Is there a fight brewing in Upper GOP?

Written by Columb Higgins Friday, 10 February 2012 16:36

By COLUMB HIGGINS
Staff Writer
UPPER TOWNSHIP – Committeeman Tony Inserra is taking on the local Republican establishment once again.

It may be just the first shot across the bow in a fight for control of the Upper Township Republican Party and Upper Township Committee.
In 2011, Inserra won the Republican primary and general election for a seat on township committee. He was the first candidate to be elected without backing from the regular Republican organization here in many years.
This week he questioned whether the Upper Township Republican County Committee overstepped its bounds when selecting nominees to fill a vacant seat on the governing body. Inserra said the county committee told potential nominees that they would have to join the People’s Republican Organization (PRO Club) and run in a joint campaign with Mayor Richard Palombo this fall in order to be selected.
“The PRO Club doesn’t want to lose control, that’s why they made them join,” said Inserra. “They want to maintain the status quo.”
He said an email that was sent to candidates seeking to fill the vacant seat made it clear they had to join the PRO Club if they wanted the nomination. The email lays out the time, place and procedure for the Upper Township Republican County Committee’s nomination process. Its last paragraph reads: “For the candidates, first and foremost you must be a registered Republican living in Upper Township. Each candidate needs to understand the responsibility that goes with the office. Along with the need for commitment and availability, we are looking for someone who will run in a joint campaign in the fall with Mayor Palombo, willing to join the People’s Republican Organization for a united team, participate in our fundraisers and willing to go door-to-door campaigning. The person who is ultimately chosen will get the full support of the County Committee members and be in the same ballot column for the Primary Election.”
The Upper Township Republican County Committee was required by law to nominate three people to fill Kristine Gabor’s seat on township committee after she resigned to join the county freeholder board. Edward Barr, Jeffrey Pierson and Kevin Thomas were nominated. Township Committee selected Barr to serve out the remainder of Gabor’s term at its last meeting in January.
Palombo and Barr will be up for election in November. Before that they will have to run for their party’s nomination in the June Republican primary.
Inserra said the email makes it clear that Palombo and Barr will receive the Upper Township Republican County Committee’s support to appear in the regular Republican column in the primary. That is a major advantage, he said.
“It’s not an open process,” said Inserra. “They’re denying the people a voice. Why not leave it up to them who are going to be the nominees in November? I had to be judged by 12,000 people.”
Upper Township Republican leader Dave Beyel said the Upper Township Republican County Committee was not short circuiting the primary process.
“Any Republican who wants to run in the primary can run,” he said. “It happened last year when Tony ran in the primary. He won the election, so I don’t really understand his complaint.”
Inserra ran against former two-term committeeman Frank Conrad, who received the backing of the PRO Club and was in the regular Republican column. Inserra won the primary with 59 percent of the vote.
“Anyone who wants to run in the regular Republican column can contact the county leader, Mike Donohue, and say they are interested in running in that column,” said Beyel. “The (Upper Township Republican) County Committee will then vote in March on who gets those spots. If you are not in the regular column you can still file a petition and run in another column.”
Beyel said a date has not been set yet for the Upper Township Republican County Committee’s vote. He usually tries to schedule it after the county convention, he said, but with the convention scheduled for March 28, the meeting will likely be held earlier.
“It could very easily happen that nobody is picked to be in that column,” said Beyel. “It could be a totally open primary. That’s happened before.”
Beyel also said nobody was required to join the PRO Club, but that candidates were asked whether they would be willing to join and run as a team with Palombo.
“It wasn’t at all mandatory,” he said. “I just thought it would be easier to coordinate along those lines if they ran as a team. The PRO Club holds fundraisers and helps the campaign so we want the candidates at the fundraisers and other events together.”
Palombo said it was common sense that Barr would receive the backing of the Upper Township Republican County Committee in the June primary because he just won their support as a nominee for the vacant seat on the governing body.
“They just went through a really intensive process to interview nine people and Ed Barr was the top vote getter,” said Palombo. “I would think they would look long and hard at him because they just nominated him. To think they are going to change their minds after they picked him less than a month ago isn’t likely.”
Palombo said he and Barr have submitted their names to the PRO Club seeking their backing. They will also go before the Upper Township Republican County Committee seeking a spot on the regular Republican column in the primary, he said.
“I anticipate they might pick us, I’ve been in the regular column the past five elections, but that doesn’t mean it’s a closed process,” said Palombo. “Anybody can send in their resumes.”
Barr said he joined the PRO Club last May after he retired from the Hamilton Township Police Department. There were never any conditions placed on his nomination to fill the open seat on township committee, he said.
“Of course, it doesn’t take a West Point graduate to figure you’re going to run as a team,” he said.
Inserra was the only committee member to vote against Barr’s appointment. At the time, he raised questions about the process.
“Is he for the township or for the (PRO) club?” said Inserra. “In my opinion, he’s for the club.”
Barr said he has taken part in community service his entire life. He led the Hamilton Township Police Athletic League, he said, and has coached sports in the township. When he retired Barr said he finally had the time to serve the township in a larger capacity.
“Public service is something I’ve dedicated my entire life to,” he said. “When I joined the PRO Club it was because I knew a lot of people there, had a lot of friends who were members.”
The June primary will be the clearest sign yet of the brewing fight for control of Upper Township Committee and the local Republican party. All 30 slots (two positions for each of Upper Township’s 15 voting districts) on the Upper Township Republican County Committee will be up for election then, and it is possible Inserra will field a competing slate to run against the regular Republicans, according to sources.
Inserra could also back candidates in the Republican primary, or support two independent candidates, for the two seats on the governing body up for election in November.
“It’s possible there could be independent candidates,” said Inserra. “We need a major overhaul on township committee. I can’t do it all alone.”