By Frank Holman
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As you may know by now, I am running to be your next Ocean County Republican Organization Chairman following George Gilmore’s recent resignation. I’m writing because you deserve to know who I am and to know that I am running on a bold, SPECIFIC 6-point plan to run stronger campaigns and build our County Party by being more inclusive. We need a fresh start- let’s turn the page and get back to business: Growing the Republican Party and beating Democrats!
I am a lifelong Ocean County resident and a proud and loving father and grandfather. I am also a successful small business owner, getting ready to retire from my accounting firm Holman Frenia Allison, P.C. I will be able to devote my full energy to leading our County Party, which I will do in the same way I have led my business: with integrity, transparency, and an unparalleled commitment to succeed. All of the work that our business does in the public sector is bid on publicly and conducted with full transparency. I am extremely proud that our accounting firm helps many New Jersey towns be fiscally responsible and ensure that bloated, wasteful spending is cut!
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The value of public service was taught to me by my dad at a young age. I want to leave a better county for my kids and grandkids, and yours. The way we do that is by ensuring we elect public servants to deliver good government by reining in taxes and spending, keep our communities safe, and ensure a great quality of life. These are Republican principles and as your Chairman I will ensure we elect candidates who fight tooth and nail for these principles.
We must face facts though: Democrats are emboldened, having picked up seats all up and down the ballot. Last year we lost 2 of our 3 GOP Congressional seats in the County: former Congressmen Lobiondo and MacArthur’s districts. We’ve been losing seats at the local level, including in Brick and Toms River. This was once unthinkable!
While my opponent is running what he calls an anti-establishment campaign, the fact remains that he was George Gilmore’s hand picked fundraising chief and was unable to raise the money necessary to win. We must work together to do better in this area. We will ensure everyone has a voice- not just the insiders in the back room. We will also build our grassroots rank and file from the bottom up by running more women, young people, and ethnically diverse candidates for office. I am the only candidate with a bold, SPECIFIC (no platitudes or generalities) 6-point platform on how we will achieve all of this together:
- EXPAND our Ranks with a massive initiative to register new Republicans & fill vacant Committee seats
- MORE AID to Local Campaigns- Make a significantly higher investment in local campaigns than in the past. This means more financial support as well as resources (volunteers, the latest technology, etc.).
- INCREASED Role & Voice for County Committee- The establishment insiders shouldn’t have all the power, you should! With the invaluable assistance of our Vice-Chair Barbara Lanuto, we will create five distinct regions throughout the County, and elect regional directors for each region to serve as YOUR representatives. I will hold regular meetings and free social gatherings in each of the five regions. These measures will ensure increased access & influence for YOU, the County Committee to help us make decisions and ensure our team wins!
- IMMEDIATELY Begin Recruiting & Aiding More Women for Office- Freeholder Ginny Haines is only the second woman to ever serve on the Freeholder Board in the history of the County, and out of nearly 200 elected Republicans in the County, just over 30 are women. This is not only unconscionable, it’s unacceptable. We will work with our members of the Ocean County Federation of Republican Women (who do an OUTSTANDING job) to spearhead an immediate, aggressive push to begin running more women for office in Ocean County.
- MODERNIZE our website & social media presence- Sadly, portions of our County GOP website/social media pages have not been updated in six years, and we don’t even have accounts on many social media platforms. The County GOP Facebook page has only been updated three times in the last six weeks. We can and must do better if we are to effectively compete with the Democrats.
- BEGIN a Mentorship Program to recruit and coach young Republicans to run for office, and help the Young Republicans’ club grow and expand their membership.
I am a fighter- and if you see fit to elect me as your next Chairman, as President Trump said, we’re going to win so much, you’ll get tired of it!
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Frank Holman is a candidate for chairman of the Ocean County Republican Organization on May 15th. This op-ed was adapted from a letter to county committee members.
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