger knows how to dish it, but he can't take it !

Letter: The Republican Majority In Middletown Is Financially Irresponsible

The following letter was sent to me by Lincroft resident Barbara Thorpe who wishes to express her opinion on how irresponsible the Republican majority is when it comes to managing the Townships finances:

The Republican majority of Middletown's Township Committee is financially irresponsible.. big time. They exhibit insensitivity to current economic conditions as they relentlessly pursue the installation of turf fields within the township which already has turf on each of it's high school fields. Are the taxpayers now being obligated to providing turf in townships parks at the public expense during the most financially challenged times since the Great Depression ?

Middletown Township has more parks than Monmouth County and fails miserably in adequately maintaining any of them. Just what is done with the appropriations for Parks and Recreation? More than half goes to salaries and why is the town not realizing better service from the employees in that department. Is it attributable to poor management ? Please tell us,Greg Silva or Gerard Scharfenberger . Seems there are many questions that demand answers in this scenario. Also bond issues are indebtedness that must be repaid with interest over time so it's not free money as the committee would like the public to believe.

This resident understands one consideration of the republicans..this is a re-election year for the current mayor and he desperately needs an issue to run on. Try financial responsibility. That's an issue every resident can understand and wants. It has been lacking in this township for several years. I am referring to the Township finances,not the BOE finances for education.

The BOE in Middletown does one of the best jobs in this state with the tax dollars they are entrusted to manage. They achieve one of the lowest per student expense and one of the best quality of education ratings.

Barbara R.Thorpe
Lincroft

Scharfenberger Admits "... a budget shortfall of several million dollars in the coming year."

Not many surprises happened yesterday at Re-Organization day in Middletown other than re-appointed mayor Gerry Scharfenberger admitted during his address that the Township was facing "... a budget shortfall of several million dollars in the coming year."

This statement is really quite out of character for our mayor because for the past couple of months Committeeman Sean Byrnes and former Committeeman Patrick Short have been warning everyone about this on coming problem,while Scharfenberger and his fellow GOPer's have accused the Democrats of playing "Chicken Little" .

Last months workshop meeting received a lot of headlines in local papers because Byrnes and Short would not vote for borrowing money from 2010 's budget for an emergency appropriation to pay for medical claims in 2009 without first seeing a plan on how the township planned on closing, in Byrnes's estimation, a $5 million budget shortfall 2010. Byrnes stated during the workshop meeting that layoffs throughout all departments would be necessary without some type spending plan for the coming new year.

They ultimately voted to approve $800,000 of the emergency appropriation to pay the medical claims and deferred the remainder to discuss at the next meeting with the stipulation that the township needed to come up with some sort of spending plan before than.

At the December 21st Township Committee meeting Byrnes and Short once again refused to borrow money from 2010 to pay for the outstanding claims because nothing was presented during the two week period since the previous meeting to show them that the township was taking seriously the looming budget crisis.

Now upon his re-appointment as mayor he admits that there is a looming crisis and wants to assure everyone that he will do everything in his power to make the best of it by "...a continued freeze on all township salaries, the potential sale of unneeded township assets, increased worker contributions to health benefits, new interlocal agreements and the sale of the township swim club."

We've heard all this before from Scharfenberger and his GOP buddies, the only new proposal here is to sell the swim club and that was proposed 3 years ago by Patrick Short.

Last February Patrick Short and Sean Brynes submitted budget cutting ideas to the Township Administrator and the CFO and many if not all were rejected out of hand.

Last week Sean Byrnes issued a press release to highlight some additional proposals that he believes would save the township money for 2010 and years to come. They are practical and make sense. Maybe the Committee can use these proposals as a starting point when they begin to formulate the 2010 budget and not let partisan politics get in the way of doing what's right for the residents of Middletown.

Barbara Thorpe: The Lying Liars of Middletown

As many reader's of this blog know, Barbara Thorpe is a Lincroft resident and a friend of this blog. She is a registered Republican and over the years has worked tirelessly to better the quality of life for those who live in the Lincroft area.

Over the past few years she has become disillusioned with the local republicans in office and has started to speak her mind, for doing so she has been ridiculed and threatened with retribution by the powers that be.

Mrs. Thorpe sent me the following email that she wished me to publish on the MiddletownMike blog, to further highlight that the local republicans have no ideas of their own and wish to capitalize on the efforts of others in order to "enhance their resumes" :

Hi Mike,

To add to your points against Scharfenberger and Brightbill ,I'd like to give you some of my own where these two do nothing individuals use other people efforts to enhance "their resumes" .

In 1992,when Joe Leo was township administrator.I began my crusade to get the speed limit reduced on Swimming River Road. It took over 10 years to accomplish that feat. I was helped by the LVGA Board of Directors members,especially Mary Ellen Hintz and Walter Horan who dedicated themselves to getting this done. In about 2003,Rosemarie Peters,then mayor,agreed to a resolution to the County to get the reduction. The township police chief at the time was no help....he threatened it could be increased. Good riddance to that one !1 It was finally temporarily reduced in January 2004 while I was in Minnesota when my daughter-in-law was tragically killed in an accident with a speeding truck on an icy county road there... Bill & I suffered the kind of loss we always fought against here.Our grandchildren,who were in the vehicle with their mother, were miraculously spared,thank god.

Then in later years Bil & I,with the help of the LVGA,Tinton Falls Council President Jerome Donlan,and then Middletown Mayor Tom Hall ( he helped with many endeavors ) and many citizens from the area who signed petitions, and the Monmouth County Freeholder Board, stopped the expansion of the Marpal Recycling facility on Wayside Road.

Also the LVGA, Tom Hall and Bill & I put in tireless effort to stop the Home Depot in Tinton Falls on Wayside Road. One day I knocked on doors in Tinton Falls to alert the residents there to what their own officials were not telling them. We (Bill & I and Mary Ellen Hintz and Walter Horan ) were in Tinton Falls with Tom Hall the night referred to by the recent assault on my character by one of the Middletown Republican "lap dogs". Tinton Falls would not even let Tom Hall speak except as a concerned citizen. I wrote letters to the press about Tinton Fall's Planning Director Joel Davis's demeaning behavior towards Tom Hall. That night I succeeded in presenting a Monmouth County Board of Health noise study I had requested that Mr Davis repeatedly tried to avoid accepting in the hearings for the proposed Home Depot Plan for Wayside Road. which were attended by the afore mentioned individuals from Lincroft. The then mayor of Middletown ( Gerard Scharfenberger),WAS ABSENT as always when needed. He and his cohort, Pam Brightbill, never did anymore than cast a vote. No time ,no effort expended..

The same holds true for the current garbage contract in Middletown.perhaps these two voted in favor,nothing more that I am aware of. The only official that put time and effort into this endeavor was Tom Hall. I can't say enough positive about my encounters with this man as he never let the citizens of Lincroft down in the problems those of us in this corridor experienced. I'm not sure the whole truth exists publicly regarding the proposed "sports complex". Some of that was half truths and hysteria....it never came to pass and it cost one Lincroft resident his life. I might add that Pat Short also helped the people of Lincroft in that instance and he was only a candidate at the time.I never saw Scharfenberger or Brightbill put in an appearance.Seems they are all talk and no action most of the time. In regard to both of them,my observation is they sure know how to ride someone else's coattails !! I resent both of them for trying to take credit for the hard work the LVGA and Bill & I and former mayors Hall and Peters put into these accomplishments. Today my advice to Scharfenberger and Brightbill would be "put your money where your mouths are". I'm sick to death of the deception,the lies and the acts of intimidation and threats and other psychological and emotional tactics they use to try and control the citizens of this township.Give it up because they don't fool this resident and they don't fool a lot of other residents either.

The other people who live on Swimming River Road with this resident were penalized during the installation of the gas and water pipes because those two do not like my current political choices!! An illegally conducted survey and it's consequences violated every citizen's right to equal protection under the law. I long for the day when both of these committee persons no longer serve. I don't believe they serve the people's interests....they serve themselves and the Republican party faithful. In my opinion neither are suited for public service..

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: Middletown Republicans Are At It Again.

Once again, members of the Middletown Republican party are looking to take credit for something that they had no part in.

I am speaking of a recent letter written by Cathy Rogers, an active member of the Middletown Republican party, who serves as the District 36 Republican Committeewoman in Port Monmouth and who’s husband Charlie, holds prominent positions in Middletown as an appointed member of the Middletown Sewerage Authority and as the OEM Coordinator, for each position Mr. Rogers holds, he is compensated with both salary and pension benefits.

In her letter, Mrs. Roger’s gives undue credit to her fellow Middletown Republicans - Mayor Brightbill and Deputy Mayor Scharfenberger for the recently announced plans to control flooding in Port Monmouth area.

The simple fact of the matter is that not Cathy Rogers, her husband, the Mayor or Deputy Mayor had anything to do with devising the current flood control plan that was approved by the township committee on August 3rd.

The homeowners on Monmouth, Wilson, and Brainard Aves as well as others and along with Democratic Committeeman Patrick Short, who championed the cause, deserve all of the credit for getting this accomplished. Mayor Brightbill and Deputy-mayor Scharfenberger never supported this effort until the time that Patrick Short introduced the solution to the township committee and the 80+ homeowners that reside in the affected flood area showed up in force to demand that action be taken to alleviate the flooding problem.

Republicans in Middletown have always been reactive to problems that concern residents of Middletown, instead of taking a proactive approach to any of their needs.

If Cathy Rogers were any kind of district representative, as she claims, she would have had her Republican colleagues take care of the flooding problem long ago. She says that this was in the making for 10 years.

Actually, it took 10 months worth of effort on the part of Patrick Short and others to indentify the problem and come up with a workable solution, all it took was a little persuasion and a lot of homeowners to rise up and speak out for a return on the investment that they make each and every month by paying their property taxes to Middletown.