Knowledge is power

In a guest column in The Independent titled 'Illegal immigration a grave threat to the United States', Deputy Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger enlightens the rest of us: "Gang activity and violence among illegal immigrants is also reaching crisis proportions. Some of the most notorious gangs of illegal immigrants and their progeny include SOK (Still Out Killing), HTO (Hispanics Taking Over), and JMC (Just Mobbing Crazy), to name a few."

Gosh, where would we all be without the jingoist, Christmas-saving superpowers of Gerry Scharfenberger? Why, our kids might grow up not properly fearing brown people. [/end sarcasm]

I never thought I'd be saying this, but can we go back to the time when Peter Carton could actually shut his half-wit lackeys up?

I'm not of the wide-open-borders contingent, I'm just of the being-a-municipal-officeholder-does-not-qualify-you-as-an-immigration-expert (unless you're Anna Little) set. Please, please, please work on the issues that are actually relevant to your office, not pet peeves like trans fats, over-stuffed geese or illegal immigration.

Will Seward's election analysis

Will Seward over at More Monmouth Musings offered his explanation for why Andrew Lucas suffered a setback at the polls:

With no incumbents in the race, McMorrow's victory can be chalked up to name recognition, given that this is her second time out. The APP's endorsement no doubt helped, but was not decisive, as Anna Little's victory proves. The Republicans ♥ BARBARA McMORROW movement, rumored to be supported by both supporters of Joe DiBella and Lillian Burry, also was a factor. Not that the signs made a difference in and of themselves. They didn't. The signs were demonstrations that Republican support for Andrew Lucas was weak and divided.

That Lucas's support was weak and divided is only in part his own doing. He was selected, by one vote, by the reformers of the party, but then embraced the old guard in the chairman's race and continued to dance with both sides throughout the summer and most of the fall. He failed to identify himself as a reformer to an electorate that is still angry over the culture of corruption exposed by Operation Bid Rig. His weak endorsement on Anna Little's position on the county counsel fiasco came too late to be considered anything but pandering. He tried to cruise in by offending neither side. Not a bad strategy for a rookie, but not enough to carry the day in this environment.

Monmouth RastaMan's analysis

The enigma that is Monmouth RastaMan offered this election analysis:

1. Middletown – The strongest GOP town other than Wall Township was in for a rude awakening. Voters rejected the local candidate and decided to be almost split and vote for a Democrat. Well that is bad and who ever was running that local campaign must be one of the worst political operatives in the state of New Jersey. This is like a Democrat losing in Newark. Which never happens! So hats off to the campaign manager and Mr. Sodon for running a terrible campaign.

Fred Niemann and Jack Morris sitting in a tree...

And there comes a time when everything is illuminated...

From today's Asbury Park Press article:
IN TINTON FALLS: Project needs stormwater system overhaul
Development terms made tougher; group won't sue

"Fred Niemann, a lawyer representing Edgewood [Properties], could not be reached for comment."

Edgewood Properties is Jack Morris' company. Jack Morris is a business partner of former Middlesex Democratic boss and future inmate John Lynch. Jack Morris has also been identified as the unnamed developer listed in an indictment brought by the U.S. Attorney's office against an elected official; in the indictment the unnamed developer is accused of bribing the elected official via campaign contributions, including wheeled campaign contributions.

Jack Morris has not been charged by Chris Christie's folks over at U.S. Attorney's office, though the bribery-via-campaign contributions accusation was made public in the indictment several months ago.

For those who forget, Jack Morris and his companies have given over $50,000 in campaign contributions to Chris Christie family friend state Sen. Joe Kyrillos. Former Matawan mayor and current Freeholder Deputy Director Rob Clifton also received money from a PAC that had Morris as a top contributor (some might consider that particular contribution wheeled money and Clifton has since returned it).

Morris also contributed to the Monmouth County GOP and to one of those illustrious legal-but-ethically-questionable Mon. Cty. GOP PACs during the time Fred Niemann was chair.


And no, the Jack Morris-Aberdeen/Matawan
Train Station issue is not going away.

Bayshore elections

In case you missed it, The Courier is doing some incredible election coverage on-line.

We're talking tons of exit polling going on.

Two huge thumbs-up from the Bayshore Journalista to my former co-workers.

Election coverage

I'm going to be doing regular election updates at my under-used Jersey Blog Beat blog starting at 7 p.m. tonight for NJ.com.

Tune in, folks.

Non-shocker

The APP endorsed Gibadlo and McMorrow for the freeholder slots.