OP-ED
TOMS RIVER, NJ – On Tuesday, the Ocean County GOP leadership will either fall in line with previously convicted party chairman George Gilmore or show him they can stand on their own two feet. The reality is, as most of the elected officials taking part in the vote, owe their political and often personal careers to Gilmore.
For that reason, he will probably be victorious in his attempt to decertify the Republicans of Toms River on Wednesday. Most elected Republicans in Toms River belong to the club, but those officials are Gilmore’s political hitlist after they openly endorsed career lawman Michael Mastronardy or GOP Chairman in 2022.
In the past few weeks, as reported in the Asbury Park Press, Gilmore, who was pardoned by President Donald Trump on a federal tax conviction, has been pushing his opposition out of his way.
Many in the party have also reported Gilmore seeks to disenfranchise voters by disqualifying the Republicans of Toms River from voting on the fate of their own future. Additionally, Gilmore will reportedly bring in multiple voting machines so he can see which towns are with him and which ones are against him after the vote to continue his scorched earth return to power and to eliminate all political opposition.
In an election where just a few dozen people actually vote, Gilmore is expected to bring in multiple voting machines and force delegations to vote on specific machines so he can see who votes for him and who doesn’t. Many are calling this act of voter intimidation.
Many of those who are voting have public jobs given to them through their past relationship with the chairman. Moreso, an unusually large amounts of those officials have family members with public jobs that would be under Gilmore’s control should he succeed. The fear of losing their jobs for crossing the chairman is a real threat for many who rely on him to put food on their tables.
This comes as Gilmore was served with another six-figure federal tax lien for 2022, according to reports.
Once again, the fate of a critical election will hang in the balance of a powerful and growing bloc vote in northern County. Lakewood and Jackson Republicans made up of a large number of Orthodox Jewish residents, will likely control Gilmore’s fate on Wednesday.
Gilmore is running candidates in the Toms River GOP primary this June. He wants his candidates which include Gerri Ambrosio for Mayor, to win at all cost, even if it means rigging a political convention in his favor.
Ambrosio’s odds of beating Toms River Mayor Mo Hill alone are not good. Ambrosio is one of those people now indebted to Gilmore after she was given a six-figure job from Gilmore ally Mayor Carmen Amato in Berkeley Township. According to court records, Ambrosio needs that job. She has multiple court judgments against her such as a foreclosure and multiple cases initiated by creditors.
Two weeks ago, Ambrosio kicked Toms River Councilman Daniel Roderick out of her Toms River Regular Republican Club in order to pave the way for herself to be the endorsed candidate.
This week, both sides in the battle in Toms River have been lobbying the Orthodox Jewish bloc vote for support in Wednesday’s critical election. Those aligned with Mayor Maurice Hill and those aligned with Gilmore and Ambrosio are desperate for the Jewish votes in Lakewood and Toms River, which amount to a large chunk of the overall voting base in the election.
If Gilmore can sway the Jewish community away from Mayor Hill and block the Toms River contingent from voting, his victory is all but ensured.
if he loses Lakewood, Jackson and Toms River votes against him, he could lose.
Knowing the voters in the election Wednesday, it does appear that the Republicans in Ocean County are once again lining up to serve their new ‘old’ master in order to secure their place in the handout line of taxpayer funds and public jobs. Their weakness will be on display Wednesday as they fall-in line behind the self-admitted mentally ill tax cheat hellbent on showing the rest of the state he’s still the guy in charge, no matter how much damage he does along the way.