TOMS RIVER, NJ – A lawsuit filed by Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore has been tossed out of court, but the civil war between those in the party aligned with Gilmore and those aligned with former Chairman Frank Holman rages on.
A lawsuit filed by Gilmore against Holman, New Jersey Assemblyman Gregory McGuckin, Jerry Dasti, former Jack Ciattarelli campaign manager Eric Arpert and others was dismissed in court.
New Jersey Superior Court Judge Lisa Thornton dismissed the case with prejudice on Friday.
The case might be over, but the war between the two sparring factions in Ocean County is not. Gilmore won ground in Manchester by defeating the Holman faction in a Republican vs. Republican election in November, but he lost Jackson Township, where he sought to oust McGuckin as the legal counsel for the town.
Gilmore did not provide any assistance in the victory of Mayor Michael Reina, instead opted to ‘sit it out’ on the sidelines in a race between the mayor and his opponents, backed by longtime Gilmore underling Clara Glory.
In Manchester, Gilmore’s team dismissed McGuckin as township counsel during the annual reorganization meeting.
The battle between the two warring factions is expected to heat up this year in Toms River, Brick and other towns across the county as the once-united party that became fractured under Holman is splintered kingdom of fiefdoms today, each holding different allegiances where the king no longer holds all of the power.
The battle will be fought in the election booths and in the form of giving and taking public jobs, swapping them between those loyal to the victors in each town.
The division could also be a benefit to county Democrats who traditionally lose elections. As Republicans continue to battle it out amongst themselves, there is an opportunity for Democrats to begin taking seats in Toms River.
Last week, Orthodox Jewish political insiders in Lakewood and Jackson formed a political action committee to help local officials win elections. That PAC was seen by Gilmore as a threat, but sources close to the PAC claim it was created simply to keep Orthodox Jewish political contributions from being spoiled on campaigns based on political infighting between the two factions.