RUMANA CALLS LAST MINUTE CHAIRMAN MEETING

By horatio

Mike Mecca -201-852-1067 Mike Ramaglia 201-697-7699

PASSAIC COUNTY -- After going months without calling a meeting or addressing the Republican’s poor performance in the county election in November, Passaic County Republican Party Chairman Scott Rumana has hastily called for a meeting of municipal chairs tonight in Wayne.

The reason for the meeting is unclear, but Michael Ramaglia, chairman of GOP Strong, a conservative Republican organization, said Rumana may be feeling the heat from the well-deserved criticism of his stewardship as chairman.

Recently, GOP co-chair Michael Mecca sent a letter to Republican county committee members asking that Rumana resign as chairman. Mecca noted that Rumana’s job as chairman is compromised by his dual role as a state Assemblyman.

Mecca noted that Rumana is putting more emphasis on raising money for his own campaign than for he is raising money for his fellow Republicans, who fared poorly in last year’s county freeholder race.

Rumana has also been criticized in his role as assemblyman for his less than ardent opposition to the state’s new affordable housing mandates that take effect January 1 and for his tepid calls for state spending cuts.

Ramaglia said last minute phone calls went out Sunday night, inviting municipal GOP chairperson to attend a meeting hosted by Rumana. No reason for the meeting was given.

“I think it’s a little odd that some frantic calls went out a few days after Christmas and just a few days before New Year’s Eve to have a meeting about which, nothing is known,” said Ramaglia.

Ramaglia said the chairman should be hosting more meetings of the entire county committee to address important state issues and to build the party, but that he and many other conservatives are frustrated by Rumana’s insular operation of the county party.

“Mr. Rumana didn’t bother to call a post-election meeting to discuss the county elections; there have been no county committee meetings to rally the party to fight the state’s affordable housing mandates; and there have been no strategy meetings for how the party will approach the all-important 2009 gubernatorial election,” said Ramaglia.

“This latest development highlights the problem a lot of us see with Mr. Rumana as chairman: he is reactive, not proactive. He is not spending his time building the party or showing true opposition to the Democrats. Instead he spends most of his time worrying about his own political future,” said Ramaglia.

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

Related topics: Rumana, GOP STRONG, Ramaglia, MECCA

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