Toms River, NJ – A series of anti-Jack Ciattarelli posts and advertisements that appeared on the Ocean County GOP’s official Facebook page have been quietly removed after drawing criticism for targeting the party’s nominee.
Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore, a convicted federal felon and tax cheat who backed Spadea during the primary, orchestrated a disasterous and slanderous political attack campaign against Ciattarelli
The dozen or so anti-Ciattarelli posts have been prominently displayed on the organization’s official Facebook page, posted by the official account associated with that page.
The messages, which harshly attacked Ciattarelli in the wake of Bill Spadea’s primary defeat in June, were left on the page for months before being taken down this week, when Shore News Network asked the organization why it was stil featuring attacks on Ciattarelli on its Facebook page.
Gilmore, who was previously convicted on federal tax charges, has long been accused of withholding full support for Ciattarelli. He also works for Democratic lobbyist Philip Norcross of Optimus Partners, whose brother George Norcross is a powerful South Jersey Democratic figure. Gilmore has a history of crossing party lines, including hosting a fundraiser earlier this year for former Democratic Gov. James McGreevey. Gilmore has also reportedly met in secret with Governor Phil Murphy in Red Bank on several occasions to discuss his plans.
Gilmore is known to put personal wealth and financial arrangements ahead of party politics, even though is the Republican party chairman for Ocean County.
Some Republican insiders suspect Gilmore may be positioning himself for future races, noting that he earned nearly one hundred thousand dollars consulting for Spadea’s failed campaign. Critics have accused him of undermining Ciattarelli from behind the scenes, while Democrats have seized on the GOP infighting to weaken the nominee.
When asked about the posts, Ocean County GOP executive director Jennifer Bacchione denied responsibility.
“I didn’t post that,” Bacchione told Shore News Network, adding that she immediately ordered the removal of the attacks. “The primary is over. Jack won. End of story. Republicans support Republicans.”
Mark Vasquez, vice president of the Brick Township Republican Club, was identified as the author of the anti-Ciattarelli content that was shared on the county GOP’s page, by the official account. Bacchione did not say whether it was Vasquez or Gilmore who published the anti-Ciattarelli messages on the county’s Facebook pages.
Vasquez and the Brick GOP, have been out of power in that community since the days of rampant political corruption, nepotism, cronyism, tax increases, and controversial red light cameras allowed Democrats to run the local municipality over a decade ago.
Key Points
- Anti-Ciattarelli posts on Ocean County GOP Facebook page were removed after criticism.
- Chairman George Gilmore, who backed Bill Spadea, has been accused of withholding full support for Ciattarelli.
- GOP officials confirmed Brick Township Republican Club VP Mark Vasquez authored the posts.
