BCRO picks Heller, Calabrese and Duggan for its freeholder slate
By Matt Friedman, PolitickerNJ.com ReporterThe Bergen County Committee bucked its screening committee’s recommendations tonight, voting to give Jeffrey Heller and Chris Calabrese the county line, along with Paul Duggan.
Four hundred and thirty eight county committee members cast ballots at the Bergen County Republican convention tonight, where the freeholder vote was the real contest of the evening, with four Republicans running for three ballot spots. But only two of those slots were in contention.
Calabrese, having been denied the screening committee’s nod after members questioned his recent party registration, was running for one of two spots along with former Ramsey Councilman Jeffrey Heller and Ramsey resident Deidre Woodbyrne.
Heller received 299 votes to Calabrese’s 262 and Deidre Woodbyrne’s 224.
Paul Duggan, who ran last year, was unopposed to run for the ballot spot to take on Democrat Vernon Walton for the one year, unexpired term.
“It’s the path of least resistance,” Duggan joked.
Calabrese was backed by Joe Caruso, a Republican fundraiser who founded the activist group Red Faction. Caruso had been disappointed in the screening committee’s decision, lamenting the party’s resistance to try someone unfamiliar.
Caruso said he also played a part in recruiting Woodbyrne, a 37-year-old former U.S. Senate staffer from Ramsey who had given a well received speech to the screening committee and who state Sen. Gerald Cardinale described as “an Obama.”
“She was squeezed out. You had (District 39 Chairman) Mike Ryan pushing for Jeff Heller, and Red Faction pushing for Chris Calabrese,” he said, adding “I think she’d make an excellent district 39 Assembly candidate… If one of the incumbents retires.”
Woodbyrne, however, said the only thing on her mind now is planning the Bergen Young Republicans breakfast for Saturday.
Heller, who served as a Ramsey councilman for 15 years, believes that this may be the year that the Republicans can make a dent in the complete Democratic domination of the freeholder board.
“Clearly the opposition had some electoral reversals last year,” he said. “The media has played up a lot of the less auspicious things the Democratic administration has done in Hackensack. The Democrats spent a lot of money last year on the various elections.”
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Syndicate
election fix ?
Shame on them for not electing a woman. How can one of those candidates get over 400 votes or so I heard ?
Equality, stupid.
Bergenite missed the point. After all, it is fair and equal process.
Equality had nothing to do with it
There was no fix. You had a small handful of old guard people who wanted Heller desperately and who actually worked against Woodbyrne because it was more important to them to not have 2 candidates from the same town than it was to have a young dynamic and competent woman on the ticket who might actually appeal to swing voters. They were able to convince enough sheep to follow them and the result is a lost opportunity. Shame on them for putting their own interests ahead of the good of the party.
Nothing against Heller. He seems like a decent and competent guy but it is a travesty that Woodbyrne is not on the ticket. The people behind this manuever are the same people largely responsible for running the party into the ground over the past 5 years. It is nothing short of astounding how so many people can be so resistant to new ideas and new ways ,when it is so painfully obvious that the old ideas and old ways are not working.
Bergen Dems are thrilled. The county committee selection could not have gone better for them
Caruso Go Home
Why is the BCRO Chairman allowing someone who resides in Passaic County to recruit candidates for any office in Bergen. If Caruso is unhappy with the results of last nights vote totals, please go home to your own county and take Ammirato with you.
Nibot deserves credit
Thanks to Clara Nibot we discovered that Joe Caruso and his "Red Faction Machine" are the ones dictating the BCRO policies for the selection of candidates and not our Policy and County Committee. No wonder we are loosing. These RINO'S should go back to Passaic where they belong and they should take Amirato and Dugan with them. Shame on you Ortiz. We need more people like Nibot and less people like Caruso in Bergen.
blue now ? greetings from Ft Lee
Just what type of name is that ? A democrat scared of the 08 ticket.? You could at least spell the top vote getters name right before you call him a rino
Dear Friends
For the record. I am home. I live in the state of New Jersey and Bergen is the heart of New Jersey to me.
Why not consider this home. Yes I live in Passaic, however I spend 12 hours a day working and living in Bergen. So why not help our party win where it counts.
Good way to get people motivated in Republican Politics. I would be happy to meet anyone who has issue with my involvement anytime anywhere. I am sure we would see eye to eye and have fun discussing our mutual political interests, so why not shoot me an email and tell me who you are.
God Bless you all and may our party continue move in the Right direction.
Old Rhetoric...boring....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Caruso go home....why? Through the help of Joseph Caruso's RED Faction towns in both Begen and Passaic have been won in '07. RED Faction in fact is a "STATE" PAC and last I recall Bergen County is part of the state of New Jersey; unless Bergen is so special as such to be considered their own state.
It seems quite evident that the Bergen's "very-old guard" doesn't like to get shaken up, but that is exactly what it takes to win. There must always be forward momentum and if this means there are changes to be made for the greater good; then let those changes be made without all the pomp and cirmumstance of static behaviour and posturing. He who hesitates...LOSES!!! Simple fact.
And for all those great Nibot suporters who believe she made some great discovery. You should take great pride in our first ammendments right. Alas for poor Nibot, her nation of origin cannot say the same. Perhaps you wish our great nation to yield our freedom to speak freely and disrupt that which makes us a true democracy. Perhaps you wish to live in a communist dictatorship?
So rather than bashing fellow republicans who win you should support them and thank them for helping fascilitate the positive changes that are indeed needed in this state and Bergen in particular.
Joe Caruso is not the bad guy!!!!
Why is there so much venom in the Bergen GOP?????
Have we forgotten how to go after the Democrats???
or are we stuck in a Friendly Fire Mode?????
Joe Caruso is working to make the Republican Party in North Jersey the powerhouse that it once was, to complain that he's from Passaic County is just an excuse because the establishment is afraid of being deemed irrelevant for not being sucessful.
Did Paul Digaetano never help or recuted canidates for the BCRO in the past, He was from Passaic County, and I guess that Congressman Garrett is not helping out the BCRO cause he's from Sussex. He just won our nomination.
Are we not tired over losing election after election.
WAKE UP!!!!!!!
Stop this madness, and this is from someone who has been on the County Committee for over 20 years.
enough already!!!!
Enough of the bickering, the convention is over !!! I am impressed Now that I know that over 420 were allowed on a winter Friday, that is far more than Ferriero allowed his people.
Its time to get behind this team . The BCRO as had enough infighting . As for Joe he has every right to donate his money time and energy, so If you want a seat at the table just ask and work together.
Failcoptering at the Fail-vention
Dear Nose:
I am sorry, I must cut you off, because I must spite Face. I know this will hurt, but I must spite face. I know that in the long-run doing this will negatively impact me, but still I must cut off you nose, to spite face.
Signed,
BCRO
The failcopters filled the air Thursday night, led by Sky Commodore Yudin, Captain Nibot, and Cadet Murphy. Excellent failcoptering, men, you managed to remove the most electable person in years from the Bergen Republican Freeholder ticket! Why did they do everything possible to sabotage the strongest ticket possible (Calabrese-Woodbyrne)? Probably some old vendetta, or some old slight, or someone pissed them off five years ago, or maybe Commodore Yudin is still yearning for the BCRO chair's job.
FAIL.
A Haiku for U
Woodbyrne brought vision
Yudin has his ambition
We all lose again
-BergenRulz, 2008 (Excerpted from "Medley of Political Haiku," published by the Failcopter Press).
Really Bob-did you go so far as to encourage bullet voting for Heller because a stronger freeholder ticket would have made Ortiz look good? FAIL.
I do not get it.
What do Joe Caruso and Bob Yudin have to do with the final results of the BCRO convention? Throwing Clara Nibot into this mix is insane.
Let me remind you that it is Friday, March 7, 2008. Do you get it? Good, let's get back to what we were doing.
The Next Step
Now that the BCRO has demonstrated once again that it is more concerned with itself than actually trying to win...
Let's see if the BCRO and these candidates have learned anything from the past failures.
Are we going to see them come forward with solutions to reduce the size and cost of the county government? If so, what are they?
Are they going to take a position on the recent efforts to merge school districts and municipalities by cutting off state funding for both?
Are they going to be smart enough to try to bridge the gap between republicans, democrats and independents for the good of everyone in Bergen or will they continue to believe they can win with a republican only strategy?
Are they going to spend 75% of their time talking about what the Democrats are doing instead of talking about what they will do if elected?
When is someone at the BCRO going to finally figure out how to leverage these county committee resources in every town to help get these candidates elected or do they only select the candidates?
The Freeholder race isn't about the war in Iraq, gun control, abortion, waterboarding or any of those issues that everyone seems to get wrapped up on...
It's not about who is "republican enough" or who can say "Reagan" in every speech they make or calling people RINO's.
It's about electing candidates to oversee the county government. And that county government represents everyone in Bergen County.
So this time, let's be smart enough to realize that only trying to convince Republicans in the Republican towns of Bergen County to vote Republican isn't going to get any of these three candidates elected to anything.
More BergenRulz drivel
You attacked Clara Nibot who was very courageous in running in her district.
You attacked Caruso who has helped improve the BCRO as a volunteer.
You attacked Yudin without any basis in fact. Bob never told anyone to bullet vote. That is not his style. As a matter of fact, I heard him encouraging Deirdre Woodbyrne to keep trying.
Mr. Rulz: Do you ever have any positive input?
Chris Calabrese has a
Chris Calabrese has a website these days.