By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
The eye of Sauron has turned to the Jersey Shore, Save Jerseyans.
Asw. Mary Pat Angelini (R-11) is actually demanding that a local Monmouth area radio station, 94.3 The Point (WJLK), cease running ads paid for by the General Majority PAC, the Democrat machine and public sector union front group bombarding districts 1, 2, and 38 with big money to unseat Republican legislators and elect a few lemmings to replace them.
LD11 was always on the bubble watch list, and now it looks like Democrats are going to make a late push. The veteran Angelini is running with Caroline Casagrande against Democrat challengers Eric Houghtaling and Joanne Downey.
You can read the cease and desist letter here authored by current Archer & Greiner attorney, former NJ GOP operative and notably Monmouth-based Jeb Bush supporter Brian Nelson.
“My opponents and their special interest allies have hit a new low,” Angelini shared in an accompanying statement obtained by Save Jersey. “Their disgusting lies about a charity that provides mental health, substance abuse and anti-bullying programs to more than 10,000 children and families a year shows how heartless and sinister my opponents truly are.”
I have dedicated my career to fighting addiction and mental illness and won’t stand for Houghtaling and Downey and their special interest allies spreading vicious lies about the social workers and professionals that provide direct support to children and families every day. Over 90% of our employees provide direct care to our clients and work hard every day to provide many evidenced-based programs at no charge. If these false ads do not come down, I will sue to take them down.
If Houghtaling and Downey had an ounce of character they would denounce these untruthful attacks immediately. Sadly, based on how they have ran this campaign into the gutter, my opponents will do and say anything to get elected, including lying about a non-profit dedicated to providing mental health, substance abuse and anti-bullying programs.”
It’s been a litigious cycle. The PAC, spearheaded by a former Harry Reid operative, won a court case in Atlantic County earlier this week, permitting it to send partially-completed ballots to targeted voters in battleground LD2 where Chris Brown (R) and Vince Mazzeo (D) are battling for survival.
LD11 encompasses the Jersey Shore communities of Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Colts Neck, Deal, Eatontown, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Interlaken, Loch Arbour, Long Branch, Neptune, Neptune Township, Ocean Township (Monmouth), Red Bank, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township, Tinton Falls, and West Long Branch.
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Angelini can thank the incompetence of Raia, Yudin and Cappola. If Bergen County and the state GOP as a whole was competent Democrats would be defending 22 and 36 not going on offense here.
I am not sure why this is considered a tossup district. Even in Democratic years, Monmouth County has generally gone Republican. A Democrat won a senate seat here once but she got crushed in her reelection battle despite spending $2 million or so. It isn’t that we are that enamored with the Republicans. It is that we believe that the Democrats are just out to squash us in order to pay for subsidies elsewhere. Just think of the toll increases the Democratic Party wanted to support in 2007.
As the former Director of Operations at Prevention First, I worked directly under and very closely with Mary Pat Angelini on a daily basis, for just under 20 years. If there is ANYone on this earth who has first-hand knowledge of her character, it is me. I cannot tell you how outraged and offended I am at reading the lies that are being told about her and the dirty innuendoes. The insinuation that she pocketed money made my blood boil!
No intelligent person would arrive at the absurd conclusions the SuperPAC is asserting after reading Prevention First’s 990s, which are available online and by request, so I must assume they are deliberately lying. “Millions in contracts”??? And, my favorite…”Nearly 2 out of every 3 dollars, Angelini spent went to salaries and benefits for her and her staff instead of helping kids.” What do they mean, “instead of helping kids”! Prevention First’s professional employees work hard to educate kids and provide them with the tools and life skills needed to live happy, healthy, addiction-free lives! The inconsideration of the fact that the majority of employees are paid TO HELP THE KIDS amazes me! The majority of the agency’s employees ARE the “service.” It is THEY who work with, interact with, positively impact and teach the children and teens in- and after-school. It is they who listen, reflect, acknowledge, ask, suggest, present and instruct.
God gave Mary Pat substance, integrity and character that is, sadly, rare these days, as it could not be more admirable. Her honesty is unquestionable, and her work ethic is beyond the highest. I’ve watched her torn when considering the impact of difficult decisions she had to make in her effort to be painstakingly fair to others. She is devoted to her family, dedicated to her work and how she finds the time and energy to give 100% to each has never ceased to amaze me. In 20 years, she never chose to ‘rest on her laurels,’ and she certainly could have – and, I think, deserved to, at least for a bit, but she never did.
Personally, it is beyond me why anyone like Mary Pat would want to run for political office, no less hold it, in this day and age when ‘news’ that reads like The Enquirer floods the internet, along with Enquirer-like comments – both born of ignorance, stupidity, anger, hate, foolishness, attention seeking, drunkenness (who knows!), sensationalism, negative spinning, downright lying and/or trying to fill columns. Why would she put herself in for that abuse? She’s a good person! But then, that’s the answer – she IS a good person…one with a lot to offer who genuinely cares about people and issues…and she wants to help… The people she serves and/or works for – in any capacity – are lucky to have her. My advice to the public is that if you read any ‘bad’ things about her, assume the opposite to be the truth, discount the source – and get out and vote on Tuesday.