Middletown Township Committeeman Sean Byrnes, who ran for Monmouth County freeholder last year and lost to John Curley, 70,867 to 109,256 votes, said he has not yet decided whether he intends to run for a seat on the board as the running mate of Freeholder John D'Amico.

"It takes a big chunk out of you, no question," said Byrnes. "I'd like to, and I thought I would have decided by now, but I haven't. I told (party members) if i was a wealthy guy, I would do it again. I've got two in college now. I'm not trying to gain some political advantage by waiting, but it's not an insignificant decision."

An attorney with a Coast Guard officers' resume who impressed Democrats with his oratorical skills but was buried finally under the Chris Christie tidal wave, admits 2010 could prove to be a better environment in which to run.

But then again, maybe not.

"Certainly back-to-back runs give you a lift, but normally these races are decided by external factors," said Byrnes. "As a Democrat in Monmouth County, the first prerequisite is that those factors line up to get you close."

Vincent Solomeno, who first caught the eye of political leaders a decade ago as a fifteen-year-old operative who managed a successful local campaign in Union Beach, is preparing to seek the Democratic nomination for Monmouth County Freeholder. 

Republicans regained control of the Board of Freeholders last November, and now have a 3-2 majority.  If Democrat John D’Amico gets re-elected, and if Democrats can oust Republican Robert Clifton, Democrats can take back the majority.

Solomeno, a former aide to U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch), is the President of the Hazlet Democratic Club.  He is a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve where he serves as a platoon leader in the Corps of Engineers. As a civilian contractor, he works as a Logistics and Operations Manager for U.S. Army Global Positioning Systems.  He studied in the Netherlands as a Fulbright scholar.

RED BANK - Retiring Freeholder Director Barbara McMorrow received a standing ovation here at the local union hall and gifts from Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Victor Scudiery.

She's not running for reelection this year, as she must contend with a serious illness. Hoping to succeed her, Middletown Committeeman Sean Byrnes and fomer Pallone State Director Mike Beson of Ocean (a former Neptune Mayor) will wage a contest for the county committee's backing today to run against Republican John Curley of Middletown.

For the moment, it was all McMorrow.

"As they say in Spamelot, I'm not dead yet," she told the packed hall. "I know in time, I'll be feeling well. The best medicine is being with all of you, because we're family."

"I am closing the door right now," she added. "I'm not locking it and throwing away the key. I intend to continue to serve on the Board of Chosen Freeholders through the year."

Monmouth County Democrats believed they had won control of the Board of Freeholders last November after a recount gave Democrat Amy Mallet a 346 vote victory over Republican John Curley, but a rivalry between the other two Democratic Freeholders appears to have returned control of county government to the Republicans.  Freeholder Director Barbara McMorrow does not get along with Freeholder John D'Amico; as a result, McMorrow has formed an alliance with Republicans Robert Clifton and Lillian Burry that has allowed the GOP to keep many of their people in place, even though they are in the minority.  This has frustrated some state party leaders, including Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan.

Democratic sources say that McMorrow, who was the first Democrat to win a Monmouth Freeholder race in twenty years, has not yet decided if she will seek re-election to a second term this year.  There was some speculation that she might switch to the GOP, but some of her allies say that won't happen.  Republican sources acknowledge that she has been asked. Democrats suggest that despite frustrations with her bi-partisanship, she remains their strongest candidate.

In addition to McMorrow, Clifton's seat is up this year.  D'Amico is up in 2010, and Burry and Mallet in 2011.

MARLBORO – The Iraq War vet who once exhorted a crowd of Monmouth Republicans to "cowboy-up" in the cause of his campaign, has donned the dreaded black hat of the opposition.  

Councilman Jeff Cantor, a 2007 Republican candidate for Monmouth County Freeholder who nearly won, has changed parties and become a Democrat, according to a press release issued by the Marlboro Democratic Party.

Once seen as a rising GOP star, Cantor came within a heartbreaking handful of votes of winning his bid for freeholder against John D’Amico. 

Locally, he appeared to be the best-positioned Marlboro Republican to take on new Mayor Jonathan Hornik, a Democrat who in 2007 defeated Robert Kleinberg. 

But he’s happy with Hornik’s work, he said, and noted that “the Democrats are making the needed changes to move our community forward.”

Monmouth County Democrats won control of the Board of Freeholders one seat at a time, with Barbara McMorrow winning in 2006, John D’Amico in 2007, and Amy Mallet in 2008.  That means Republicans can win back control next year if they can beat McMorrow.

GOP Freeholder candidate John Curley: Politicker file photoIt’s been labor by slow degrees.

Aided by Bush fatigue nationally and the Operation Bid Rig scandal locally, Democrats chipped steadily away at the Freeholder Board in Monmouth, foregoing potential Assembly gains elsewhere to focus on trying to build a majority in this longtime Republican stronghold.

Relying heavily on state party funds, they elected Barbara McMorrow two years ago and John D’Amico last year to get them to within one seat of swinging control of Monmouth in their favor.

Now with newly registered voters bolstering their numbers beyond the GOP’s - 99,282 Democrats to 86,992 Republicans - Democrats hope Amy Mallet and Glen Mason are poised to become their party’s next freeholders here. Freeholder Barbara McMorrow, left, stands with fellow Democrats, candidates Amy Mallet and Glen Mason.: Politicker file photo

In arguably the most consequential freeholder showdown of the year, those two must get past veteran Freeholder Director Lillian Burry and her running mate, Red Bank Councilman John Curley.

"As far as I can tell, it’s the premiere down ballot race in the state," State Party Chair Joseph Cryan said.

Although Democrats gleefully claim momentum going into this one, it will be no walk over for them.

Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Victor ScudieryATLANTIC HIGHLANDS - Just one day after the 2007 general election, Monmouth County GOP Chairman Adam Puharic posted the results on his party’s website and noted gleefully that the Republicans had sumo tossed the Democrats out of the circle in every non-municipal contest - with the exception of one: a freeholder match between Democrat John D'Amico and Republican Jeffrey Cantor.

At that point, D'Amico-Cantor was undecided, and Puharic mused about the possibility of humiliating the Democrats with a shutout. But post provisional and absentee ballots, D'Amico squeaked out a victory and became the second Democrat in as many years to win a seat on the Monmouth County Freeholder Board, in a traditionally Republican stronghold.

Monmouth County Republicans say there are about 400 provisional ballots that have not been counted that could affect the outcome of the race for Freeholder.  Democrat John D'Amico is leading Republican Jeff Cantor by 316 votes.

The Asbury Park Press wants a Democratic majority on the Board of Freeholders in Monmouth County, and has endorsed John D'Amico and Stephen Schueler for two GOP seats on the 4-1 Republican-controlled Freeholder Board.  READ