We had a feeling that people would want to know about Land-Grab-Gate, but even we have to admit that we never expected that so many readers would get into da debate of Land-Grab-Gate. We have decided that instead of us discussing this hot-button issue that has Manalapan and others in da state talking, we'll let our readers do da talking - da ones who left over 155 comments!
Here's a small sample of da comments we have received in our last blog post, entitled "BREAKING NEWS ---- Da D-E-P Goes After Mayor A-B-L Involving LAND-GRAB-GATE."
Anonymous said... "Farmer/Developer"? This guy is the consummate politician. All that's missing is him twirling his mustache as he steals milk money from kids to line his own pockets.
Anonymous said... I'm waiting to see who flinches first and demands Andy resign. This is worse than when they sued Moskovitz. It's time that someone investigate the politics in this town. If taxpayer money has to be spent on something, let it be an investigation into Town Hall.
Horace Greeley said... There's nothing like having "fiends" in high office!
Anonymous said... It's good to see the APP aggressively looking into this. The media has always been the watchdog for the people by the people against this sort of political scummyness. Where's the Snoozer on this story? Anyone who believes the news snoozer is anything more than a second rate coupon clipping lawn littering pile of garbage is a fool. Where's Bozo Bean stand on this issue? Thank You APP and Truth Squad!
Anonymous said... I'm not one to ask for an investigation just to ask for one. Too many times they are partisan and a waste of taxpayer money. However, in this case, there's an exception. You have a sitting mayor who has IMHO used his political position to cash in. If he weren't in office, that's one thing. But he is and he obviously IMHO manipulated the process. He was in on meetings by his own admission. Thos meetings determined which piece of land would be chosen. The county agreement for this was IMHO also manipulated by his friend and fellow Republican Don Holland. I believe the cvounty and township should immediately halt this process and not continue until a Federal investigation were to clear any wrongdoing. If Mayor Lucas is above board, he should be the one demanding this to clear his own name - that is unless he has something to hide.
Anonymous said... LETS NOT FORGET THIS SLIMY POLITICIAN IS THE SAME GUY WHO ALSO MADE HIS OWN CAMPAIGN MANAGER AND PARTY BOSS A SEWER COMMISSIONER AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE! JUST ANOTHER REASON HE SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. JUST ANOTHER REASON MANALAPAN IS A POLITICAL LAUGHINGSTOCK.
Anonymous said... A-B-L needs to go to J-A-I-L N-O-W I-M-H-O!
Anonymous said.... Cream rises to the top, slimey politicians cling to the bottom. We all know which describes Andy Lucas. As for his new henchman Don Holland, that's embarrassing and sad. He used to be his own man. When Michelle Roth comes out as the ethical person here, you know something illegal has happened.
Anonymous said... I don't blame Don. He IS a nice guy and always tries to do the right thing. Anybody who knows him will tell you that. Unfortunately people like this can often be duped by evil, and in this case ABL. I didn't buy into investigating this further, but now I do.
Anonymous said... Question - How can you be a Republican who says they are fiscally conservative and want to cut taxes when you will add to the tax burden by taking over $1 million in taxpayer money to buy land for yourself? One word -- C-O-R-R-U-P-T!
Anonymous said... No doubt in my mind now. Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas and the Monmouth Agricultural Board should be investigated by the feds. There is no way "Joe Citizen" would get a deal like this.
Anonymous said... You can stomp your feet and shake your heads all you want, it won't change a thing. The Mayor is in power and he's one of the Governor's boys, end of story. Don't hold your breath waiting for an investigation. Don Holland saw which way the wind was shifting and jumped ship to the Republican Party, he's now part of the club that finds these kind of stunts acceptable. I hope Mayor Lucas at least has the decency to thank the taxpayers for buying him a new farm and the new house that will be built on it. Only in New Jersey, ya gotta love it.
Anonymous said... I'm struggling to pay my mortgage and taxes while our mayor gets a million $$ in tax dollars to buy a himself a farm and a new house ? Kick me in the a$$, I should have been a farmer or a politician in manalapan.
Anonymous said... Too many Republicans involved. Lucas is going to get away with this land grab. I rarely agree with Roth on anything, but this time she's right.
Skeletons in the closet said... Seriously, do you think this is Andy's only miscue? Remember, he was for the Village before he was against it. He was enemies with the Roths before he was their friend only to turn his back on them. He was friends with his running mate Joe before he was against him. He was friends with Stu before he turned his back on him. He was a buddy to Steve Johnson before tossing him under the bus. He was a friend of Susan Cohen before becoming an enemy and now a friend again. He was an enemy of George Spodak before becoming his friend only to turn on him again. What of Tara Lovrich? Members of the Manalapan Republican Club? Even Steve McEnery? And there are others. See a pattern here. What have you done for me lately? And what happens when you're not needed anymore? TIP OF THE ICEBERG.
Anonymous said... Four words: PLEASE INVESTIGATE MAYOR LUCAS!
Anonymous said... Four words: VERY, VERY, VERY GUILTY!
DaTruth is, and nobody is going to like this - Manalapan Mayor ABL will get his land-grab, ABL will get over $1.1 million dollars of taxpayer money to pay for it, and he will never disclose how much he paid for it. Why? Because he is following da rules of da system, da system of being a well-placed GOP'er in a system dominated by a "super-majority" of GOP'ers (not us - Lillian Burry - da GOP'er Freeloader was da one who used that term at a GOP'er dominated meeting that progressed Land-Grab-Gate another step further.)
Along da way, you had GOP'ers including members of da GOP'er super-majority Manalapan Township Committee placing blame wherever they could.
In one case, Manalapan Mayor ABL, while facing yet another rubber-stamp panel and apparently with da Asbury Park Press editorial board not there to defend themselves, decided to "stay above it all" - by sifting through da verbal trash and lobbing verbal refuse at da only newspaper who covered da story in Manalapan!
Lucas said in his speech caught on tape by Manalapan Patch, "I just want to apologize for da political rancor you guys are going to have to deal with. I'm sure you've seen some of the untruthful comments that have come through da daily rag (ASBURY PARK PRESS). Just the coverage of that one daily rag (ASBURY PARK PRESS) has referred to this application over 19 times as a "land deal" and only 4 times as "farmland preservation."
So, to recap -- Da "Rag" (ASBURY PARK PRESS) calls Mayor ABL's taxpayer-funded land-grab a "land deal" over 19 times --- Da "Rag" (ASBURY PARK PRESS) calls Mayor ABL's taxpayer-funded land-grab "farmland preservation only 4 times --- and Manalapan Mayor ABL calls da Asbury Park Press a "RAG" 2 times.
And with his lovely wife at his side, ABL then followed that up by, and we must admit no tears were being shed, that one of his "Critics-In-Chief" he blames for alerting da DEP about da ABL problems with da land, which da DEP then decided to investigate. As we all know, it was alleged that da "Critic-In-Chief" was blamed to be none other than former rival / friend / rival Da Queen, who we can only believe somehow must have trodden onto ABL Acres in her evening gown and high heels holding a flashlight in one hand and a pirate's map with an "X" that marked da spot of da illegal wetlands activity in da other.
Another Manalapan Township Committeeman has gone on record saying da price Mayor ABL paid for da land that da taxpayers will hand to him $1.1 million - that taxpayers have no need to know what he paid, saying "It's none of your business."
And, to be fair, you can never have a scenario like this without da GOP'ers blaming da Queen of Manalapan for making this "political" or invoking da "partisan politics" clause in their contracts. And, to be fair, it's not like this excuse hasn't been used before.
DaTruth is, if you sell your home, should you as "Joe Citizen" be allowed to keep all records of your home sale secret, including to da county, only because you're da mayor of a town that has a history of politics-before-taxpayers? In a way, that is what's happening in da Kingdom of Manalapan, and it appears since you're not of da right political party, we don't have that right to know, despite da fact we da taxpayers are paying for it?
Rarely have we ever found da Queen to be right about anything, but in this case when there's too many unanswered questions, both from taxpayers and da Queen, a sitting mayor getting a seven-figure taxpayer funded windfall while in office, and da single biggest controversy since da Manalapan Township Committee sued a lawyer for following to da letter an order of da court, you have to speculate that "if it looks ethically tainted, smells ethically tainted, and acts ethically tainted," then in Manalapan it must just be another afternoon in Manalapan politics.
Of course, da question is - how will this play with da peasants in November, and how does this land-grab look to da voters when it comes to da two GOP'er candidates who support it, and da one who escorted it through parts of da process? Will Land-Grab-Gate harm da political chances of Don Holland and Susan Cohen? How will da Queen position her campaign against them? Will this campaign turn ugly? Could Land-Grab-Gate be da vehicle da Queen rides to a victory against overwhelming odds?
We may know soon enough - And that's daTruth. And, as for a BaconHead Award for da month of June, that goes to none other than da local Snoozepaper, who woke out of a slumber and after a month decided this was actually an item of news that people may want to know about and actually covered it, although one can say there was a twinge of anti-Queenism attached. But kudos to da Snoozer anyway. Better late than never to get da golden opportunity to hang a BaconHead on your wall!
