Wayne Dumont

In the 23rd Legislative District’s battle of endorsements, assemblywoman and state senate candidate Marcia Karrow (R-Flemington) today announced the support of nine mayors from Warren County municipalities.

Karrow is competing with fellow Assemblyman Mike Doherty (R-Washington Twp.) and Hunterdon County Freeholder Matt Holt for the state senate seat being vacated by Congressman-elect Leonard Lance (R-Clinton).

The mayors are Robert Resker (Allamuchy Township), Bonnie Butler (Franklin Township), Thomas Charles (Frelinghuysen Township), Kevin Duffy (Township of Hardwick), Robert Giordano (Independence Township), John Inscho (Liberty Township), Ellen Nerback (Township of Mansfield), Harry Wyant, Jr. (Phillipsburg) and Marianne Van Deursen (Borough of Washington).

There are 22 municipalities in Warren County, 16 of which have partisan-elected Republican mayors.

An insurance company is suing a Monmouth County law firm for malpractice, alleging that the firm used their political connections to get the case and that their lawyer, freshman Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande, didn't know what she was doing. 

The original suit involved a woman, Carol Carpenter, who was "riding in a county medical transportation bus to a dialysis session when she fell out of her wheelchair and broke her right leg. Doctors amputated the leg two weeks later." When she sued the county the case was assigned to Cleary, Alfieri & Jones, a politically active firm with strong ties to the Monmouth GOP.  

The complaint filed by North River Insurance Co. says that "none of the attorneys who handled the case were in the least familiar with the duties of defense counsel, or even the rudiments of litigation practice" and that Casagrande, an associate who had one year of experience at the time, "should have received close supervision, but didn't, and her memos showed she wasn't well versed in the facts... A look at her analysis of the damages issue also reveals that she had totally missed the point."

"The Cleary firm was eligible for this appointment by virtue of its political activities rather than by virtue of its qualifications as an insurance defense firm," the complaint notes.  "It required skillful defense counsel rather than political appointees."  James Cleary, a partner at the firm, has served as assistant county counsel and counsel to the Western Monmouth Utilities Authority. 

Robert Yudin, a 67-year-old appliance store owner from Wyckoff, could be one day away from becoming the Bergen County Republican Chairman – a post that up until about six years ago was one of the most powerful positions in New Jersey politics.  Yudin will face incumbent Rob Ortiz in a runoff election tomorrow night.  Over the last few years, the former Wyckoff Board of Education member has made three unsuccessful bids for Freeholder.

Yudin's first campaign for public office came 41 years ago, when the 26-year-old Navy lieutenant who had just left active duty was recruited by Essex County Republicans as their candidate for Assemblyman.