MONMOUTH GOP FACTIONS ANGLING FOR FREEHOLDER SEAT
The next few weeks will show a lot about the Monmouth County Republican Party. On the menu are a visible fight for a freeholder seat and a not so visible power struggle behind the scenes as well. On the public side, there are several candidates angling for State Assemblywoman Amy Handlin’s Freeholder seat, while the dark side features Chairman Fred Niemann fighting off challenges to his control of the party.
Just two years ago, former GOP Chairman Bill Dowd was toppled by a faction named “GOP for Change” which championed Mr. Niemann as their leader. There were promises made about returning open selection back to the local leaders and instituting a grass roots effort to make the party more inclusive. It was said that Mr. Dowd did not conduct an open process in his decision to remove then Freeholder Ed Stominski from the ticket and replace him with Matawan Mayor Rob Clifton.
Strangely enough, the same case is being made against Mr. Niemman by one of his very own supporters two years ago. In a very public email to county committee members and released to the press, Wall GOP Chairman Robert McKenna questions the current process for selecting Handlin’s replacement. By virtue of numbers, Mr. McKenna is a powerful force in the county GOP because of his ability to deliver Wall Township committee votes. Of course, Mr. McKenna wants to be the next Freeholder so his motives ain’t exactly clean in the matter either.
It seems that Mr. McKenna believes that Chairman Niemann has already cut a deal to deliver the Freeholder seat to Howell Mayor Joe Debella. If that is so, the forces that led the GOP for Change have been duped, as have the many county committee members that supported the faction. In defense of Mr. McKenna, all he is asking for is an open process and that a real election be held. The entire matter comes to a head on February 25 when the Monmouth GOP convenes for its selection Saturday, when a new Freeholder will be chosen. Only time will tell if the election and the selection process has been genuine, otherwise, the GOP for Change has come full circle in its original mission.
