By Harry Hurley Op-Ed Contributor Kyrillos a great next chapter to his already accomplished life. NEW JERSEY ASSEMBLYMAN CHRIS BROWN, R-2 I wish Assemblyman Brown the clarity to decide whether or not to step up and challenge New Jersey Senator Jim Whelan, D-2, for his Senate seat in 2017. Assemblyman Brown was the single most ardent defender of Atlantic City and the fierce battle to defeat legalized casino gaming in North Jersey. The ill-advised measure failed in a state wide vote by a margin of 80% to 20%. NEW JERSEY SENATOR JIM WHELAN, D-2 A lump of coal in his stocking this Christmas for working so hard to help outsiders try and deliver legalized casino gaming to North Jersey. If Whelan had been successful, it would have devastated the Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Ocean and Camden Counties, respectively. Four more Atlantic City casinos would have closed if Whelan’s initial scheme was successful. Whelan did jump on board the VOTE NO train at the very end. Despite Whelan’s regular anti-2nd District activities, he has been highly successful on Election Day, having vanquished Republican stars such as former Senator James “Sonny” McCullough, Assemblyman Vince Polistina, and Sheriff Frank Balles. NEW JERSEY SENATOR JEFF VAN DREW, D-1 Senator Van Drew is one of the finest-ever public servants in New Jersey history. He always supports the best interests of the taxpaying public. When Congressman LoBiondo finishes his career in the House of Representatives, which could be in the next four years, look for Van Drew to step up. Van Drew would be an outstanding member of Congress. He is un-bought and
un-bossed. I wish Senator Van Drew another victory in his re-election bid on November 7, 2017. He is most deserving.
NEW JERSEY ASSEMBLYMAN VINCE MAZZEO, D-2 Assemblyman Mazzeo took the same untenable position as Senator Whelan regarding the important ballot question #1 regarding expanding casino gaming into North Jersey. Mazzeo left Atlantic City and the region high and dry on this pivotal question. He came back home in the final few weeks when all of the polling data showed a lopsided victory for the Vote No effort. He is up for re-election in 2017. This will be a very challenging re-election bid for Mazzeo. Much of his electoral fate rests in the hands of Assemblyman Brown. If Brown moves up and takes on Whelan, then Mazzeo’s path to re-election will be much more achievable. If Brown and Risley are the Republican ticket, Mazzeo can be defeated on November 7, 2017. ATLANTIC COUNTY FREEHOLDER JOHN RISLEY, R-Atlantic County Freeholder Risley has already announced on “Hurley in the Morning” that he will be seeking one of the two New Jersey Assembly seats in the June 2017 Republican Primary. He has come within a whisker in the past of winning a Republican nomination. I think 2017 is the year Risley achieves the nomination. He’s earned it. ATLANTIC COUNTY EXECUTIVE DENNIS LEVINSON, R-ATLANTIC Levinson is the finest County Executive in the state. Democratic Senate President Sweeney has also said this publicly. I wish Levinson continued good health. We currently face the most challenging financial times in at least 40 years. Levinson has guided Atlantic County with honesty,
integrity, and competently. ATLANTIC CITY MAYOR DON GUARDIAN, R-AC Mayor Don Guardian has worked hard for the past three years. Despite this, the state of New Jersey is officially going to take over Atlantic City. 2017 also represents the first re-election year for Guardian, who previously announced on “Hurley in the Morning” that he will seek a second term. The demographic math is against him, with Democrats outnumbering Republicans by a more than an 8-1 margin. Guardian winning three years ago was an almost supernatural event. My well-placed sources have confirmed that former long-time Mayor Lorenzo Langford intends to run. Guardian narrowly defeated Langford in 2013. Current City Council President Marty Small and immediate past City Council President Frank Gilliam, Jr. will also be seeking the Democratic Nomination this upcoming June, 2017. With the state soon-to-be running Atlantic City’s day-today operations, this will be a very tough election. Atlantic City Councilman at Large George Tibbitt and Mo Delgado remain the top two favorites for re-election. All can expect to lose a great deal of their authority. Look for the city to file litigation in Federal Court against the state of New Jersey in 2017. To all of the wonderful readers of New Jersey Lifestyle Magazine, I wish you and yours a very beautiful Holiday season. n Harry Hurley is the president of Harry Hurley Consulting and Communications, LLC. He hosts the daily talk radio program “Hurley in the Morning” 6-10 AM weekdays on Townsquare Media, WPG Talk Radio 1450, where he also serves as the senior programming consultant, www. harryhurley.com.
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LIFESTYLE | Holiday 2016
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