RUMANA SHOULD FOLLOW SUSSEX CHAIRMAN’S EXAMPLE AND GIVE UP PC CHAIRMANSHIP

By horatio

GOP STRONG

Mike Mecca -201-852-1067

Mike Ramaglia 201-697-7699

PASSAIC COUNTY - The Conservative Republican group GOP Strong today praised Sussex County Republican Chairman Richard Zeoli for agreeing to step down from his leadership post to run for the freeholder seat next year.

GOP Strong Co-chairman Michael Mecca said Zeoli is making the right move and he should be an example to Passaic Country Republican Chairman Scott Rumana, who is running re-election to the state Assembly in 2009 as well trying to hold on to his chairmanship.

Mecca, a former Passaic County GOP chairman, said holding elected office while trying to serve as chairman is tough under the best of circumstances, but is harder when running for state legislative office every two years.

“Scott Rumana just does not have the time to devote to both the state issues in the Assembly and the county party, and the facts speak loud and clear that he is doing a bad job at both,” said Mecca. “Rich Zeoli has it right – he’s giving up one job to concentrate on the other. Mr. Rumana should follow the Rich Zeoli’s example.”

Mecca noted that the results of the November 4 election speak to Rumana’s ineffectiveness: With little help from the Passaic County GOP organization, John McCain and Sarah Palin received 39 percent of the vote in the county. Rumana’s GOP freeholder candidates Jerry Holt and Michael MAROTTA received just a bit over 20 percent of the vote.

“Rumana not only never formally endorsed McCain and Palin, but he did little to help his own freeholder candidates win against a problem-plagued all-Democrat freeholder board that ran the county into a financial crisis,” said Mecca. Mecca said in neighboring Bergen County, the re-energized Republican Party under new chairman Bob Yudin did remarkably better with ALL three of the GOP freeholder candidates grabbing more than 48 percent of the vote against an entrenched, well-funded Democratic political machine while McCain gathered just 45 percent of the vote.

“The numbers tell a compelling story. In Bergen, the renewed leadership is making great strides. In Passaic County, the GOP leadership is falling further behind,” said Mecca.

GOP Co-Chair Michael Ramaglia of West Milford, said Rumana devotes little time to issues outside his Assembly district. “He’s supposed to be the chairman of all of Passaic County, but he’s out of touch with upcounty issues,” said Ramaglia.

“Scott Rumana should be rallying the party faithful in Passaic and building the party to make it more effective in November – he’s not doing that,” said Ramaglia.

“He should be using his time to mobilize voters against the Democrats’ low income housing mandates and against the continued waste of our tax dollars. He’s not doing that either. So I ask, what is he doing besides raising money for himself? questioned Ramaglia.

HORATIO can be reached via email at thom55@verizon.net.

Related topics: Rumana, chairman, Ramaglia, MECCA