Six Candidates Seeking Appointment to Marlon Brownlee's TC Seat

http://joestrupp.blogspot.com/2016/08/six-seeking-tc-appointment-to-replace.html

According to Joe Strupp, 6 candidates have volunteered to be appointed to fill the remaining few months of Marlon Brownlee's Township Committee seat, which he recently resigned.  While noting that Frank McGehee is not one of the 6 candidates, the Maplewoodian article does not name anyone who is seeking to be appointed.  

Not surprising to me that McGehee would choose to focus on his campaign for a full term and let the voters make a decision rather than try to get appointed, but I do find it interesting that so many candidates are interested in serving out the last 4 months of a term when there is no ability to get on the ballot to keep the seat.  By my recollection, 6 candidates to fill this vacancy is twice the number of candidates as put themselves before the MDC to run for a full term earlier this year.

I believe that the MDC meeting to choose which 3 candidates to recommend to the TC will be later this week, so we'll probably have some clarity on this soon. 

4 months is a good trial run and would build name recognition should the selected candidate want to run next year.

tomdevon said:
...
Not surprising to me that McGehee would choose to focus on his campaign for a full term and let the voters make a decision rather than try to get appointed, but I do find it interesting that so many candidates are interested in serving out the last 4 months of a term when there is no ability to get on the ballot to keep the seat.  By my recollection, 6 candidates to fill this vacancy is twice the number of candidates as put themselves before the MDC to run for a full term earlier this year.
...

Well, until we find out who they are, we could also assume that some or all volunteered simply to help out in the interim, so that there's a full Township Committee.  They may not be interested in running for a full term, but want to help local government be "at full capacity" for the remaining few months until January.  Some former members might volunteer for that purpose, for example.

nohero said:

tomdevon said:
...
Not surprising to me that McGehee would choose to focus on his campaign for a full term and let the voters make a decision rather than try to get appointed, but I do find it interesting that so many candidates are interested in serving out the last 4 months of a term when there is no ability to get on the ballot to keep the seat.  By my recollection, 6 candidates to fill this vacancy is twice the number of candidates as put themselves before the MDC to run for a full term earlier this year.
...

Well, until we find out who they are, we could also assume that some or all volunteered simply to help out in the interim, so that there's a full Township Committee.  They may not be interested in running for a full term, but want to help local government be "at full capacity" for the remaining few months until January.  Some former members might volunteer for that purpose, for example.

Good point.  In that case, it may be that not all 6 follow through with the process once they know that others have stepped up.  I guess we'll have a better sense once we know who volunteered.  In any event, it is not an easy role, even for 4 months, so I respect anyone who is willing to serve.

YOU JUST GOT STRUPPED

No doubt in my mind that McGehee isn't vying for the seat not because he prefers to work on his campaign, but rather because the MDC doesn't want the image problem presented by having him appointed before his inevitable election.  Nothing more, nothing less.  They're not stupid.

ctrzaska said:

No doubt in my mind that McGehee isn't vying for the seat not because he prefers to work on his campaign, but rather because the MDC doesn't want the image problem presented by having him appointed before his inevitable election.  Nothing more, nothing less.  They're not stupid.

You may be right.  I was taking the article at face value that McGehee asked that he not be considered. However, McGehee's subsequent quote (added as an update to the story after I posted it initially) seems to support your theory: "I asked that I not be considered as I want the people of Maplewood who supported me in the primary to know that I respect the election process and their vote and will continue to work for all of Maplewood."  

I would argue that McGehee was already chosen this year by the MDC (nomination) and Democratic voters (primary) as the Democrat they wish to see next on the TC.  So, as I see it, nominating him for appointment to the open seat seems very much in keeping with the wishes of the party and the voters, rather than disrespecting the electoral process.  But I acknowledge that not everyone would see it that way and that the MDC may just want to sidestep the potential image problem you raise by nominating others who are not on the ballot this fall.  

I think McGehee/MDC made the right choice.  In my humble opinion, it would not have reflected favorably on him or the power brokers in the party.  

Looks like we have our 3 candidates:

http://joestrupp.blogspot.com/2016/08/former-township-committee-member-ian.html?m=1

Now to see which one the TC chooses. Looks like Grodman may be the front runner.

[Duplicate post removed]

This is not true. There is no front runner among the three.  The names are provided to the TC with no indication of preference.

tomdevon said:

Looks like we have our 3 candidates:

http://joestrupp.blogspot.com/2016/08/former-township-committee-member-ian.html?m=1


Now to see which one the TC chooses. Looks like Grodman may be the front runner.

ml1 said:

This is not true. There is no front runner among the three.  The names are provided to the TC with no indication of preference.

tomdevon said:

Looks like we have our 3 candidates:

http://joestrupp.blogspot.com/2016/08/former-township-committee-member-ian.html?m=1


Now to see which one the TC chooses. Looks like Grodman may be the front runner.

It was a matter of opinion.  You may disagree with me, but that doesn't make it false.  As a former TC member and current MDC Chair, I think Grodman is the logical choice among the 3.  Tenure will be short, so the fact that he has served in the position and will have a minimal learning curve gives him an edge, in my view.

I have no issue with your opinion. It was more the Maplewoodian article that seemed to suggest an order of preference 

ml1 said:

I have no issue with your opinion. It was more the Maplewoodian article that seemed to suggest an order of preference 

Well, that's pretty typical of Maplewoodian's journopinionism.

Here's the Village Green's version. http://villagegreennj.com/towns/draft-maplewood-democratic-cmte-chooses-3-candidates-fill-brownlees-term/

I don't know this for sure, so I'm just reporting my memory. I thought for sure when I read the Maplewoodian article last night that the headline noted that Grodman "leads" the group of three.  This morning it says he's "among" the three.  Did I misremember, or was the headline changed without any correction noted?

With regard to whom the TC chooses, this is just my personal opinion, but any of the 3 would be terrific choices. In fact, any of the 5 who stepped forward would have been a great choice. There are a lot of good people who are doing things for the community without a lot of fanfare.

ridski said:

ml1 said:

I have no issue with your opinion. It was more the Maplewoodian article that seemed to suggest an order of preference 

Well, that's pretty typical of Maplewoodian's journopinionism.

Here's the Village Green's version. http://villagegreennj.com/towns/draft-maplewood-democratic-cmte-chooses-3-candidates-fill-brownlees-term/

It says now that Grodman "heads" the list.

Yes, the article still says that.  I'm just not sure if the headline was changed.  Either way I think it still gives people the impression that the list of nominees is somehow ranked. And it's not.  Strupp should make that more clear. You'd think a guy who writes for Media Matters would be more precise in his own writing.

ridski said:

It says now that Grodman "heads" the list.

I read it more as Grodman is the name that most readers would be familiar with given his prior service on TC and long-standing chairmanship of the MDC.  But I can see how one could read it differently and come away thinking that he was favored by the MDC over the other two nominees.

The boss steps in for a while until another one of his hand picked minions can go through the mere formality of an election.

delete your account

broigus said:

The boss steps in for a while until another one of his hand picked minions can go through the mere formality of an election.

I think Grodman is the clear leader in the group of 3 and I would be surprised if he wasn't picked. He is in charge of the MDC and is a past member of TC. 

broigus said:

The boss steps in for a while until another one of his hand picked minions can go through the mere formality of an election.

While it is true that the town has exclusively Democrats in elected office, I don't think it necessarily follows that the MDC gets to dictate who serves as a general matter.  Greg Lembrich's win last year running "off the line" and without MDC support is a good example.  The fact that Vic DeLuca ran off the line in 2005, won, and has been mayor most of the years since also shows that these things shift over time.  I don't see Ian Grodman as the man behind the curtain pulling anyone's strings.  The local process may leave much to be desired by placing partisanship into our local elections, but I don't think our leaders are chosen by bosses in smoke-filled rooms either (at least not successfully).

The local Republican party has been pathetic over the past 2 decades. Anyone who has an issue with the Democratic Party dominating elections should do the hard work to rebuild an opposition.

tomdevon said:

broigus said:

The boss steps in for a while until another one of his hand picked minions can go through the mere formality of an election.

While it is true that the town has exclusively Democrats in elected office, I don't think it necessarily follows that the MDC gets to dictate who serves as a general matter.  Greg Lembrich's win last year running "off the line" and without MDC support is a good example.  The fact that Vic DeLuca ran off the line in 2005, won, and has been mayor most of the years since also shows that these things shift over time.  I don't see Ian Grodman as the man behind the curtain pulling anyone's strings.  The local process may leave much to be desired by placing partisanship into our local elections, but I don't think our leaders are chosen by bosses in smoke-filled rooms either (at least not successfully).

Wow, two insurgents in over a decade. That is a record even Frank Hague would be proud of.

It's hard to build a strong local party when the people at the top are in the middle of a train wreck. Affects morale all the way down the line. Maybe when this is over something strong will rise from the ashes of the Republican Party, but this ain't the year. 

And it's a shame, because Mike Summersgill seems like a good guy.

Leadership in the MDC aside, I think Ian did an excellent job during his tenure on TC and would be very happy to see him back on the TC, even for a short tenure.  I don't know anything about the other two candidates, so I can't comment on which of the three would do the best job filling Marlon's term.  I trust the TC to make a good choice.

ridski said:

And it's a shame, because Mike Summersgill seems like a good guy.

Mike seems to be the first GOP candidate for TC in years to be taking the election seriously and to seem to really want the position.  That alone is a major shift from what I have seen in past years.

The other two are district representatives on the MDC.

joan_crystal said:

Leadership in the MDC aside, I think Ian did an excellent job during his tenure on TC and would be very happy to see him back on the TC, even for a short tenure.  I don't know anything about the other two candidates, so I can't comment on which of the three would do the best job filling Marlon's term.  I trust the TC to make a good choice.

That much I know.  What I don't know are other ways in which they have been involved in the community; nor, do I know either of them personally.