TOMS RIVER, NJ – It’s out with the old and in with the new in Ocean County. It’s a theme that has been recurring in elections for the past few years as a younger generation begins taking power from the elderly gang that has controlled Ocean County since the 1980s.
The Ocean County Republican Organization’s screening committee tossed incumbent Ocean County Commissioners Bobbi Jo Crea and Gary Quinn during this year’s screening process, opting instead for two political newcomers.
The organization chose Manchester Mayor Robert Arace and Ocean County GOP Executive Director Jennifer Bacchione to run for commissioner.
The move is a signal to the county’s old-guard politicians, who have maintained control over the county for decades in favor of younger candidates more in tune with what’s going on in the world today.
At this point, it is uncertain whether Crea and Quinn, allies of former GOP Chairman Frank B. Holman, will contest the screening committee’s decision and challenge it on the floor at this year’s Ocean County GOP convention.