Fair Haven Mayor and former Republican congressional candidate Mike Halfacre is heading to Trenton, Save Jerseyans. The Monmouth attorney and mayor will head the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Halfacre announced the big move today on his Facebook page; that particular status update has since disappeared, but an article remains posted on APP.com. He will resign as Fair Haven’s mayor effective February 3rd.
I suspect his decision was at least partially motivated by major changes in the 12 Congressional District. He mounted a tough primary race against the eventual GOP nominee in 2010, Scott Sipprelle, before dropping out due to a lack of institutional support. Sipprelle subsequently lost an equally tough general election race to the incumbent Democrat, Rush Holt. Many pundits expected Halfacre to consider another try… if redistricting went the “right” way.
It didn’t. For starters, Mayor Halfacre’s municipality is no longer in the 12th. He’d have to move. Worse still for Halfacre was the committee’s decision to remove several other Republican-leaning Monmouth towns. Holt is now in a commanding electoral position for at least next ten years. Hence, the reason why Princeton-based Sipprelle isn’t running in 2012 either.
So congratulations to Mayor Halfacre. He’s a nice guy who deserves this position. More importantly, he will do a fine job for the people of New Jersey. My only regret? The people of the 12th deserved a more competitive map and better representation in Washington!
