Arthur Marchand

Salem County Republican Chairman Paul Reed was surprised yesterday when Republican State Committeeman Ernest Tark rose and recommended that the party abstain from endorsing legislative candidates in the 3rd District.

"It was totally unexpected. I did not see it coming," said Reed, who had earlier sent a letter to committee members endorsing former Cumberland County surrogate Arthur Marchand for an assembly seat, but stayed neutral as to the other two candidates, Greenwich Township Mayor George Shivery and Robert Villare, a cardiothoracic surgeon.

The committee put the motion to a voice vote, and the ayes had it.

"There was a division in the room, but the ayes were louder, let's put it that way," said Reed.  "I probably should have pushed the issue of a show of hands, because with a voice vote you really don't know who's voting because there were people ineligible to vote [at the convention]."

A candidate for the GOP State Assembly nomination in the 3rd Legislative District was not registered to vote in New Jersey while competing for the seat at a county convention.

Robert Villare, a cardiothoracic surgeon who lives in West Deptford, just signed his voter registration card at the Gloucester County Board of Elections yesterday - four days after seeking the Cumberland County Republican Party's endorsement for an assembly seat at their convention.

Villare responded that he used to be registered in New Jersey, but registered in Delaware when he temporarily moved there to work at two different hospitals.   Records show Villare registered as an Independent in Wilmington as recently as October, 2008.

"I was previously registered in New Jersey, spent a couple years in Delaware working, but I kept my home in New Jersey," he said.  "What's the difference? I've been registered in New Jersey, grew up here and lived my life here.  I understand that this is politics, but that's not the main issue here... so let's set the record straight."

Villare then said he did not want to talk about the matter anymore, leaving open the question of the last time he voted.

"If you have questions on real issues facing New Jersey I'll be glad to speak about them," he told PolitickerNJ.com.

Marchand

Former Cumberland County Surrogate Art Marchand said that Gov. Corzine’s budget address on Tuesday made it slightly more likely that he’ll run for assembly in the 3rd Legislative District. 

“I think his budget address only reinforces the information we’re getting from Trenton that it’s a disaster.  Blaming George Bush for it all is just not going to work anymore,” said Marchand.  “Democrats have been in charge for seven years.  It’s time for them to accept complete responsibility.  You don’t raise taxes in the middle of a recession – that’s economics 101.”  

Marchand lost his job as surrogate in November after a Democratic wave swept through Cumberland County, taking out the freeholder board’s last Republican member and a long-time incumbent sheriff.  But with Governor Corzine at the top of the ticket this year instead of Barack Obama, Marchand said that the district’s two assembly seats appear ripe for Republican takeover – at least if the GOP agrees to fund more than just a token challenge.    

Over the last three decades, the party makeup of the district’s legislators has mostly mirrored the party that has controlled Trenton, with the exception of former state Sen. Raymond Zane, a Democrat who switched parties at the end of his political career.  With Republicans growing confident about their gubernatorial prospects, some see potential coattails on former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie.

“My thought is that it’s a completely swing district.  Who has the majority in Trenton and who has the governor basically will have the 3rd District too,” said Marchand. 

Paul Reed, the Salem County Republican Chairman, would like to see his own county - the least populous in New Jersey - get some representation in the state legislature.  But even with Democratic Assemblyman Doug Fisher (D-Bridgeton) set to be nominated as Secretary of Agriculture, no local Republicans have stepped forward yet.

"We haven't had representation in Salem County for a long time, and we need representation up there," said Reed.  "I've asked around and don't have any.  It doesn't mean there won't be anybody who wants to step up between now and April.  I've been looking through the bushes, but I don't have any prospects at this time."

Salem County, with a population of about 65,000, is the only county in the state without a representative in the legislature, and has been since former Assembly Speaker Jack Collins, a Republican, retired in after the 2001 election.  It is located completely in the 3rd Legislative District along with parts of Gloucester and Cumberland Counties.  It makes up about 31 percent of the district's population to Gloucester's 48 percent and Cumberland's 21 percent.

"In my 28 years in the Senate, there was always a representative from Salem.  That's not to say that a representative wouldn't be acceptable from Cumberland - it certainly would have. It just worked out that's the way it was," said former state Sen. Raymond J. Zane, who lost reelection to Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) after switching parties in 2001.  "I don't think it would be a good idea for all three to be from Gloucester County."

Republican Arthur Marchand, defeated for re-election as Cumberland County Surrogate last week, has not ruled out a State Assembly bid in the 3rd district next year

Cumberland County Surrogate Arthur Marchand, who lost his reelection bid last week along with the rest of the county’s Republican slate, tells his friends that he was “Obamatised.”

But after that stinging loss, Marchand, a Hopewell resident and former Cumberland County Prosecutor, said that he hasn’t closed the door to anything-- even an Assembly run in the 3rd legislative District against four-term incumbents John Burzichelli and Douglas Fisher.

Last year, Burzichelli and Fisher beat Republicans Phil Donohue and Jeffrey Stepler by more than 10,000 votes each.

“I think it’s always a swing district. I think as goes the 3rd district, so goes the state,” said Marchand. “How it goes next year with Corzine at the top of the ticket, I don’t know. I really don’t know think it will be a great year for Democrats.”

Cumberland County Freeholder Douglas Rainear will give up his seat to become Surrogate in January. He defeated GOP incumbent Arthur Marchand

Democratic sources say that the front runner to win a special election convention for Cumberland County Freeholder is Nelson Thompson, a leader of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (District Council 711) who has run unsuccessfully for the post in recent years. The Cumberland County Democratic Committee is expected to meet in January to replace Freeholder Douglas Rainear, who was elected Surrogate last week.

Democrats picked up a Freeholder seat and ousted a Republican Surrogate tonight in Cumberland County, giving Democrats a 7-0 majority on the Freeholder Board.  Republican Surrogate Arthur Marchand lost to Freeholder Douglas Rainear by a 55%-45% margin. 

A summary of daily newspaper endorsements in local races: