BOSS RUMANA CONTINUES TO DUCK COUNCIL CANDIDATE ISSUE IN WEST MILFORD

WEST MILFORD NJ.  –  For three weeks Passaic County Republican Party Chairman Scott Rumana has been dodging the question of his renegade candidates running for West Milford Council, and with just days remaining in the campaign  -- Rumana refuses to distance himself from his candidate who openly supports Democrats.

However, the boss chairman continues to hurl mud at fellow Republicans who have served the party well -- using county Republican Party funds to insultt the mainstream Republican candidates in West Milford. 

Last week, that candidate Ada Erik, admitted in a published article in the Trends newspaper that she does indeed support Democrats – a fact that local Republicans had knows for some time, but which Rumana chose to ignore despite the evidence. 

On May 11 West Milford Republican Municipal Chairman Carmen Scangarello wrote to Rumana asking him to rule on whether Erik should be removed from the race since she openly supports Democrats in violation of county Republican Party policy.

Rumana is backing Erik and former  West Milford mayor Glenn Wenzel, against incumbent Republican Councilman Joseph Smolinski and Young  Republican Organization President Mike Ramaglia, who has been a stalwart conservative, unlike Rumana’s candidates.     

Scangarello wrote to Rumana, saying that  “It seems to be the position of the PCRRO that Republican candidates who endorse Democrats are to be removed from the party. Recently, you supported a measure to remove Bloomingdale Republican Councilwoman Jennifer Atfield from the Republican Party for supporting local Democrats. I want to advise you that Ms. Erik, who is running with your support in West Milford has a history of supporting Democrats.”  

Erik admitted to supporting Democrats in the Trends article saying she has in the past supported Democrats. 

Scangarello said that, without a doubt, if Chairman Rumana wants to be fair and consistent, he should withdraw his candidate Erik from the race and disavow his support of her campaign. 

“As it stands now, Mr. Rumana is using PCRRO funds to support the candidacy  of a woman who campaigns against Republicans. As chairman, Mr. Rumana has an obligation to step in and apply the rules as he did in Bloomingdale,” said Scangarello.

There cannot be two sets of rules  for county Republicans – one for Mr. Rumana and one for everyone else,” said  Scangarello. 

Scangarello noted that Rumana has been no friend to West Milford Republicans in the past. He denied financial support for the Township GOP in 2007, which led to loss of the Republican Mayoral candidate. 

Ramaglia said Rumana got what he wanted. “He wants to elect Democrats because they share his liberal views,” said Ramaglia, founder of the Young Republican Organization.   

Ramaglia and Smolinski have been campaigning on issues important to West Milford, while Rumana has been selfishly campaigning  for re-election to the Republican chairmanship, while fighting off a challenge to his district 40 Assembly seat. He has resorted to distributing misleading and  hate-filled literature in West Milford.

“All the voters in Republican Party have to do is look at how Joe and I focused on issues important to West Milford and how Rumana’s team simply hurled insults with no regard for financial problems West Milford faces,” said Ramaglia.

“Which team is better for West Milford?  I think the answer is obvious.”