On da surface, it looks like a strong rebuke and positive move for da Manalapan GOP. They decided to vote unanimously to tell their insurance carrier that they're "Mad as hell, and they're not going to take it anymore" from Queen Michelle Roth. Da Queen was sued by a former Colts Neck Mayor who was none too thrilled about comments she made at a county-run meeting regarding da process of how da Great Manalapan land Grab is being handled. They want da Queen to stand up to her own words and pay da price for saying them.
Again, sounds like da right thing to do. Sounds like a positive move, much like putting your land into Farmland Preservation.
But, as we all know, "positive moves" and "on da surface" and "unanimous resolution" could be nothing more than a ploy to discredit your political opponents. And, in this case, poking da cage that da Queen is in could create a political backlash da kind of which Manalapan has not seen -- since 2007!
Now, to be fair, no taxpayer wants to pay for another Manalapan lawsuit brought on by some politician. However, this one came with some twists and turns not readily mentioned by da Manalapan GOP'ers in their unanimous resolution. However, also to be fair, lets discuss these twists and turns.
TWIST #1: DA UNANIMOUS RESOLUTION
Yes, daTruth is it was a nuanumous resolution. Da final vote was 3-0. Three Land Baron Mayor Andy Boy henchmen voted to force da Queen to reach into her purse and put her pennies where her mouth is. Da three headless horsemen were GOP'er Ryan "Big Oops" Green, GOP'er Jordan Moskowitz, and Democrat Farmer turned GOP'er farm boy Donnie Holland. Da Queen wouldn't dignify it. Land Baron Mayor and GOP'er Andy Boy abstained. Why?????
TURN #2: WHY DID ANDY BOY ABSTAIN?
One could surmise that da reason Andy Boy abstained from da vote against da Queen is so it would seem he is above da political shananigans.
One could also surmise that da reason Land Baron Andy Boy abstained was because he is da now-infamous name behind da Great Manalapan Land Grab.
However, one could also surmise, maybe quite hidden from view, that Land Baron Andy Boy is also facing da very same situation that da Queen is - being a named defendant in a case against Manalapan Township!
Yes, it seems some have forgotten da case of Moskovitz vs Manalapan, da return volley in da now-infamous Manalapanistan vs Moskovitz lawsuit that set da blogisphere on fire when then-Mayor Andy Boy led da charge to attach a blogger, one that even Andy Boy at da time said cost "over $100,000" and that was over a year before da township legal dream team had to drop da case due to - of all things - not having enough of a case to move forward!!!!!!
Great job by da taxpayer-funded Manalapan Legal Dream Team for this one.
TURN AND TWIST #3: NICE DOG AND PONY SHOW
Here's one for da Manalapan Township legal eagle - is this legal? Da Manalapan Township Committee could pass a resolution saying da earth is flat, Chris Christie is anorexic, and all toilets throughout da kingdom of Manalapan will forever now be called "Andy's" and not "John's." Sounds great - but that doesn't make it legal. In da end, it will be up to Manalapan's insurance carrier to make da determination as to how to handle da Roth case, not a Democrat farmer-turned-Republican at da right time or a guy who once approved to have his own sister take a high-paying job in town before he claims he realized he didn't recognize her name on the list (they have the same last name). So, pass any resolution you desire. However please remember that just because you spend taxpayer time and money to pass whatever partisan politics makes you giddy, it doesn't necessarily make it legal.
TWIST AND TURN #4: DA RESOLUTION ITSELF
Now, this is da quote from da resolution itself --- "Da Township Committee hereby expresses its opinion that the comments made by Mrs. Roth concerning Mr. Stuart were unrelated to any item of township business; were made as a result of Mrs. Roth’s own personal and political motivations; and should not result in defense or indemnification by the taxpayers of the township. The Township Committee determines, as a matter of township policy, that it will inform the township’s insurance company, Garden State Municipal Joint Insurance Fund, that it will not impose the $10,000 deductible cost on the taxpayers of Manalapan and that the insurance company should look to Committeewoman Roth for reimbursement of these costs."
OK - let's examine this a bit more carefully:
1. "Da comments made by Mrs. Roth concerning Mr. Stuart were unrelated to any item of township business."
Does that include da Great Manalapan Land Grab - in which da Queen is a sitting member of that very same Manalapan Township Committee and a representative of da people?
2. "(comments) were made as a result of Mrs. Roth’s own personal and political motivations."
Could it just be that da Queen was speaking up "for all da people" on a polarizing issue? Does this mean da First Amendment in Manalapan is OK and a great document, only if you are a GOP'er and not a Blogger or Democratic Township Committee person because speaking your mind or daTruth can get you sued at taxpayer expense?
3. "The Township Committee determines, as a matter of township policy, that it will inform the township’s insurance company, Garden State Municipal Joint Insurance Fund, that it will not impose the $10,000 deductible cost on the taxpayers of Manalapan and that the insurance company should look to Committeewoman Roth for reimbursement of these costs."
If this works for one - should it be da model for all???? Does this mean that if Democrats take over power on da Township Committee, they can draft a resolution and vote on party lines that Mayor Andy Boy reimburse all money spent defending him for da Mosked Man vs Manalapan lawsuit? What's next - will da GOP'er led Manalapan Township Committee draft a resolution saying any former mayor over 200 pounds can't speak at any meetings? Will da GOP'er led Manalapan Township Committee draft a resolution saying only political party chief grand poobahs are da only people who can be approved to be a sewer authority commissioner at taxpayer expense?
DaTruth is, if you say a sitting township political leader cannot object to anything da opposing party is approving at breakneck speed, then you no longer live in da United States. Your new change of address will include da words "North Korea" or Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics." In 2007, a blogger named daTruthSquad was harassed and sued by Manalapan politicians, all because da blogger decided to do da unthinkable -- openly discuss a law case that lacked legal jurisprudence - and tried to do an end-around of the Constitution of the United States. That blogger fought back - and not only beat da Manalapan Legal Dream Team, but also set a legal precedent that is still used as a First Amendment model today!
Love or hate da Queen, you have to still stand at her side and admit you cannot stifle anyone's First Amendment rights. Even though this blog has had our disagreements with da Queen and her court, we still must stand with her right to open up her mouth and allow words to escape. She is, at least for now a member of da Manalapan Township Committee, and is a dissenting voice against 4 guys who seem to go goose step for goose step with what their party leader desires. It is also very ironic that this so-called resolution to stifle free speech comes almost 4 years to da day when daTruthSquad began our historic fight against da 2007 Mayor Andy Boy-led Manalapan Township Committee in a case that garnered worldwide attention. Da Manalapan Legal Dream Team and da career politicians who brought this case may try hard to forget it, but that will not happen. Free speech is alive and well and will continue to live in Manalapan - despite da best efforts of those who attempt to make Manalapan their own little kingdom and Manalapan tax coffers their own little piggy bank.
It seems that too many great Americans have fought and died for that right, and it seems that in Manalapan, it is da Manalapan Republican politicians who tend to forget both recent and US history. It's a shame, but it appears that it is also daTruth.
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66 comments:
when Mrs roth cross-claims against the three mousketeers, i suspect that there will be ample evidence that one or more of them breached their fiducuary duty to the township by conspiracy to encourage the colts neck appraiser's lawsuit. i hope the lwyer for the twonship is giving proper advice to these clowns about spoliation of relevant evidence.
Very well written and thoughtful piece about the potential pitfalls of what the vote means. It should also be said that if the insurance company now denies coverage to Ms. Roth not only will she have a potential claim against the insurance company for declaratory judgment but also against the township and the committeemembers who voted in favor of the resolution for interfering with her right to be indemnified/defended and for violating her first amendment rights. Also, if the insurance carrier does defend and indemnify Ms. Roth in this lawsuit and the township refuses to pay its deductible, you can bet the insurance company will file its own action against the township as well. So the actions of three individuals may cost the township more lawsuits and more attorneys fees and deductibles to pay. Great going guys. Perhaps in the future you should consult with your attorney before taking such foolish action.
I love when people think they know the law and they are absolutely clueless. I love it even more when it happens to be a lawyer that's absolutely clueless. You may want to read the tort claims act before you decide that anyone is going to be liable for stopping Roth from costing the taxpayers more money to defend her lack of control.
There's a few points I agree with.
First, how can the township committee arbitrarily rule and then vote to tell their lawyer what to do and their insurance company what to do? If their rule is to cover the committeemembers, then they could face a lawsuit from Roth if they don't.
Second, How can they file suit against Roth in the first place. She was speaking about a Manalapan issue including the Manalapan mayor. If you can't speak up against something, then we really are in trouble in this country.
The whole thing sounds political to me.
The only way this will ever be OK is for the state or Feds to come in and fully investigate. IMHO someone is breaking the law here.
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people”
Any average member of the town is supposed to be able to run for and serve as a committee member. The largest problem with this resolution is now it may discourage good people from running out of fear that they could be on the hook financially for things that they say. Now someone who doesn't have a spare $10,000 lying around might hesitate to run for office, and who knows if that person may have done great things for the residents of Manalapan. This whole situation has become an absolute mess, but I don't see a problem with speaking up when taxpayer dollars are on the line. I would expect all 5 people sitting up there to voice concerns over something that is questionable.
Roth should make the call to the Mosk man...he is the best legal ass kicker in NJ!
good NT letter from Joel Bohm--
Article provided significant information
I want to commend News Transcript Managing Editor Mark Rosman for his article profiling the Manalapan Township candidates running in this year’s election (“Four Residents in Race for Manalapan Seats,” Oct. 19).
I noticed that of the four candidates, only one did not mention his willingness to listen to and address constituents’ township-related problems. Points to Don Holland for not falsely claiming this crucial ingredient for his platform since, based on personal experience, addressing these issues are of absolutely no interest to him. Obviously, he would rather serve on the Township Committee behind a sign reading “Closed. Next Window Please.”
Joel Bohm
Manalapan
Mrs. Roth has already guaranteed that no good lawyer will ever agree to be Manalapan's township attorney. Now her mouth will probably discourage good citizens from running for township committee in the future.
"Roth should make the call to the Mosk man...he is the best legal ass kicker in NJ!"
My guess is Stu Moskovitz would laugh his A$$ off at defending Roth. However what a way for Stu to stick it to the township committee and their lawyers because this would be an easier win forhim than when they sued him for the malpractice claim they wound up not being able to remotely prove.
michelle would rather use johnnie cochran than stu. both are dead, but at least cochran had fewer enemies.
"Mrs. Roth has already guaranteed that no good lawyer will ever agree to be Manalapan's township attorney. Now her mouth will probably discourage good citizens from running for township committee in the future."
I beg to differ
regards
Seth Ptasiewicz
you're going to be begging for more than that once the election is over, Seth.
Hey Seth: you agreed to be Roth's fourth running mate in four elections, so it's not like your opinion is going to carry much weight.
@"michelle would rather use johnnie cochran than stu. both are dead"
Got any more BS calumnies?
Wow you are incredibly mature
Is it me or does anyone else think Michelle Roth has been too quiet these days. My guess is she will drop a bombshell bit of news before the election. What does she have to lose?
I can't wait to see the executive session minutes that will get subpoenad and released that will most likely detail the corruption of Manalapan Town Hall. Bring it on and lets clean up this mess that Manalapan politicians have left for us.
Four Words: GUILTY, GUILTY, LUCAS, GUILTY!
9 more days until the wicked witch of manalapan is sent packing by the voters she has wronged.
As a long time Manalapan resident, I have loyally voted the Republican ticket for more years than I care to admit. Unfortunately, I am this year going to support Mrs. Roth in the municipal elections as I admire and respect her courage and conviction to publicly and actively oppose the Lucas land/grab deal. This is despite the fact that on a personal basis, I mcuh prefer the two Pepublican candidates.
"9 more days until the wicked witch of manalapan is sent packing by the voters she has wronged."
really, susan cohen may not be too bright, but she's a nice old lady and deserves better than to ba called a witch.
In looking at the postings for the last month on this site, it is clear to me that the supporters of Mrs. Roth are pathological liars -- to the point of claiming they are Republicans, which is ridiculous, extremely disgusting and vicious, kind of in the Fred Stone/George Spodak mode, have no sense of decency or morals, and couldn't care less what is good for this community. Based on these postings alone, it is clear to me that we cannot allow Madam Roth to remain in office supported, at least not while she is tied to her flying monkeys who spend their lives attacking people.
a vote for Michelle Roth is a vote for Fred Stone and George Spodak. Nuf said.
I saw this on NJ.com. I thought it should be posted here before the antiFirst Amendment and anti-Free Speech Lucas Gang decided to have it removed.
5267.
Seriously.......
by morrisschwartz, 10/31/11 4:01 PM
It's 8 days before the election. Do you all know who the candidates are that are trying to protect the Mayor's grab of a million $$$$ of your tax money for his personal enrichment? In case you're not sure, let me tell you: "don" holland and susan cohen. the candidates who have the guts to fight for honesty are michelle roth and seth ptasciewicz. forgive me if i misspelled his last name, but its the quality of the candidates that counts more than the spelling.
As much as most people appear to dislike Fred Stone and George Spodak and are not particularly fond of Michelle Roth, I find a unanimous support for her re-election this year from members of both major political parties because of her public exposure and opposition to Mayor Lucas's selfish scheme to get 100 acres of land and a homesite for himself at a taxpayer expense of 1.2 million dollars. As a further credit, her new running mate appears to be a likeable and well qualified individual.
michelle roth and honesty in the same sentence is like Fred Stone and ethics in the same sentence.
since when did attacking people with vile lies equate to "honesty?" And do we really want someone who was fined $25,000 for setting up fraudulent mutual fund companies lecturing us on honesty? Really?
hmm. It's Halloween and Fred returns to posting. Coincidence? I think not.
you're going to be begging for more than that once the election is over, Seth.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Anonymous said...
Hey Seth: you agreed to be Roth's fourth running mate in four elections, so it's not like your opinion is going to carry much weight.
I am glad that whoever you are decided to use my first name. I appreciate the familiarity and while we may differ on certain issues I would certainly like to meet with you to have an open dialogue rather than an anonymous one. At the end of the day we may still not agree on everything but at least we will hear each other out.
regards
seth
You can say what you want about the Demcorats in Manalapan, but I like this guy Seth who seems to be a real person not beholden to anyone. As for Roth, she is far from my favorite person, but she gets points for standing up to Lucas and his cabal who want to see him get rich quick on the backs of taxpayers. Susan Cohen and Don Holland have become enablers and not a part of the solution, but now a part of the problem of political fat cats getting richer while taxpayers get ripped off. The Manalapan Democrats get my vote this year.
The vocal lawyer is our own pipsqueak version of Corzine, and we all saw today what that scum did with $700 million while his company went bankrupt.
The vocal lawyer is our own pipsqueak version of Corzine, and we all saw today what that scum did with $700 million while his company went bankrupt.
Query-to whom are you referring? If it is me I must say the only similarity I have with the formerr governor is that we both wear glasses and have very little hair on my head. Also first time I would have been called a pipsqueak as I am approximately 6ft 2in and weigh around 220 and 215 on a really good day. It truly saddens me that the level of debate boils down then to namecalling. Perhaps again you should really speak to me personally first before you need to resort to such tactics. It does nothing to help our town.
regards
Seth
U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Rep. Rush Holt paid nearly $40,000 to a former worker who claims he was fired from their campaigns for hiring African-American canvassers.
The campaigns of U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Rep. Rush Holt paid out nearly $40,000 to settle charges by a former election worker who said he lost his job for hiring minorities to get out the vote in predominately white areas.
Christopher Nastuk, a canvass director whose job was to find field workers to get out the Democratic vote in the 2008 election, filed suit last year in federal court claiming he had been dumped for hiring black canvassers to go door-to-door for the candidates in parts of Holt’s 12th Congressional District.
Both campaigns denied the allegations, but the case was quietly settled out of court over the summer and its terms kept confidential. Recently released campaign finance reports, however, revealed the Lautenberg and Holt campaigns each paid out a $19,500 legal settlement just before the lawsuit was dismissed.
Angelo J. Genova, counsel to both campaigns, confirmed the payments were made the resolve the Nastuk lawsuit. The money went to five plaintiffs named in the lawsuit.
RELATED COVERAGE:
• Lawsuit claims ex-N.J. Democratic campaign official was fired for hiring African-Americans
"The settlement ends a baseless, frivolous, two-year-long litigation process," Genova said. "The campaigns continue to vehemently deny these claims, and chose to accept this nuisance-value settlement to avoid any prospect of future litigation costs."
Daniel Marchese, the attorney for Nastuk would not comment, nor would the attorney for Chauntay Jenkins, an African-American woman who had joined in the lawsuit as a plaintiff.
According to the complaint, Nastuk, 45, of Manasquan, had been hired by the Lautenberg campaign in 2008, assigned to conduct political canvassing work for both Lautenberg and Holt. Nastuk, who is white, claimed in the lawsuit that he was told black canvassers were "demographically undesirable" in the predominately white areas of the district being targeted, and that he was ordered not to hire people who used words like "yo, yo, yo ..."
Nastuk said after he hired Jenkins and more than a dozen other black canvassers, all were let go and replaced by white canvassers whose names were provided by e-mail in a text document titled "nobrolists" — which Nastuk said he took to mean "no bro-thers," in a disparaging slang.
He said he was fired after he complained.
The Lautenberg and Holt campaigns, which had called the lawsuit politically motivated, said the "nobrolists" referred to campaign workers from North Brunswick, which is part of Holt’s district. The district includes parts of Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, Hunterdon and Somerset counties.--nj.com
Maybe no one wants to speak to you Seth, because your agreeing to be Michelle Roth's fourth running mate shows you are not a very rational person.
Seth, it's not you. It's the anonymous defamer continuing his tirade of lies about a decent man who was once his friend and then exposed him for the sick liar that he is. what's ironic is that susan cohen refused to condemn this liar even though he is her political puppeteer and friend.
Did Manalapan really Roth's wages like the Cohen ad says?
Seth, it's not you; it's the guy who just wrote that it's not you but is in fact the anonymous defamer (sometimes anonymous, sometimes showing up on NJ.COM as morryschwartz, formerly of the hate site) who has proven to have no ethics whatsoever by the SEC, and has taken to attacking the ACTUAL decent person who is Susan's friend. Susan has not condemned the honest, decent attorney because she is well aware that the person who needs to be condemned is the securities fraud whom you've met, because he's working on your campaign.The fact that you are willing to work with that fraud is the reason no one should vote for you, Seth.
Maybe no one wants to speak to you Seth, because your agreeing to be Michelle Roth's fourth running mate shows you are not a very rational person.
I feel really sad for you that you cannot put your dislike for Michelle aside and actually attempt to engage in a meaningful dialogue with me. Rather, you engage in the tactics that you accuse Michelle of engaging in of personal attacks. I feel truly sorry for you and hope you can somehow overcome this anger.
My best
regards
Seth
Seth, it's not you. It's the anonymous defamer continuing his tirade of lies about a decent man who was once his friend and then exposed him for the sick liar that he is. what's ironic is that susan cohen refused to condemn this liar even though he is her political puppeteer and friend.
Thanks I do not take it personally. Rather, I try to practice what I preach which is that I am more than willing to reach across party lines to talk to anyone in town who is willing to engage in a good faith dialogue. I cannot do so if I am only going to be engaged in a monologue. In campaigning with Michelle I have met many wonderful people who live in Manalapan who have been more than willing to discuss with me their concerns and views even if they are not a Democrat. Perhaps we may end up not agreeing with each other but at least hopefully we are now listening to each other and not merely engaging in personal attacks solely due to political affiliation.
regards
Seth
@"Seth, it's not you."
It's really something how quickly defensive these supersensitive lawyers are. Gee, we have to wonder why.
Fred's wrong again. It's not about Stu. It never is. The reference to securities fraud and Democrats makes clear that the subject can be just one person.
Hey, Seth--
just go to this link, and then you can decise whether you'd rather have fred as a supporter or stu moskovitz, susan's "friend."
http://nt.gmnews.com/news/2009-09-02/greg_bean/029.html
I just received Manalapan's newest newspaper. I can't believe how shady the Lucas Land Grab is. Roth and Seth just got my vote.
What I find itneresting about Roth and Seth's campaign newslettr is how many times the area newspapers came out against this land sham. The fact that Holland told the Covered Bridge seniors one thing and two weeks later switched parties is even more telling. He didn't make that decision fast. That to me would have been a calculated move, meaning he wasn't being honest with the seniors. He just lost my vote.
You have to seriously wonder when Lucas will decide he doesn't need Cohen and Holland anymore and what he will do with them, much like he did with Joe Locricchio, Anthony Gennaro, Cohen the first time, Ste Moskovitz, Michelle Roth, Gerard Ward, and the list goes on.
If you can nominate a political party boss to a governmental agency that was once raided by the FBI, and shut the process down to get your money man in there so he can collect a fat paycheck, this Lucas guy is fast becoming the John Lynch and Sharpe James of Manalapan politics.
I won't be satisfied until Roth opens up all of the Executive Session minutes for the Land Grab, so everybody and hopefully the Feds see what happened here.
Somehow I don't think Roth is done, even if she were to lose next week. My guess is she will tie Lucas and Holland up in a neat package and hand them over to the FBI or state investigators so they can move forward on corruption charges.
Of course, if that happens, I'm 1000% sure that Ryan Green will stand right up and demand they both pay for their own legal fees so township taxpayers aren't dealing with this burden either.
@"You have to seriously wonder when Lucas will decide he doesn't need Cohen and Holland anymore and what he will do with them"
Serves 'em right for being turncoats.
You gotta wonder who Stu is working for in this election. He hates everyone but Susan, and he pretends to be part of the Republican party, but some of the posts here make us think he's anaonymously trying to make sure Lucas is the big loser.
It's amazing how many of those Cohen/Holland campaign signs are out in Manalapan today right befroe the election. It's also amazing how many Michelle & Seth signs seem to have disappeared lately. Just seems like it. Not accusing anyone of anything.
Just a question - if it is proved there was wrongdoing in the Lucas Land Grab by the mayor himself, will Ryan Green demand Lucas pay his own legal fees?
Or will he ask Lucas what he should do?
Ding dong the witch is dead!
a big oops? Apparently not.
Now there is no stopping Lucas!
yeah, and now we'll find out who REALLY is wicked.
Don't write her obituary yet. She may just be playing possum. Hopefully, she will pursue her opposition to Lucas's land-grab and pursuade others to do the same.
"It's amazing how many of those Cohen/Holland campaign signs are out in Manalapan today right befroe the election. It's also amazing how many Michelle & Seth signs seem to have disappeared lately. Just seems like it. Not accusing anyone of anything."
Every where I go I see Michelle & Seth signs. Today, it's all I see, because all of the republican signs are gone.
Nothing but dem signs as far as the eye can see
Roth came in last place! even her no name- no show running mate received more votes than her.
Can someone tell me how Andrew Lucas did? Was he reelected as Mayor? I saw that Michelle Roth lost but I don't remember seeing Andrew Lucas name on ballot.
allll gone.
The whining crybaby was just preparing his excuse for the loss.
Congrats to Don and Susan on their election. My best to them. It was a pleasure being in the campaign with them as well as an honor to run with Michelle.
Again the only thing the saddens me is to see the constant name calling from both sides about the people running for office. Sad so very sorry.
regards
Seth
Congratulations are in order for Susan Cohen and Don Holland....they are both good people. Hopefully, now that they are elected, they will come to their senses and see thru this Lucas land-grab scheme that could forever haunt Manalapan Township.
Is your next post going to be Roth announcing for the opportunity to face Ryan Green in the next township election?
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