April 2021 re-post of November 2019 BF post. Carol Rizzo resigned from the Neptune Committee March, 2021, saying that she is moving out of town. Also Kevin McMillan, an incumbent Neptune Democrat committeeman was denied the nomination by the Monmouth Democrats for the 2019 election. He ran anyhow, but he lost, despite his years of experience and his uniform likability. It is a disgrace that the Democrat party machine did not offer him the nomination.
In an article published in the NJ Globe.com in March, 2019, this is what they said:
“In a close Saturday morning vote, Neptune Democrats narrowly vote to endorse Neptune Township mayor Carol Rizzo for re-election.
“Rizzo, the first openly gay woman mayor in the township, won the Monmouth Democratic organization line on the second ballot. She defeated Tassie York, a pastor and youth counselor, by a 17-14 vote.
“On the first ballot, Rizzo and York tied at 16 votes each.
“Deputy mayor Rob Lane was unopposed for re-nomination, receiving 25 votes on the first ballot.”
Blogfinger: 11/19. Evidently some of the County nominating committee had their doubts about her, but the reasons for their hesitation were not revealed. Usually incumbents are a shoo-in.
The last time an incumbent was tarred and feathered was when Mary Beth Jahn was fired by the Dems in 2005. Evidently she didn’t follow orders from the County.
Rizzo also has the public support of a number of politically based out-of-town organizations which back female candidates in the Democratic party, especially those that are LGBTQ. Rizzo is on the board of one of those.
She was also endorsed by the Garden State Equality Action Fund, the largest LGBTQ organization in the State of New Jersey. You may remember them during the 2007 bloody mess in the Grove.
The Victory Fund, another of those gender based groups, endorsed 18 LGBTQ candidates this year, including Carol Rizzo.
Why are these outsider organizations endorsing anybody in Neptune? Why does she not disavow those special interest endorsements in recognition of her support for a local government that includes all citizens in our Township equally?
Blogfinger interviewed a volunteer who was handing out Republican fliers around the North End. He told us that he spoke to a number of Grovers who expressed the desire to dump Rizzo, so there are those in town who are outspoken about this matter.
The Republican party in Neptune has crunched the numbers and they feel that they have a good chance to unseat Rizzo and Lane. They have complained about Rizzo’s unruly behavior towards OG citizens including Jack Bredin and others, and the two sides have clashed over crime in Neptune.
As for Lane, we doubt that he knows how to find his way to Ocean Grove. But the best hope is for a good turnout among anti-Rizzo citizens.
Blogfinger has written a few posts recently to explain why those two incumbents should be replaced. Single party rule, regardless of the party, is not healthy for our democracy or our town, and the performance of the current Township Committee has not been good for the Grove, particularly the behavior of the Mayor.
Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.
MAX RAABE “Love Thy Neighbor.” (Live from Carnegie Hall)
Reasons why Rizzo should not be voted in are
1. She has intimidated residents at public meetings to prevent facts and truths from being placed in the record.
2. She has repressed a legal report, payed by the OGHOA, that would show that Neptune s zoning used to create the North End as an area in need of development, is invalid and in violation of law.
3. She continues to violate zoning law for OG by refusing to have RSIS and federal ADA requirements incorporated into OG’s zoning definitions.
4. She continues permitting township attorneys and experts to give testimony in direct violation of law.
MS. Rizzo should not be voted into office because she continues to violate the trust of the public by violating state and federal laws. This is a person not deserving of the public’s vote.
Kevin Chambers