By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
The pending resignation of Asw. Alison McHose is bound to be a major topic of conversation this Friday evening as Sussex County’s government reorganizes for 2015 at the Historic Courthouse in Newton.
Whom might the LD24 committee members select to fill her shoes? Well, it’s early, but here are a few widely-discussed options for your consideration, Save Jerseyans:
Rob Greenbaum – He’s Mayor of Mount Olive, the largest town in the district.
Phil Crabb – The veteran Sussex County Freeholder and former director of the board reportedly isn’t interested in the job but hey, the Franklin Township resident’s status in the district makes him hard to rule out as a possibility.
Ailish Casey Hambel – Sussex County’s Republican chairwoman, Hambel would have an edge if she actually wants the spot. No word if she possesses that particular ambition.
Rich Vohden – Also a Sussex Freeholder and a farmer to boot hailing from Green Township, a group that’s woefully underrepresented in the legislature notwithstanding the Garden State’s strong agricultural heritage.
David Scapicchio – A freshman Morris Freeholder and former Olive Township Mayor, Scapicchio’s biggest obstacle this time around is that he’s already up for reelection in 2015,
Paul Licitra – Are you noticing a pattern here? Another former Mt Olive mayor, the popular Licitra’s time as a staffer for Senator Oroho resulted in connections outside of his electorally-significant home base.
It’s math. Mt. Olive is the largest town but the sole town in the smallest county in District 24.
Sussex County Committee = 242
Warren County Committee = 66
Morris County Committee = 44
Instead of worrying about adding another legislator to its long roster at the expense of Sussex County, Morris County and in particular Mt. Olive should be worried about keeping its Freeholder, Dave Scapicchio. That is much more important.