Written and distributed since 2003 by Donald Katz, Esq., Republican State Committeeman for Middlesex County and Counsel, Middlesex County Republican OrganizationBENGIVENGA TEAM UNANIMOUSLY RE-ELECTED AT MCRO REORGANIZATION MEETING ON JULY 2NDThe Middlesex County Republican Organization Reorganization Convention was held at the Forsgate Country Club on Tuesday, July 2nd.. The Bengivenga slate – all incumbents – were unanimously re-elected. South Plainfield Councilman Robert Bengivenga, Jr. was re-elected MCRO Chair, Sylvia Engel, MCRO Vice Chair, and Edison GOP Chair was re-elected as MCRO 1st Vice Chair. Tonia Kulberda, President of the Middlesex County Republican Women’s Club and former South Brunswick GOP Chair was re-elected MCRO 2nd Vice Chair. Bryan Li, former East Brunswick GOP 1st Vice Chair, was re-elected MCRO and Harold Kane of Monroe Township was re-elected MCRO Treasurer. As part of the convention, MCRO Treasurer Harold Kane reported on the MCRO finances for the 3 years since the Bengivenga slate was first elected. As of July 1, 2021, there was $14,117 cash-on-hand. In the three years from that date, to July 1, 2024, revenues totaled $278,113 and expenditures totaled $239,861, leaving a cash-on-hand balance on July 1, 2024, of $50,147. The expenditures included direct expenditures to municipal organizations and campaigns of $96,835. These direct expenditures were certainly a significant factor in the record success of electing local GOP officials throughout Middlesex County during that period. As I previously reported, this past November, 23 Republicans were elected or re-elected to local office in the county, which was the most elected in any year in more than 30 years. The committee members at the convention also unanimously adopted the MCRO bylaws, with the changes summarized in my last newsletter. Congratulations to all. SUMMER PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES In the spirit of the summer reading lists many of us remember from our school days, here are some activities or projects you may want to consider for this summer: * Committee people or others interested in organizing or strengthening their election districts might want to hold small backyard barbecues and invite their poll clerks and/or other Republicans in their district, who are prospects to help work for the Republican cause in their election district. Soft sales pitches permitted! * Update your phone lists. Many of us have older lists of voters with phone numbers we have acquired or looked up at one time or another. Now, before the fall campaigns heat up – and you might want to call voters – why not get an up-to-date voter list and look up the phone numbers for those voters for whom you do not yet have phone numbers in your records – or which are not correct or are not on GOP Data Center? (This would similarly apply to updating other parts of your voter records.) * This is also a good time to knock on the doors of houses without registered voters to find unregistered Republicans and register them and, of course, to find out if they need or want a vote by mail ballot. * Any time is appropriate to knock on doors of the registered Republicans in your district to: a) find out if there is anyone else in the household who is unregistered (elderly parents coming to live with them, children who have just turned 18, etc.) and register them if they are likely to vote Republican; b) find out if they might help the Republicans in the fall campaign – if in no other way but to agree to have a sign on their lawn or a bumper sticker on their car, (assuming any campaign will have any bumper stickers!); c) find out if they need or want a vote by mail ballot. (Try hard to pitch “voting by mail” to the registered Republicans who only vote occasionally – this may be a way to get them to vote in a year when they otherwise usually don’t.); d) get more information about the voter. (Perhaps they will give you their unlisted phone number and/or their e-mail address if you ask them in person, etc.) * Attend the “Town Meetings” or similarly titled events, which may be held by the Democrat elected officials in our area, and ask them hard questions – with hard follow-ups. * Visit the Middlesex County Fair and while you are there, spend some time helping out at the Republican booth. * Contact Republicans who are on the permanent vote-by-mail list but are not voting. Many of them may not want to be on the vote-by-mail list and really want to vote in person. If that is the case, have them complete and sign a Request to be Removed from the Permanent Vote by Mail List Form and make sure it gets to the County Clerk promptly. (You don’t have to use a form, but it is usually easier for someone to use a form than write a request letter independently. There is a copy of the form on the Middlesex County Clerk’s website and this is how you get to it: Go to middlesexcountynj.gov, then under the “Government” tab click on “Departments” and then click on “Office Directory A-Z” and then click on “County Clerk”. Once you are finally there, click on “Election Services”. Once there, under the “Vote By Mail” section, find the form called “Remove Name from Mail-In-Ballot List” which is under the “Additional Resources” section near the bottom of the section.) * Find out if any street fairs or similar events are coming up in your area, either during the summer or this fall, and help your local GOP municipal committee or the appropriate Republican candidates sign up for a booth/table and help work the booth. * Write and send letters to the editor to the local newspapers and post them on social media, supporting our Republican candidates and Republican elected officials, or criticizing what the Democrats are doing. Considering what the Dems are doing, this should be easy. If you need some ideas, speak to any of our Republican candidates, who virtually all would love to see more letters to the editor printed or posted on social media. * Look at the registered voters in your district and see if you can identify any that you know have moved and see what you can do to get them removed from the voter registration list. (Several families currently registered at the same one-family house, children who are now in their late 20s or 30s who you know are not still living at home with their parents, but are still registered at their parents’ home, etc.) POLITICAL TRIVIA: Here are some political trivia questions. I hope you enjoy them. The answers are below, immediately above the calendar: 1. Which First Lady did Amelia Earhart once pilot around? 2. Who is the only U.S. President to have twin children? 3. Frank Sinatra rewrote “High Hopes” for which U.S. President’s campaign? 4. Franklin Roosevelt said “the only thing we have to fear is” what? 5. Which U.S. President regularly rode a mechanical horse? 6. George Washington had wooden teeth. True or False? 7. Which U.S. President lies in the largest mausoleum in North America? CONDOLENCES… * Deepest condolences to Andrew Nagy on the recent death of his wife, Shirley Nagy. Both Andy and Shirley have been active with the Woodbridge Republicans and Shirley served as my Republican Committeewoman when I was a Republican Committeeman in Woodbridge many years ago. * Deepest condolences to the family of Gerard Pilutkiewicz, a longtime Republican Committeeman in Woodbridge and a local GOP donor. * Deepest condolences to Jeanne Philpitt on the recent death of her husband, Steve Philpitt. Many many years ago, Steve and I were both officers of what was then called the Rutgers-Douglas Republican Club and, thereafter, we were both officers of the Middlesex County Young Republicans. * Deepest condolences to the Ryan family on the recent death of Leo Ryan III, a former Republican North Brunswick Councilman. FREE NAME TAGS FOR REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES IN MIDDLESEX COUNTY AVAILABLE As I have done for many 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. 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. Eleanor Roosevelt. Amelia Earhart is best known for her accomplishments in aviation, but she had other passion projects, too, including the women’s movement. Her commitment to equal rights for women led to a friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. On one notable occasion in 1933, the two women took an impromptu roundtrip flight to Baltimore in a twin-engine plane after a dinner party. During the brief trip, Earhart reportedly even let Roosevelt take over the controls for a moment. 2. Fraternal twins Jenna and Barbara Bush’s father is George W. Bush. 3. John F. Kennedy. Frank Sinatra tweaked his 1959 hit song “High Hopes” to support John F. Kennedy’s 1960 Democratic presidential campaign. In February 1960, then-Senator Kennedy attended a Rat Pack concert where Sinatra publicly proclaimed him the “next President of the United States.” Kennedy’s father, Joseph, reportedly encouraged the friendship, hoping that Sinatra’s alleged organized crime ties would help his son lock down the union vote. 4. Fear itself (This was a part of his first inaugural address on March 4, 1933.) 5. Calvin Coolidge. President Coolidge loved riding horses but developed an allergy that meant he was unable to ride them. So, when someone gave him a mechanical horse as a joke gift… he didn’t really see the joke. He put it in a dressing room right next to his bedroom so he could always keep it close. He rode the apparatus regularly while wearing his hat, which amused his wife and their guests to no end. No one had a problem with the practice because it let the president get some exercise. 6. False. Washington did indeed have terrible teeth, so much so that he had multiple dentures made. Those mouthpieces were made out of ivory, gold, lead, and even human teeth, but never any wood. Dentists did not use wood at the time, because not only could wooden dentures cause splinters, but wood is also susceptible to expanding and contracting due to moisture. 7. Ulysses S. Grant. Constructed in 1897, Ulysses S. Grant’s Tomb is the largest mausoleum in North America. The 18th President wished to be buried next to his wife Julia, which eliminated many typical military cemeteries and landed him instead on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The impressive granite and marble structure was designed by architect John Duncan. 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 eh 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. July 15 – 18 (Monday through Thursday) – Republican National Convention, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July 25 (Thursday 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm) – “Remembering Rick” (Rosenberg, Jr)” Dinner, Ria Mar Restaurant, 25 Whitehead Avenue, South River. $50.00 per person. Includes Buffet and Open Bar. To benefit the Rick Rosenberg, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund set up in his honor at Rowan University. Rick was born and raised in South River and was an excellent campaign consultant who helped South River and other Middlesex County Republicans, often for free or for a small charge who had an untimely death at a young age. RSVP to Monica Rosenberg at MMRBUG98@aol.com or 732-406-5013. Checks payable to Rick Rosenberg, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund should be mailed to Monica Rosenberg, 125 Brian Oaks Trail, Conway, SC 29527. August 5-11 (Monday through Sunday) – Middlesex County Fair at the Middlesex County Fair Grounds, Cranbury Road, East Brunswick. Volunteer at the Republican booth. The Middlesex County Republican Women’s Club (“MCRWC”) and the Middlesex County Republican Organization co-host the booth. If a GOP Municipal Committee or GOP Club would like to take a night, please contact MCRWC President Tonia Kulberda at 973-885-1030 or tonia@kulberda.com for more info and to sign up for a night. August 12 (Monday 3:00 pm) – Drawing of Ballot Positions for General Election Candidates by the County Clerk. August 20 (Tuesday 7:00 pm – ) – Middlesex County Republican Women’s Club Meeting. East Brunswick Library, 2 Civic Center Drive, (off Ryder’s Lane), East Brunswick. August 25 (Wednesday 6:00 pm – ) – NJGOP Woman of the Year Event, Battleground Country Club, 1 Covenhaven Road, Manalapan. Featured speaker: Alina Habba, Legal Spokeswoman for President Donald J. Trump. General Admission ticket: $150.00, VIP Reception ticket $500.00. Go to NJGOP.org for further information. September 26 (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 December 4 (Wednesday) – NJGOP Toys for Tots Holiday Party. Stress Factory Comedy Club, New Brunswick. 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 reports about Republican-related 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 wish 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 119 Leeds Lane Monroe Township, NJ 08831 (C) 908-227-9239 Copyright © 2024 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 |
MIDDLESEX COUNTY GOP UPDATE
