Atlantic City

In 1982, Trenton steakhouse owner Joseph "Jo-Jo" Giorgianni was convicted of molesting a fourteen year-old girl and almost avoided prison when his lawyers argued that at 565 pounds and suffering from asthma, he couldn't handle prison. A Judge actually bough the argument and Giorgianni remained free until he was videotaped in Atlantic City with a ringside seat at a boxing match -- surrounded what the Trentonian called "a cloud of cigar smoke." He eventually served three years in prison.

Now the convicted sex offender fancies himself as a political player. Three years ago he won election to the Republican County Committee in Trenton's North Ward, and apparently he played a key role in the recent Trenton mayoral campaign, backing Mercer County Freeholder Tony Mack over incumbent Douglas Palmer. Mack and Palmer are both Democrats. In 2004, Giorgianni contributed $2,000 to George W. Bush's re-election campaign.

Atlantic County Democrats have picked former Atlantic City Councilman Edward McGettigan as their candidate for County Clerk. He will replace incumbent Michael Garvin, who dropped his bid for re-election to a third term earlier in the summer.

McGettigan was the Republican candidate for Atlantic County Surrogate in 2005, but lost by 2,389 votes to James Carney, a Freeholder who had switched parties earlier that year. McGettigan is now a Democrat, joining his brother, Atlantic County Sheriff James McGettigan, who won re-election by 13,071 votes in the same election.

The Republican candidate is Sonya Harris, the Deputy Clerk of the Atlantic County Board of Freeholders.

Atlantic County GOP Chairman Keith Davis says that Democrats have been the beneficiaries of "questionable activities" by ex-Atlantic City Councilman Craig Callaway, who resigned following his arrest on corruption charges, and that Callaway's allies have pledged to carry on his controversial absentee ballot progream. Davis says that McGettigan may lack the independence to buck his party when it comes to "the serious issues of fraud and manipulation in the messenger application and absentee ballot system" as the County Clerk.

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AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
Good morning, President Codey, Speaker Roberts, Minority Leaders Lance and DeCroce, my esteemed colleagues.