BODY POLITIC

NEW COUNTY REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP TAKES THE HELM

An interesting juxtaposition in the political world occurred last Tuesday evening. The Republican party with a record of success throughout the county, changed leaders for the third time in three years, while the Democrats, with no success at the county level, stood pat at the top once again. Only in the upside down county of Monmouth, would the winners change leadership while the head of the perennial loser receive a vote of confidence.

Of course, leadership of a county political party is not as easy as winning and losing. If that had been the case, then former Republican Chairs Bill Dowd and Fred Niemann would not be on the sidelines today. Nor would recently re-elected Democrat Chairman Vic Scudiery be plotting for November’s upcoming general election races. In an interesting twist, the infighting in the Republican Party brought Aberdeen’s Adam Puharic to Tuesday night’s election as chairman, while complacency among the Democrats allowed Scudiery to maintain his role as chairman.

On the Republican side, Puharic may have gotten a job that no one really wanted. The Republican party has had a firm grip on county offices for years, and election equilibrium as well as a changing county demographic may catch up to the GOP sometime soon. Additionally, the state Democrats have been targeting Monmouth County for several years now, and Puharic is going to have a monstrous chore in matching their funds for the fall campaign. He also faces an enormous task in uniting a party that has been ripped apart by factions, embarrassed by corrupt individuals and still influenced by party bosses that refuse to walk away from the trough.

Just because the Democrats didn’t change horses at the top doesn’t mean they are finished. It could be argued that had it not been for Independent Candidate Brian Unger last year, that Democrats would have won at least one Freeholder seat. In past years, Chairman Scudiery has fought off challenges for the leadership post and his biggest task is finding viable candidates for county offices. As a successful businessman, Scudiery has the resources to fund county races, and combined with the wheeling from outside the county, the Democrats are at a considerable monetary advantage.

After Tuesday, both camps have set their sights on November. It could be a pivotal year for Republicans as the new Chairman is under pressure to unite and deliver yet another victory for the GOP. Anything less might cause for more discord in the Monmouth County Republican Party, where a winning record really doesn’t count for much lately.