Post by admin on Sept 7, 2008 7:35:40 GMT -5
www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080907/NEWS03/809070394/1007/NEWS03
The event in Freehold today is being billed as an "open house" at an old Victorian home, where half of the first floor has been transformed into the new headquarters for the Monmouth County Democratic Party. Visitors will be able to mill about, meet candidates in the county freeholder elections and enjoy refreshments, party officials said.
But officials also say, with a degree of giddiness, that the relocation of their headquarters from Ocean Township to the old house on East Main Street in Freehold is symbolic of great expectations in the Nov. 4 general election. The new site is about a two-minute walk from the hub of the county government at the Hall of Records, also on East Main Street .
"We have full intentions of taking over the county government, so we should have a presence in the county seat," said party spokesman Michael Mangan. "It's where we should be."
Democrats can gain a freeholder board majority for the first time since the 1980s if at least one of the party's candidates capture the two currently Republican seats at stake.
The open house at the Democrats' headquarters runs from noon to 3 p.m. today.
The Republicans, however, are matching the Democrats in the optimism department.
"I took a little break (last weekend), but I'm knocking on doors all the time, going to events and meeting people," said Republican candidate John P. Curley, who is the running mate of incumbent Lillian G. Burry. "I'm really excited about the reaction I'm getting. I'm confident."
Curley is a former Red Bank councilman running for county office for the first time.
"With me being a new face and new name in the race, we've been able to create interest in volunteering from new people to go along with the base of volunteers the Monmouth County Republicans have built up," Curley said. "There's a lot of enthusiasm out there."
The Republicans have had no shortage of similar events designed to give visitors a chance to meet candidates, sign up as volunteers or donate money to campaigns. Curley ran a beach party fundraiser at the Monmouth Beach Club in August. The county GOP was also scheduled to stage a seminar on fundraising strategies at Brookdale Community College, where candidates and campaign managers could obtain advice on identifying, targeting, and retaining donors.
Last year's freeholder elections featured the return of a twice-elected freeholder in the 1980s: John D'Amico Jr., a Democrat who in his comeback to county politics was the top vote-getter among four candidates.
D'Amico was joined by Republican incumbent Robert D. Clifton as winners of the two three-year freeholder terms. Democrat Stephen G. Schueler and Republican Jeff Cantor also ran in what election officials deemed one of the closest county elections ever.
D'Amico took over a Republican-held seat, cutting the GOP majority on the board to 3-2. The board had been all-Republican from 1989 until 2006, when Democrat Barbara J. McMorrow won a seat. Prior to McMorrow, the last Democrats to win seats were D'Amico and John A. Villapiano in 1986.
This year's Democratic candidates, Amy Mallet and Glenn Mason, recently picked up an endorsement the Monmouth and Ocean County Central Labor Council.
"I am honored to have the support of working families of Monmouth County," Mallet said in a press release.
The event in Freehold today is being billed as an "open house" at an old Victorian home, where half of the first floor has been transformed into the new headquarters for the Monmouth County Democratic Party. Visitors will be able to mill about, meet candidates in the county freeholder elections and enjoy refreshments, party officials said.
But officials also say, with a degree of giddiness, that the relocation of their headquarters from Ocean Township to the old house on East Main Street in Freehold is symbolic of great expectations in the Nov. 4 general election. The new site is about a two-minute walk from the hub of the county government at the Hall of Records, also on East Main Street .
"We have full intentions of taking over the county government, so we should have a presence in the county seat," said party spokesman Michael Mangan. "It's where we should be."
Democrats can gain a freeholder board majority for the first time since the 1980s if at least one of the party's candidates capture the two currently Republican seats at stake.
The open house at the Democrats' headquarters runs from noon to 3 p.m. today.
The Republicans, however, are matching the Democrats in the optimism department.
"I took a little break (last weekend), but I'm knocking on doors all the time, going to events and meeting people," said Republican candidate John P. Curley, who is the running mate of incumbent Lillian G. Burry. "I'm really excited about the reaction I'm getting. I'm confident."
Curley is a former Red Bank councilman running for county office for the first time.
"With me being a new face and new name in the race, we've been able to create interest in volunteering from new people to go along with the base of volunteers the Monmouth County Republicans have built up," Curley said. "There's a lot of enthusiasm out there."
The Republicans have had no shortage of similar events designed to give visitors a chance to meet candidates, sign up as volunteers or donate money to campaigns. Curley ran a beach party fundraiser at the Monmouth Beach Club in August. The county GOP was also scheduled to stage a seminar on fundraising strategies at Brookdale Community College, where candidates and campaign managers could obtain advice on identifying, targeting, and retaining donors.
Last year's freeholder elections featured the return of a twice-elected freeholder in the 1980s: John D'Amico Jr., a Democrat who in his comeback to county politics was the top vote-getter among four candidates.
D'Amico was joined by Republican incumbent Robert D. Clifton as winners of the two three-year freeholder terms. Democrat Stephen G. Schueler and Republican Jeff Cantor also ran in what election officials deemed one of the closest county elections ever.
D'Amico took over a Republican-held seat, cutting the GOP majority on the board to 3-2. The board had been all-Republican from 1989 until 2006, when Democrat Barbara J. McMorrow won a seat. Prior to McMorrow, the last Democrats to win seats were D'Amico and John A. Villapiano in 1986.
This year's Democratic candidates, Amy Mallet and Glenn Mason, recently picked up an endorsement the Monmouth and Ocean County Central Labor Council.
"I am honored to have the support of working families of Monmouth County," Mallet said in a press release.
