MIDDLESEX COUNTY GOP UPDATE

Written and distributed since 2003 by Donald Katz, Esq., Republican State Committeeman for Middlesex County and Counsel, Middlesex County Republican Organization


MIDDLESEX COUNTY REPUBLICANS ARE ON COLUMN B
 
At the drawing held recently by the Middlesex County Clerk, it was determined that the Republicans would be on Column B of the ballot in the November 7th election. 
Remember Column B for the Best candidates!
 
POLITICAL TRIVIA:
 
Here are some political trivia questions.  I hope you enjoy them.  The answers are below, immediately above the calendar:
 
1.   What was unique about Dwight D. Eisenhower’s first inaugural parade?
 
2.  Who were the only two U.S. Vice Presidents to serve under two U.S. Presidents?
 
3.  Which child of a U.S. President married the grandson of another former President?
 
4.  Who was the only U.S. President to serve in both World Wars?
 
5.  Who is the only U.S. President buried in Washington, D.C.?
 
6.  What hairstyle did First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy make popular?
 
7.  Which U.S. President established the first Presidential Library?
 
PETER GARIBALDI, R.I.P.
 
Peter Garibaldi, recently died at the age of 92.  As a Rutgers College student, I was involved in the 1967 election, where Pete and 3 other Republicans became the first 4 Republicans elected in Middlesex County in almost 40 years.  Both Sue and I were acquaintances/friends with Pete during his political career in Middlesex County.  My deepest condolences to his wife Lynne and the rest of the Garibaldi family. 
 
What follows is part of an article by David Wildstein from the New Jersey Globe political website:
 
Peter P. Garibaldi, an affable onetime union bricklayer who became the first Republican to win a State Senate seat in 54 years when he ousted a Democratic incumbent in 1983, died on August 20 after a short fight with late-stage cancer.  He was 92.

Garibaldi spent twelve years as the mayor of Monroe Township and six years in the State Assembly and ran twice for the U.S. House of Representatives during a political career that won him a reputation as a fighter for lower tax, increased government efficiencies, public safety, better schools, and political independence regardless of the price.
 
He began his political career in 1963 when he won a seat on the Monroe Township Committee.  Garibaldi edged out Democrat Anthony Alesi by about 40 votes.  Republicans had ended a 20-year losing streak in 1962, but by the time Garibaldi sought a second term in 1966, he was the lone Republican on the governing body and lost by about 300 votes to Democrat George Allen.
 
An opportunity for Garibaldi to run for the legislature presented itself in 1967 after the U.S. Supreme Court’s One-Man, One-Vote decision created three two-member Assembly districts.  In Gov. Richard Hughes’ second midterm election year, 1967 became a good year for Republicans in Middlesex and across the state.  Republicans won four of six Assembly seats in Middlesex.  Garibaldi…(was the top vote-getter in what was then labeled as District 7A).  Garibaldi was reelected to the Assembly in both 1969 and, in 1971, when the Democrats won 6 of the 7 Middlesex County Assembly seats)…, with Garibaldi becoming the sole Republican survivor.
 
(After a subsequent redistricting, in 1973, Garibaldi was not put on the ticket in his new district.)
 
(In 1983, Garibaldi was elected to the state senate. Beating then-incumbent Democrat State Senator James Bornheimer., with the Democrats retaining both state assembly seats.)
 
On the same day, Monroe voters re-elected Garibaldi to a third term as mayor by a nearly 2-1 margin against Democrat Richard Pucci.
 
As a senator from Middlesex, Garibaldi tried to use senatorial courtesy to block Kean’s renomination of Robert Wilentz as chief justice.  Instead, Senate President John Russo (D-Toms River) stripped Garibaldi of his courtesy, something a Senate leader can do when it involves unwritten rules.
 
(In 1987 Garibaldi lost both his state senate and mayor elections and was never elected to office again.)
 
FREE NAME TAGS FOR REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES IN MIDDLESEX COUNTY AVAILABLE
 
As I have done for a number of years, I will be happy to make name tags for any Republican candidate running on the MCRO line for local public office in Middlesex County who wants one – for free.  I was able to make and distribute many of these name tags at the county fundraiser in June, but there are still a number of Republican candidates in Middlesex County who do not yet have a name tag.  If there is interest, the candidates’ GOP municipal chair should send me an e-mail with the candidates’ information – including exactly the way each candidate wants his or her name on the name tag, plus his or her e-mail address, (and address and phone number), so I can add them to my e-mail newsletter list, and I will prepare the name tags.  
 
ANSWERS TO POLITICAL TRIVIA:
 
1.  He was lassoed by a cowboy.
 
2.  George Clinton and John C. Calhoun.  Clinton was the fourth Vice President of the U.S. and served under Thomas Jefferson from 1805 to 1809, and James Madison from 1809 until Clinton’s death in 1812. Calhoun, served under John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson beginning in 1825 until Calhoun’s resignation in 1832.
 
3.  Julie Nixon. The daughter of Richard Nixon, married David Eisenhower, the grandson of Dwight Eisenhower, in 1968.
 
4.  Dwight D. Eisenhower who was a lieutenant colonel in World War I and in World War II was the Supreme Commander of all allied forces.
 
5.  Woodrow Wilson.  Wilson died in 1924 and was buried at Washington National Cathedral in the nation’s capital.
 
6.  The Bouffant
 
7.  Franklin Roosevelt in 1941.  Roosevelt believed that presidential papers were an important part of history, and should be systematically preserved and accessible to the public in perpetuity. His successor Harry Truman agreed, and after both men created libraries for their papers, Congress passed the Presidential Libraries Act in 1955 to make sure the practice continued.
 
UPDATED CALENDAR
 
What follows is an updated calendar.  If you have any municipal or countywide fundraisers or functions you would like me to include in my e-mail calendar from time to time, please contact me at dkatzlaw@aol.com.  Please note that organizations and campaigns sometimes provide added information, change dates, or cancel events, which information I include in this calendar if I receive the information in time.  Therefore, if you plan to attend an event, please make sure you review the calendar listing in my latest e-mail and, to the extent you may not have pre-registered for the particular event so the sponsoring group will be able to contact you about any changes, you may want to check with the sponsoring group before you go, to make sure the information has not changed. Also, please be aware that these e-mails are not official MCRO notices or mailings; they are just something I do, voluntarily, to help our Republican Party.
 
August 31 (Thursday) – Deadline for filling Primary Nominee Vacancy for General Election.  (Note: This is a corrected date.)
 
September 8 (Friday 6:30 – 9:00 pm) – 19th Legislative District Fundraiser Dinner, Barge Restaurant, 201 Front Street, Perth Amboy.  Guest Speaker; Jack Ciattarelli.  Tickets $120, County Committee $110.  Buy tickets online at https://secure.winred.com/maria-garcia-for-senate-19/donate-today1
 
September 12 (Wednesday 7:00 pm – ) – Monroe Township Republican Candidates’ Fundraiser.  Doughfather Italian Restaurant, 365 Spotswood Englishtown Road, Monroe Township.  $75.00 per person, $50 for a County Committee person.  Checks payable to MTRO and mailed to 404 Spotswood Englishtown Road, Monroe Township, NJ 08831, or pay online at: PayPal.me/monroetwp.  For questions call: 732-439-9134
 
September 15 (Friday 7:00 pm – ) – Tri-Boro (Dunellen, Middlesex Borough, South Plainfield) GOP “Comedy Night” Fundraiser.  Dunellen Theatre, 458 North Avenue, Dunellen. Special performances by State Senator Jon Bramnick and Rodney Laney.  Tickets $100 County Committee $50.  Ticket price includes food and refreshments,  Cash bar.  Buy tickets online at www.middlesexgopnj.org or directly at: https://sbgop.wufoo.com/forms/triboro-gop-comedy-night-fundraiser.  Questions e-mail mcrepublicansnj@gmail.com
 
September 16 (Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm) – St. James (Woodbridge) Street Fair, Main Street, Woodbridge.  The Woodbridge Township Republican Organization (WTRO) will have a booth and all Middlesex County GOP candidates are invited to participate.  Free parking on nearby streets as well as at the St. James Church parking lot.  Rain date is Saturday, September 23.  For additional information about the WTRO booth, contact John Vrtaric at 732-636-1919.
 
September 19 (Wednesday 6:00 pm – ) – Monroe Township Republican Candidates’ Fundraiser.  Nonna’s Cucina Italian Restaurant, 448 Route 9 N, Englishtown.  $75.00 per person, $50 for a County Committee person.  Checks payable to MTRO and mailed to 404 Spotswood Englishtown Road, Monroe Township, NJ 08831 or pay online at PayPal.me/monroetwp.  For questions call: 732-439-9134.
 
September 19 (Tuesday 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm) – Middlesex County Republican Women’s Club Meeting.  East Brunswick Library, Civic Center Drive, (Off Ryders Lane), East Brunswick. Special Guests: LD18 Senate Candidate Neal Shah; LD19 Assembly Candidate Marilyn Colon; and a presentation from the Convention of States.
 
September 22 (Thursday 7:00 pm – ) – NJ Conservative GOP Meeting.  Keller Williams Elite Realty, 481 Memorial Parkway, Metuchen.  You are highly encouraged to bring conservative friends with you to the meeting.  Questions, contact Paul Danielczyk at 848-248-0172 or njcgop@aol.com.
 
September 23 – Commencement of Mailing Mail-In Ballots for the General Election;
 
September 23 (Saturday 9:00 am – ) – Sayreville GOP Casino Bus Bash Trip to Wind Creek, Bethlehem, PA.  To reserve tickets, call Michael Colaci at 917-414-7781.  Bus leaves from Sayreville Senior Center, 423 Main St., Sayreville at 9:00 am and departs back to Sayreville 6 hours after arrival time at the Casino.  Includes casino voucher, light snacks, refreshments, games, and raffles with prizes.  All participants must be 21 or over.  (Price added when available).
 
September 27 (Thursday 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm) – Reception in Support of Patricia Johnson for State Senate (14th LD) with Senate Leader Anthony Bucco and immediate past Senate Leader Steve Oroho.  Forsgate Country Club, 375 Forsgate Drive, Monroe Township.  For more information or to RSVP please contact Lauren Casper laurencasper@gmail.com or 215-280-5605.                  
 
October 17 (Tuesday) – Last day to register to vote in the General Election.
 
October 17 (Tuesday 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm) – Middlesex County Republican Women’s Club Meeting.  East Brunswick Library, Civic Center Drive, (Off Ryders Lane), East Brunswick. Topic: Border Security.
 
October 24 (Tuesday) – Deadline for filing your list of Election Day challengers for the General Election, with the Board of Elections (Middlesex County Board of Elections, 26 Kennedy Boulevard, East Brunswick, New Jersey 08816-1250.)
 
October 28 (Saturday) – November 5 (Sunday) – Early Voting Period.
 
October 31 (Tuesday) – Last day for vote-by-mail (absentee) ballot applications to be received by the County Clerk by mail in order to vote in the General Election.  (Middlesex County Clerk, P.O. Box 1110, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901-1110) (Note: as of this writing, I do not know if the mailing address for the Election Section of the County Clerk’s office will change when it physically moves to East Brunswick.)
 
November 6 (Monday, 3:00 pm) – Last day to apply for a vote by mail (absentee) ballot in person (or by authorized messenger) at the County Clerk’s office in order to vote in the General Election.
 
November 7 (Tuesday 6:00 am – 8:00 pm) – General Election
 
Please forward this information to any Middlesex County Republican, or other individuals, who you think might be interested in seeing it.  Further, if you know of any Middlesex County Republicans who would like to receive periodic e-mail reports about NJ Republican State Committee meetings and other information I believe might be interesting or useful, please have them send me, Donald Katz, an e-mail to dkatzlaw@aol.com, and I will add them to my e-mail list.  By the same token, if you ever want to be removed from my e-mail list, click “unsubscribe” at the foot of this e-mail. 
 
Donald Katz, Esq.
Republican State Committeeman – Middlesex County and Counsel, Middlesex County Republican Organization
dkatzlaw@aol.com
17 Buffalo Run
East Brunswick, New Jersey 08816
(C) 908-227-9239
 
Copyright © 2023 Donald Katz, All rights reserved, except forwarding of entire newsletter to Republicans is permitted and encouraged and excerpts may be used for non-commercial purposes provided the excerpts are attributed to Donald Katz