Skip to content

A town square for an unsquare town

redbankgreen

Standing for the vitality of Red Bank, its community, and the fun we have together.

CURLEY COMES OUT SWINGING

John_curleyCurley: why hasn’t Mallet repaid a nickel of her 2003 campaign debt?

Freeholder candidate John Curley, getting a jump on the fall election battle, is taking Democratic opponent Amy Mallet to task for what he calls “illegal” machine-politics campaign funding.

Curley claims in a press release issued yesterday that Mallet, of Fair Haven, has failed to repay any of a $118,000 debt to political consultants from her failed 2003 primary run at a seat in the state Assembly. In effect, that’s given her a “backdoor contribution” from Camden County Democratic kingmakers George Norcross and Sen. Joe Roberts, Curley contends.

Curley’s attack comes on the heels of one by a well-followed Republican blogger who goes by the name of Barry Goldwater. He excoriated Mallet for her campaign profligacy on July 30.

It also follows an Asbury Park Press story earlier this week that reported Mallet has $118,000 in unpaid debt to two political consulting firms from the 2003 primary race. More than $87,000 of the debt is to Kennedy Communications, “a Washington, D.C.-based firm connected to the New Jersey State Democratic Committee,” the Press says.

From the Press article:

Michael Mangan, spokesman for the county Democratic Party, said Mallet and her 2003 running mate, Gordon Gemma, are “working with the vendors from the 2003 to resolve the debt. The fact that Kennedy Communications did work last year for a campaign that Amy was involved is a sign of that resolution being worked on.”

In that article, Curley took a less aggressive stance than he’s currently adopted:

Curley said Tuesday that he is aware Mallet’s past campaign “owes a lot of money.

“I hope she gets that squared away,” Curley said.

Here’s the Curley press release:

CURLEY ON MALLET CAMPAIGN “DEBT”: IT’S NOT DEBT, IT’S AN ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION FROM CAMDEN COUNTY

Monmouth County Republican Freeholder Candidate John Curley issued the following statement today regarding revelations of Amy Mallet’s 5 year old campaig “debt” from a 2003 Assembly Democrat primary:

“After reviewing Mrs Mallet’s ELEC reports from 2003 and beyond, it is clear that the idea that the $118,000 she owes from her 2003 primary is a “debt”, is a falsehood. Plain and simple, it is a backdoor contribution made by Camden County Democrats through firms they have used in many campaigns. If Ms. Mallet were actually “working to resolve the debt”, as her party chairman claimed, why hasn’t she paid one nickel of the money back in five years?

“Her campaign for the Assembly last year, also funded primarily by Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts, George Norcross and the Camden County machine, raised and spent over $1 million dollars. If she was so committed to resolving the issue, why didn’t she pay it back then?

“The answer is simple-because, as ELEC Commissioner Peter Tober put it, there is often a “wink, wink, nod, nod” agreement between the vendor and the people paying the bills. The agreement is usually “you bill this to campaign X , we’ll pay you from campaign Y.” And people who have reached the maximum contribution limit to campaign X can contribute to campaign Y. It’s a way to get around campaign contribution requirements, it’s a way to avoid having the fingerprints of the Camden County machine on your ELEC reports, and it’s illegal.

“The only debt Amy Mallet truly owes is to Joe Roberts, George Norcross and the Camden County political machine for financing her campaigns. Considering the shape that Camden and the state are in under the leadership of these same people, that is something that should frighten every Monmouth County resident.”

Curley resigned from the Red Bank borough council last month amid plans to move to Middletown and to focus on his freeholder race. He’s running with incumbent Freeholder Director Lillian Burry; they’re facing Mallet and Hazlet Board of Education President Glen Mason.

Email this story

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
Partyline
RED TRUCKS AT RED ROCK
A small dishwasher fire at Red Rock Tap and Grill was put out quickly by firefighters overnight, causing minimal damage. Red Bank Fire Depar ...
CREATIVE COVER UP
The windows of Pearl Street Consignment on Monmouth Street were smashed when a driver crashed their car through them injuring an employee la ...
THEY’RE BACK!
Ospreys returned to the skies over Red Bank this week for the first time since they migrated to warmer climes in late fall. With temperature ...
SPRING IS SPRUNG
RED BANK: Spring 2024 arrives on the Greater Red Bank Green with the vernal equinox at 11:06 p.m. Tuesday.
RED BANK’S FINEST – AND NEWEST
Red Bank Police Officer Eliot Ramos was sworn in as the force’s newest patrolman Thursday, and if you’re doing a double take thinkin ...
EASTER EGG MAYHEM AT THE PARK
An errant whistle spurred an unexpectedly early start to the Spring Egg Hunt on Sunday, which had been scheduled to begin at eggsactly 11am ...
PRESEASON DOCKWORK
RED BANK: With winter winding down, marina gets ready for boating season with some dockwork on our beautiful Navesink River.
CORNED BEEF AND DISCO FRIES?
It’s Friday, and smart Lent-observing Leprechauns know the pot of gold at the end of Red Bank’s rainbow is actually the deliciou ...
SURFBOARD DITCHED
It’s a violation of etiquette in surfing to ditch your board.  (it could hit another surfer and hurt them). But someone appears to ha ...
ELSIE, TAKE ME WITH YOU!
Soaked by pouring rain with the temperature hovering in the low 40’s, this sign in the window of Elsie’s Subs on Monmouth Street ...
WALK THIS WAY
PARTYLINE: Before-and-afters of a sidewalk cleanup on West Street.
SOGGY NOTION
RED BANK: Breezeway sculpture captured the mood downtown as heavy rains fell Saturday morning.
HOME DELIVERY
RED BANK: After a subdivision, an instant house rises on a new Catherine Street lot.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
For Black History Month, Red Bank's Community Engagement and Equity Advisory Committee has been running a series of local profiles on Facebo ...
HEARTY FAREWELL FOR HARDY
RED BANK: Council to honor DPU supervisor Rich Hardy, who retired recently after almost 39 years of keeping things running.
HOMEBOUND? READ ON…
RED BANK: Can't get to the public library? It's now offering free delivery and pickups for homebound borough residents.
TAMING A BEAST OF A WEEK
RED BANK: After the second snowfall of the week, a borough family finds the perfect use for it – a Godzilla snow sculpture.
RED BANK: LIBRARY CLOSED, BUT THE HILL’S OPEN
RED BANK: Though the library was closed by a snowstorm, kids got to enjoy the riverfront property's steep slope Tuesday.
LIGHT(HOUSE) MAKEOVER
This year, getting ready for spring means a midwinter makeover for Strollo's Lighthouse in Red Bank.
TODAY: LOCAL PUPPY COMPETES ON ANIMAL PLANET’S “PUPPY BOWL”
Red Bank’s very own rescue puppy, Biscuit, is set to compete in Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl this Sunday, February 11, at 2 PM. Th ...