We Have Our First GOP Primary For 2019!

Please accept my apologies for the delayed post on this, but Bob and I were proud to take The Bob & Steve Show on the road to the Salvation Army in Vineland to help Steve Plevins out with the Thanksgiving Turkey Drive. We passed out nearly 200 Turkey dinners to folks who need the help. Former Assemblyman Sam Fiocchi helped out too.

Yesterday’s big political news in South Jersey was The Press of Atlantic City reporting that “Republican Atlantic County Freeholder Chairman Frank Formica and Ventnor Mayor Beth Maccagnano Holtzman will run for state Assembly next year.”

That was followed with more news out of Atlantic County via a Hurley in the Morning exclusive at 7:05 this morning that “Atlantic County Freeholder at Large John Risley and Somers Point City Councilman James Toto will be running for the New Jersey General Assembly in the fast approaching 2019 election.”

As the Chairman of the freeholder board Formica is known to the voters throughout the district. Risley, as a freeholder-at-large is likewise known by voters throughout the district.

Formica’s running mate, Maccagnano Holtzman and Risley’s running mate, Toto will have to work harder than the others to be as known to the voters as their respective running mates.

I have no doubt Toto will make that ground up quickly. Since dropping out of the congressional primary in CD2 he’s been seen everywhere. I guess all that activity was him gearing up for a run for assembly.

With how hard we know Toto works this could shape up to be an exciting primary to watch. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you updated on this race.

The Plot Thickens In Gloucester Township BOE Election; This Isn’t The First Time Porn Shop Venus Video Has Been Involved In Political Controversy

I confess, I always enjoyed watching Gloucester Township politics as a casual observer. It’s fun, with all the rumors about the lifestyle of Mayor David Mayer, or that time Mayor Mayer had a plaque dedicated in his honor.

There’s just never a dull moment in New Jersey’s 19th largest municipality. People in Gloucester Township even got excited when Mayer shaved off his mustache.

Now, we have the recently completed school board election and folks are starting to draw connections to the mayor’s office.

Just yesterday The Bob & Steve Show reported Gloucester Township’s Communications Director, Regina Caristo, secured the domain name for the campaign website used by Brian Reagan and his running mates.

Since then, I’ve been trying to figure out how this young lady went from being the Assistant Store Manager at a retail store in the Deptford Mall to being the Communications Director of Camden County’s 3rd largest municipality. That’s the experience listed on her LinkedIn profile:

Based on voting records I’ve been able to access it doesn’t appear Caristo has been participating in the electoral process in Gloucester Township for too long, only since 2016. Based on a quick search on ELEC it doesn’t appear she, or any family member are big political donors.

The only connection Carsito has to politics is the fact she used the address of the Venus Adult Superstore in Southwest Philly as the registrant address for the domain of the campaign website used three school board candidates.

Well, it’s just my luck that I discovered the owner of the Venus group of adult stores, Joe Caristo, is likely the communications director’s father. He’s the right age and the two share the same voter registration address in Gloucester Township.

And, it turns out this isn’t the first time a Venus adult store has been involved in a political scandal.

An April 4, 2014 Philadelphia Inquirer article posted to Philly.com with the headline, “Porn may play role in Traffic Court-related case” happened to include the elder Caristo and a Venus location.

Here’s part of the Philadelphia Inquirer story:

It was Alfano's lawyers who opted to bare all.

Their motion Wednesday identified them for the first time as pornographic and named the shop where they came from - Venus Video, an Essington Avenue storefront owned by Alfano and leased to the business' owner, Joe Caristo.

Caristo and Alfano discussed the videos Perri requested in a February 2010 conversation caught by an FBI wiretap, the motion states.

Alfano's lawyers have also asked U.S. District Judge Robert F. Kelly to bar that recording from court.

"The conversation, with its derogatory remarks toward women and the references to the adult nature of the DVD videos, is extremely inflammatory and prejudicial toward the defendant," their motion says.

As for what titles the judge favored, no one is willing to say. Not Perri, not Alfano, not their attorneys.

None of the men returned calls for comment Thursday.

Caristo, Venus' owner, however, was hardly so circumspect when reached at his shop.

"I lent the DVDs to Mr. Alfano," he said. "Who he gave them to, I couldn't say. I can't remember which ones, but it was normal boy-girl stuff. Nothing weird."

Who knows, maybe the elder Caristo is still lending videos.

Like I said, Gloucester Township politics can be fun to watch. I can’t wait to see what Monday brings.

PRESS RELEASE: NJGOP Chairman calls for Legislative Hearings on Governor's Murphy's Storm Preparedness Failures

Sorry for the delay in posting this morning’s NJGOP press release. Obviously, the party chairman, like many of us are pretty pissed off at Governor Phil Murphy’s handling of yesterday’s winter storm. The NJGOP press release follows:

NJGOP Chairman calls for Legislative Hearings on Governor's Murphy's Storm Preparedness Failures

For Immediate Release

Trenton, New Jersey - After reports of N.J. kids stranded in schools, on buses late into the night and Troopers responding to at least 555 vehicle crashes as of late Thursday along with impassable roads across New Jersey NJGOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt offered the following comment: 

"The NJGOP thanks the men and women of NJ's Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Public Works, & countless service providers who were forced unnecessarily into emergency mode, yesterday, because Governor Phil Murphy was unprepared for what didn't have to be a crippling storm. Instead of the Governor asking NJ to be patient, we must demand that our leaders are prepared. If the Governor was prepared, everyone would have been home safe and sound, instead of just wishing it were so.

Although Murphy downplayed his failures by suggesting the State was “going through the reps" of snowstorm response for the first time in nine months, he should have appreciated that this is New Jersey, and we have Winter every year. On behalf of the scores of tired, cold, disgusted, angry, and in some cases, still stranded NJ commuters, students, parents and workers, we call on the NJ Legislature to conduct hearings into how this was allowed to happen and what steps the Governor will take to prevent it from happening again.  At the very least, we should expect efficient services from our government. Last night's response was shameful."

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