FORMER FREEHOLDER CANDIDATE TO SHAFTAN: DON'T LABEL ME

February 25, 2009; Franklin Township - The fallout over comments made by Steve Lonegan's campaign strategist, Rick Shaftan, continued today.

Yesterday Rick Shaftan, speaking on behalf of his gubernatorial candidate, lashed out at a group of Republicans who have publicly called for the ouster of the Gloucester County Republican Executive Committee chairwoman Loran Oglesby. Shaftan told politickernj.com, "This is the whole [Gloucester County Republican Chairwoman Loran] Oglesby thing.  She wants a convention and the Christie people don't want it."

Former Freeholder candidate Dan Roberts said, "For Rick Shaftan to claim the growing number of rank-and-file Republicans calling for Loran Oglesby to resign is part of some evil plot to award the line to any particular candidate shows Mr. Shaftan's glaring lack of knowledge of the issues in Gloucester County."

"If Shaftan would have looked before he leaped he would have seen this has nothing to do with not wanting a convention and everything to do with Oglesby's failed leadership over the last four years," Roberts stated.

"For Rick Shaftan to label me a ‘Christie supporter' because I agree that Loran Oglesby needs to resign is a joke," Roberts added. "If Shaftan had paid any attention he would have know my love for the Second Amendment had me in the Lonegan camp but not any more thanks to Shaftan's ill informed and unsupported comment. I can't associate myself with a campaign that allows its staff to go off half-cocked."

"As far as I'm concerned the next time the Lonegan campaign comes to Gloucester County when they leave they can take Oglesby with them. Apparently they all think a lot alike, "Roberts said.

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