Letters to the Editor
- Rumson artist Jim Fitzmaurice painted this Halloween scene on the window at Fair Haven Hardware. Photo by Scott Longfield
It's Your Turn
Election Thanks
To The Editor:
It is with great appreciation that we begin our second term as councilmen for the great Borough of Red Bank. We are both deeply honored to be re-elected by the citizens of Red Bank and want to assure each resident that your concerns are of utmost importance to the governing body of Red Bank and we welcome your input and ideas.
Red Bank is a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family. We promise to continue the work we have started to preserve the quality of life that we have had the good fortune to enjoy in Red Bank. Once again, thank you for the opportunity to serve our community.
Art Murphy
Michael Dupont
Councilmen
The Borough of Red Bank
Changing Lives With ASLAN
To The Editor:
For nearly 35 years, ASLAN Youth Ministries has worked tirelessly to address the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of at-risk, disadvantaged youth in Monmouth County.
Hundreds of lives have positively changed as a result of Aslan's efforts. However, with the economy in the dumps, nonprofits like Aslan are seeking ever more creative ways to raise funds to offset decreases in donations. Through the hard work and creative guidance of a small group of committed volunteers, Aslan Youth Ministries and Long Branch's own Shore Runner hosted the first ever Beauty and the Beach Run on November 7, 2009 to support Aslan's work.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the countless volunteers, corporate sponsors and the over 450 participants in the Beauty and the Beach Run for a wonderful event! Corporate sponsors included Shore Runner in Long Branch's Pier Village, Post Race Party and Saucony. Through a committee of six dynamic women led by Shore Runner's Christine Clifton-Bekes, over $10,000 was raised in support of Aslan! Serving alongside Ms. Clifton-Bekes on the committee was Jodi Cole, Rebecca Rothstein, Maureen Cullen, Martha Dement, and Leslie McKernan. With the wonderful and professional work of these women, the Beauty and the Beach Run was a smashing success, and we're looking forward to building on this success next year!
To find out more about Aslan and how you can help, please visit us online at www.aslanyouth.org.
Douglas C. Eagles
Executive Director
Aslan Youth Ministries
A Great Day
for N.J.
To The Editor:
(Nov. 3) was a great day. Jersey voters smelled the coffee, and decided that skim milk masqueraded as cream for too long!
Goodbye, so long, farewell to Corzine. Now he knows what it feels like to lose a job!
The voters got out there, and elected Chris Christie to the Governorship of our great state.
We thought it was going to be close; yet, we all knew Chris had a great chance of winning. But when Obama came to NJ so many times to campaign, we knew that would put us over the top. And it did!
Republicans and Independents unite. Continue to fight to protect your townships, your homes, your jobs, your schools, your Constitution, your Country.
Moderate Democrats, don't be shy. Come and join us, as we get people to refocus again on what made America great for so long; and what will keep America great, as we face a tough future.
Let's not stop. Let's take what began yesterday, and let it resonate over and over again throughout the country-straight to the White House. (I think they're listening this morning). Don't stop now, and never stop believing!
Mickey Palmeri
Navesink
A Great Night for Republicans
To The Editor:
Last night (November 3) I attended the victory party with the Middletown Republicans at the Lincroft Inn. By the time I got there, our local races were pretty much settled. Steve Massell won by a huge margin, of 24 percent. I think everybody was expecting him to beat incumbent Patrick Short, but few expected the victory to be so big. I think this will bring a bit more sanity to the township committee meetings, now that Republicans return to a 4-1 lead. Everybody was happy last night, Steve brought his entire family and was surrounded by his new colleagues, Mayor Brightbill, Deputy Mayor Scharfenberger and Committeeman Fiore.
When I got there, Assemblywoman Amy Handlin was still watching the results, but she told me everything looks good. She and Sam Thompson won easily, by a 2-1 margin, against Bob Brown and Jim Grenafege, despite some bogus Dem polls showing that the race is close. All in all, the Republicans swept all four Assembly races in Monmouth County, by an average of 2-1, so a big congrats to all of them: Handlin, Thompson, O'Scanlon, Casagrande, Rible, Angelini, Malone and Dancer.
We were also relaxed about John Curley's race for freeholder. Last year, he lost by a handful of votes, in what was a bad year for Republicans. But he didn't give up, John came back and campaigned as hard as he could. I've never seen a better, stronger campaigner than John Curley. He faced unfavorable odds: Democrats had won the previous three freeholder races in Monmouth County, breaking the 5-0 majority that Republicans had enjoyed for over 20 years. Our slogan this year was "Take back Monmouth County," as barely nine months into power the Dems started running it into the ground. Last week, John told me he was polling 17 percent ahead of Middletown committeeman Sean Byrnes, but he didn't trust that and he'd cut it in half. Well, on election night he won by almost 21 percent! I don't think anybody expected such a big margin, even his most optimistic supporters. This means he'll join Lillian Burry and Rob Clifton and starting January 1st they'll do what they do best - keep Monmouth County a great place to live.
So by around 9 p.m., we had three races nailed, and one remaining - the big one. Chris Christie against unpopular incumbent Jon Corzine. Everything was against Christie, especially N.J. being a very blue state, where no Republican has won a statewide election since 1997 and Obama won last year by 15 percent (but also, no Democratic Governor has been re-elected here since 1978 - says a lot about what a great job they've been doing). When I first met Chris in February, he was a long shot, and all we could do was hope. Then over the summer he went to a comfortable lead in the polls, but in the last weeks before the election Corzine's negative ads paid off and they became statistically tied. But it was still better than recent years, when no Republican candidate went into Election Day with real hope of winning.
Back to Lincroft Inn. Around 10 p.m., the networks started calling the race for Chris Christie, as he was leading by 4-5 percent with two thirds of the vote counted. There was an explosion of hapiness in the room, but somehow it quickly calmed down, as it was still quite close and everybody was afraid the number could reverse in the end. It was extremely tense, as everybody left their tables, and we were all stuck around the TV, cheering every time the percentage of the vote counted went up, and the difference stayed the same. Then Patrick Short made his way to the crowd, and went to Steve Massell to congratulate him for his own. I was a bit surprised, and I think it was a nice gesture. He thanked him for a clean campaign, and I wonder if he said again, like on his inauguration day, that "The People have spoken." Must've been a really short party for the Democrats, as they lost all their races.
Minute after minute, it became more and more clear that we can't lose this victory, and the Christie-Guadagno won, by 49 percent - 44 percent. And third party candidate Daggett got only five percent, despite polling around 10 percent or higher. It's a very big margin, it was never close as even Republicans had forecasted. And I think that what turned the tides was the strong endorsements, just over the past weekend, from the most conservative Republicans. People that had attacked Christie for months, and vowed to write in another name or vote for a third party candidate, decided with a few days before the election that getting rid of Corzine is more important and, led by Steve Lonegan, urged all their followers to go out and vote for Christie. Without these endorsements, I'm afraid it would've been very close or Corzine might've stolen the win.
So it was a great night for the Monmouth Republicans. All state contests were won by around 2-1, including the Governor's race. In February, Chairman Joe Oxley promised Christie a 27,000 votes win. He delivered 64,000. Congrats to Joe who, in his first full year as Chairman, stopped the Democrat surge and won big in all the county-wide races. And it trickled down to many township races. Incumbents were thrown out, like in Middletown, the county's biggest township. In Howell, Republicans won their first seat since 2004. In Freehold Boro, the first since 2001. Even losing in Red Bank, a Dem stronghold, they lost by only 8 votes.
This is only the beginning. The great wins in NJ and VA should send a strong message to Obama and his cronies. And next year is even bigger than this one, as we have to take back the House, and stop Pelosi from trying to destroy America. We have Mike Halfacre here, taking on Rush Holt, and we need a strong candidate to take on Frank Pallone. If formerly blue New Jersey could do it, I'm sure America can do it.
Chris Fotache
Middletown
Navy Ignores Earle Security
To The Editor:
Early November has proven to be a tragic time for both the Navy and the Army. Two stories, both involving the infiltration of military bases, only serves to prove the validity of the concerns expressed by Neighbors Opposed to Privatization at Earle (NOPE) regarding the unimpeded access route planned and chosen by the Navy; making way for the rental of 300 Laurelwood housing units to civilians.
To safeguard the base, and base personnel from civilians, and civilians from the daily operations of a fully functioning weapons storage facility, a five million dollar, 22,000 foot chain link fence was deemed by the Navy to offer optimum protection. However according to an article on November 3 in the Seattle Times, five protesters associated with an international peace movement were arrested after cutting through three chain link security fences to reach an area where nuclear missiles are stored at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor - the ages of the protesters; 81, 83, 65, 60, and 60 years old.
This is the same type of fencing the Navy claims will keep Naval Weapons Station Earle safe from intrusion.
For over a year Neighbors Opposed to Privatization at Earle (NOPE) have vehemently opposed the opening of the Laurelwood housing units located on Naval Weapons Station Earle, to civilian renters and facilitating that by granting them unimpeded access.
Arrogant disregard and a deaf ear has been the Navy's response, to NOPE's assertion that allowing civilians unimpeded access to the facility is by its very nature, inviting actions which could ultimately lead to tragedy.
Hopefully the Department of the Navy has learned from these recent tragedies. If not, "foolish pride" will go before the fall.
Neighbors Opposed to Privatization at Earle
Colts Neck
Common Sense Solutions
To The Editor:
In the health-care debate, AARP has chosen a side for "our members." That's why we're endorsing H.R. 3962 and H.R. 3961 - bills that deliver on priorities AARP has been fighting for. These bills would help older Americans get the health care they need.
AARP is supporting these bills because they protect and strengthen the Medicare program that millions depend on. They lower prescription drug costs by closing the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole," and allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. They prevent insurance companies from denying affordable coverage for individuals because of age or medical conditions. They make sure seniors get access to the doctor of their choice or can find a new doctor when they need one. They provide benefits to seniors and people with disabilities to continue to live at home in their communities.
AARP supports common-sense solutions that will help put Medicare on more stable ground so it can save money and continue to provide good coverage for seniors and plans that will ensure older Americans get affordable, quality coverage. The House plan does just that.
Sy Larson
AARP New Jersey
State President
East Brunswick
