Full, partial terms up for grabs in freeholder race

Republicans Little and Lucas face Democrats McMorrow and Gibadlo

BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer

BY KAREN E. BOWES
Staff Writer

Greg Gibadlo (D)Greg Gibadlo (D) Since 1984, Republicans have maintained total dominance over the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

On Tuesday, Democrats will once again try to break a two-decade-long losing streak. Campaigning on a platform that the GOP-controlled board is long overdue for a shakeup, the Dems have made their own exclusion a top campaign issue.

A total of four candidates are vying for two open spots. Republican Freeholder Anna Little, 38, is seeking a one-year term after serving half a year on the board. The Highlands attorney was appointed to complete Amy Handlin’s term after Handlin was elected to serve in the state assembly.

Little’s opponent is political newcomer Democrat Greg Gibadlo, 60, a Middletown businessman who says he hopes to re-establish a two-party presence on the county board.

Senior ranking Freeholder Ted Narozanick, 87, is stepping down after 27 years. The WWII veteran and decorated war hero leaves open a three-year-term position.

The Republicans are running Manalapan Committeeman Andrew Lucas, 29, for the seat while the Democrats support former Freehold Councilwoman Barbara McMorrow, 58.

Anna Little (R) Anna Little (R) Both sides are campaigning on platforms of improved shared services opportunities. Other top issues include discussions concerning property tax reform, the lagging local economy, eminent domain abuse and gang violence in Asbury Park, to name a few.

Greg Gibadlo (D)

Although new to the political game, Gibadlo, 60, is no stranger to politicians. In 1968, Gibadlo graduated from Georgetown University alongside “some guy named Bill Clinton.” Gibadlo’s brother-in-law, Michael Sullivan, also happens to be the former governor of Wyoming and a former United States ambassador to Ireland.

But unlike these men, Gibadlo has never run for public office. He was chosen for the Democratic ticket in September after candidate Leonard Inzerillo dropped out of the race for personal reasons.

Born in Boston and raised in Northern Virginia, Gibadlo became a resident of Middletown over 30 years ago. He built a career in the hotel and hospitality industry, employed by Hilton for 20 years before entering the convention planning industry. He is now semi-retired.

Andrew Lucas (R) Andrew Lucas (R) “I come from a business background,” Gibadlo said. “The value of that is it gave me experience with a wide variety of people … and different viewpoints.”

Exposure to all levels of economic standing and backgrounds has opened his eyes to the concerns of the less fortunate, Gibadlo said.

“What I’ve learned is people with different backgrounds, they have legitimate concerns. No one set of people have all the right answers for all the problems. The democratic process has to be measured. It can’t be one-sided. Every one has to have a voice. That’s what democracy is all about.”

Why is he running?

“A lot of mistrust is created when one side always gets their way,” Gibadlo said. “Some people seem to get left out in this whole process. I don’t think that’s very healthy. If there were a two party system in place, I think people would feel better about their government.”

Barbara McMorrow (D) Barbara McMorrow (D) If elected, Gibadlo said his top priority would be to curtail property taxes.

Gibadlo would attack this problem by working to eliminate wasteful spending, he said, and encouraging shared service opportunities.

Anna Little (R)

Little recently stepped down from her seat on the Highlands Borough Council, serving almost two full terms. The attorney operates her own solo practice based in Highlands.

Little surprised many last year when she won the Republican nomination to fill the open seat left by former Freeholder Amy Handlin, now an assemblywoman. In the short time Little has served, she’s been busy, establishing the Budget Review Committee, a group aimed at streamlining the county’s spending.

“I think it’s going really well,” Little said of the committee. “We ask [department heads] what changes they would make with 5 percent and 10 percent less.”

After identifying areas where spending can be reduced, the committee works to produce results more efficiently.

On par with her fiscal focus, Little organized and hosted the county’s first economic summit in September, held at Branches restaurant in West Long Branch. Both business owners and government officials attended the conference, the purpose of which was to explore ways the county can work with local businesses to improve the economy. Little hopes the summit will act as a springboard for more conferences and eventually, real results.

Why should voters choose Little?

“For starters, I have a focus and I have a plan,” Little said.

Little’s plan is based on cash flow throughout Monmouth County and how it affects the average citizen. The plan takes into account the leveling of average household incomes versus steady increases in property taxes. The high cost of housing and the need for more services, such as the ability to create an on-site triage center in the event of a foreign attack or other disaster, are also listed in Little’s plan.

Pointing towards the county’s well-stocked technology departments in place at Brookdale Community College and the High Technology High School on the Brookdale campus, Little proposes sharing that wealth with towns and county departments. The technology could also help the county make money too, Little said, by renting out services to private firms.

Andrew Lucas (R)

Lucas is currently a sitting Manalapan committeeman but will step down from that role, he said, if he wins this election. A Princeton graduate with a degree in economics, Lucas raises cattle on a 120-acre farm while also running his own investment firm out of a home-office. Previously, Lucas worked in Manhattan as a junior analyst for a hedge fund firm.

Lucas said his original reason for getting into politics was to help preserve his hometown’s remaining farms as open space. In his one term as a committeeman, Lucas has worked with the county’s Farmland Preservation Program, ultimately preserving 250 acres, he said, with another 350 acres pending. But in order to compete with developers, more work needs to be done to streamline the preservation process, Lucas said.

Farmland preservation remains a top interest, Lucas said, but he’s also very interested in fiscal matters. The candidate pointed to his record of cutting costs, noting Manalapan was able to lower taxes under his watch.

“We made up for a $1.5 million deficient and we were able to lower taxes,” Lucas said. “And it was done in a bipartisan manner, with two Republicans and two Democrats.”

His reason for seeking higher office is based on a real need for reform, Lucas said.

Several times this year, Lucas proposed an “anti-corruption ordinance” in Manalapan, aimed at eliminating the practices of pay-to-play and wheeling.

“My suggestion was to go after the candidates for accepting this money,” Lucas said, referring to pay-to-play. According to his ordinance, which never passed, the punishment for accepting political donations in exchange for government contracts should be “stiff penalties and possible jail time.”

“I’m a self-labeled reformer,” Lucas said, adding he also advocates adopting new penalties for elected officials who violate the public’s trust. One of those penalties would be the removal of the guilty politician’s name from any honorary plaque, statue or building.

“Unfortunately, the [Manalapan] Democrats voted against that ordinance,” Lucas said.

Lucas said he supports exploring shared service opportunities, “not only on the county level but with municipalities as well.” One place to start is the state-mandated stormwater managing program.

“It’s a cost in the millions for each municipality to be in compliance,” Lucas said.

Barbara McMorrow (D)

McMorrow, 58, has taken on the cause of eminent domain abuse. The former Freehold Borough councilwoman (1989-95) is an adjunct professor at Brookdale Community College. The former principal of Howell High School has over 30 years experience in the Monmouth County educational system.

McMorrow serves on the Monmouth County Traumatic Loss Coalition, a group that helps students handle the death of a fellow student or teacher. The county-wide group includes representatives from every school district in the county, various nonprofits and psychologists. The coalition offers a program in teenage suicide prevention.

“It’s very close to my heart,” McMorrow said of the coalition program. “When tragedy strikes a school, it affects the whole community.”

Although she’s not an attorney, McMorrow is a lay trustee of the Legal Aid Society of Monmouth County. The group, funded through grants and the county, offers free legal representation for those who can’t afford it.

“We don’t do any criminal work,” McMorrow explained, “just civil cases, like divorce.”

As a trustee, she helps decide which applicants will receive the free legal aid.

McMorrow also volunteers with several other organizations, including the American Association of University Women, a group that raises money for scholarships for older women who wish to return to college.

In 1995, McMorrow left municipal politics behind when she was promoted to principal of Howell High School.

“I left with three months on my term,” McMorrow said. “I didn’t want to be pulled in two directions. It wasn’t easy. I cried.”