TOMS RIVER-Ocean County GOP Chairman Frank Holman is probably the most disengaged Republican Chairman in the entire state of New Jersey and his political losses keep mounting. This time, despite henchman Jerry Dasti bragging about his impending selection to the Legislative Reapportionment Commission, he didn’t get it.
Nobody from the Ocean County GOP establishment was picked, but here’s who was picked. Al Barlas will serve as the GOP Chairman in the bi-partisan restricting commission that could redraw the New Jersey election map.
He will be joined by New Jersey Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean, Jr., Minority Leader John Bramnick, former GOP Chairman Michael Lavery, and Linda Dubois.
Democrats have not yet announced their redistricting team.
The omission is just another in a long line of defeats for Holman and his small circle of pay to play insiders that have transformed Ocean County from one of the strongest Republican organizations in the state to perhaps one of the weakest and least respected in just a matter of twelve short months.
To rub salt into the wound, Michael Lavery is the nephew of former GOP Chairman George Gilmore. To rub even more salt into the already salted wound, when Holman was passed up by the RNC to serve on the New Jersey Delegation to the RNC’s Presidential nominating convention, the party chose JoAnne Gilmore, George Gilmore’s wife.
If Holman’s first year in office was a television show, it would be called, “Everybody Hates Frank”.
Here’s the Holman rookie season follies:
- Just barely won the GOP Chairman seat against relatively unknown challenger. Relied on the Lakewood bloc vote for the win.
- Narrowly edged Democrats in the 2019 Toms River mayoral election despite having the Orthodox Jewish bloc vote.
- His key ally, the Jackson GOP Club condemned by RNC for antisemitism.
- Failed to win the Republican stronghold of Brick back from the Democrats.
- Helped to orchestrate a failed coup of the Toms River Republican Club.
- Lost a nominating convention floor vote for his organization’s endorsed candidates for U.S. Senate and U.S. Congress.
- Was overlooked by the RNC for a seat on the 2020 Presidential RNC convention floor.
- Was unable to get any OC GOP leadership on the redistricting committee.
Rank and file Republicans continue counting the days to the end of Holman’s interim position…or continue praying for his resignation, whichever comes first.
To add insult to injury, when the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, Holman abandoned ship and took off on a hunting trip in the midwest, according to sources close to the OC GOP. While Holman might be great at living off his father’s political patronage legacy, collecting a hefty $6,000,000 annual public contract take, one thing is certain…the whole leadership thing is definitely not him.
