Bob Schroeder

Assemblyman John Rooney (R-Bergen) hasn't decided whether he'll seek re-election to the seat he's held since 1983Assemblyman John Rooney (R-Northvale) has still not made a decision on whether he will retire from the legislature after his current term is up.

But Rooney, who after 25 years in office has become longest serving current member of the Assembly, said that the speculation that he will face a primary challenge from Washington Township Council President Bob Schroeder, a wealthy defense contractor and former gubernatorial candidate, is wrong.

“He’s absolutely confirmed that he’s not going to run against us,” said Rooney, who had the conversation with Schroder at his own birthday party last month, which also commemorated his 25th year in the Assembly.

When Rob Ortiz assumed the chairmanship of the Bergen County Republican Organization five months ago, he made it clear in his inaugural speech not to expect any miracles. And it would indeed take a miracle to bring unity to the organization so quickly, which today seems to remain almost as fractious as when he took over.

Already, two potential challengers to Ortiz come June appear on the horizon: former Bergen County Utilities Authority Chairman Ben Focarino, an old hand in the BCRO who ran against Ortiz in July, and former freeholder candidate Bob Yudin.

So far, Ortiz has touted some municipal victories, particularly in Rutherford, as evidence that the party is clawing its way back to relevance against the dominant Bergen County Democrats. But many Bergen County Republicans who agreed to put aside loyalties and give Ortiz a chance to revive the party have already started making noise about the glacial pace of progress, and are disappointed that Ortiz – who largely ran on his fundraising abilities – has yet to bring the party out of debt, which stands at a better-than-expected $38,000 (a number discovered after an audit commissioned by Ortiz).

Bob Schroeder loves New Jersey, and he’s not letting beachgoers forget it.

The Washington Township Council President, who placed fifth in his bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2005, still has a small plane fly his trademark “Bob Schroeder Loves New Jersey 2007” banner up and down the Jersey Shore several times per week. But Schroeder, who said he’s flown the banner for the past few years, said not to take it as a sign of a second bid for Governor in 2009.

The world of Bergen County Republican politics has taken another strange direction, with Bergen County Republican Chairman Guy Talarico picking the wife of one of his opponents to run on his line for Freeholder. Bill Thomson, a former New Jersey Christian Coalition Chairman who managed Bob Schroeder's campaign for Governor last year, entered the race to challenge Talarico earlier this year, saying that Talarico lacked the fundraising and organizational skills needed to win a countywide election. Now his wife, Lauren Thomson, will run for Freeholder on the Bergen County Republican Organization line with County Executive candidate Todd Caliguire, Freeholder candidate Robert Yudin, and former Bogota Councilman John Scalzo, an ally of conservative leader Steve Lonegan, who will run for Surrogate. Sources say that Thomson has not abandoned his challenge to Talarico.

Some Bergen County Republican leaders have asked County Clerk Kathleen Donovan to enter the race for County Executive. Todd Caliguire, a former Bergen County Freeholder who sought the GOP nomination for Governor in 2005, is the only Republican seeking to oppose incumbent Dennis McNerney. He has the support of Bergen GOP Chairman Guy Talarico, which has caused some Republican opposed to Talarico's re-election to shop for a new candidate. Talarico is being challenged for re-election by Alan Marcus, a veteran lobbyist who served as Bergen GOP Executive Director in 1968 and 1969, and by Bill Thomson, the former Chairman of the New Jersey Christian Coalition and campaign manager for Bob Schroeder's '05 gubernatorial bid. Donovan, a former Assemblyman and GOP State Chairwoman, ran for County Executive in 2002 and lost a party convention to State Senator Henry McNamara.

No idea if I should print this, since it's really just a rumor. But I think everyone knows stuff like this goes on on Election Day-- on both sides. From an Asbury Park correspondent:

"in asbury park, the corzine campaign has hired people from DE and PA to hand out fried chicken, tacos and campaign literature right outside polling places. when the AG's office comes by to get rid of them, they drive off in a van to the next polling location. this has been going on for the past several hours. "

What's funny to me is that in the GOP county convention season, Forrester and Bob Schroeder routinely organized elaborate catered affairs for the voters INSIDE the convention halls.

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY
Doug Forrester 108,941 (36.0%)
Bret Schundler 94,417 (31.2%)
John Murphy 33,800 (11.2%)
Steve Lonegan 24,433 (8.1%)
Bob Schroeder 16,763 (5.5%)
Paul DiGaetano 16,684 (5.5%)
Todd Caliguire 7,463 (2.5%)

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
Jon Corzine 207,670 (88.1%)
James Kelly 19,512 (8.3%)
Frank Tenaglio 8,596 (3.6%)