LGBT rights usually have nothing to do with the job of county clerk. But they do this year in Monmouth County where candidates backed by the county GOP organization are facing primary challengers from the right.
This brings us to Christine Giordano Hanlon, who is seeking her third, 5-year, term as clerk.
Her opponent, Danielle Bellomo, says an issue is Hanlon’s support for Garden State Equality, a gay rights organization.
Bellomo, a member of the Marlboro Board of Education, contends that primaries are not merely about the job itself, but “electing the person who best represents the values of the party and of the constituents the primary winner will represent.” On that score, Bellomo says Hanlon does not represent “Republican Party values” in terms of parental rights in the classroom and spending taxpayers’ money.
As for Garden State Equality, a recent release from Bellomo says that the all-Republican Monmouth County Commissioners and Hanlon “have funneled $100,000 in taxpayer funding to Garden State Equality, an organization actively opposing Republican values and parental rights in the county’s school districts.” Bellomo added that the “county’s entrenched Republicans have brazenly abandoned the GOP’s base.”
Hanlon said in response that the charge suggests Bellomo has no idea what the county clerk does. Hanlon added:
“If she did, she would know that the County Clerk has no ability to give taxpayer money to Garden State Equality, or any other non-profit, for that matter. Let me be clear: I did not allocate $100,000 of taxpayer dollars to any such groups, and to suggest that I did is a complete fabrication and not within my legal authority as County Clerk.”
(Both statements from the candidates are printed in full below)
For the record, the county clerk’s job includes recording a variety of property and other records, processing vote-by-mail ballots, certifying election results and handling passport operations.
Garden State Equality says it is the “largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in New Jersey, with over 150,000 members. Established in 2004, we are now one of the most successful statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organizations in the nation.”
Digressing a bit, it is true that most gay-rights organizations back Democratic candidates and issues. But it’s not as if gay individuals have no presence in the Republican Party. The party’s U.S. Senate candidate last year was Curtis Bashaw, who was openly gay.
Here is Bellomo’s press release:
Monmouth County Commissioners and County Clerk Christine Hanlon have funneled $100,000 in taxpayer funding to Garden State Equality, an organization actively opposing Republican values and parental rights in the county’s school districts, charged Danielle Bellomo, a GOP conservative candidate for county clerk and a member of the Marlboro Board of Education.
Bellomo said the county’s entrenched Republicans have brazenly abandoned the GOP’s base. She said Hanlon has publicly aligned herself with radical leftist Garden State Equality by attending the group’s events and presenting herself as a representative of the LGBTQ wing of the GOP – an affiliation that directly conflicts with the values of many Monmouth County families.
“I believe that Republican Primary Election voters should know where the entrenched establishment Republican officials in the county are sending our tax dollars and what groups they support,” said Bellomo, who won her seat on the Marlboro BOE last year with a record number of votes by being a devout supporter of parental rights and opponent of indoctrination of children by the far left.
As a dedicated member of the Marlboro Township Board of Education, Bellomo has been on the front lines pushing back against radical policies and ensuring that Monmouth County parents retain a voice in their children’s education. She has been a catalyst for change, standing alongside concerned communities in Marlboro, Manalapan, and Middletown to protect classrooms from ideological agendas – and lawsuits filed by liberal Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration.
“Not one Monmouth Republican office holder has denounced Gov. Murphy’s radical anti-parental rights agenda,” said Bellomo. “They have never spoken out against the ridiculously small amount of state education aid that Monmouth County districts get, nor have they opposed state spending increased by the Democrats. And they have shied away from supporting President Trump and his American First Agenda. So, what exactly is it that they stand for and why should Republicans continue to support them?”
FIGHTING THE LEFT
This year Bellomo has come under attack by liberal, pro-transgender groups in Marlboro for her positions to protect children from harmful propaganda and advance parental rights over school curriculum.
The liberals attacking Bellomo, are simultaneously supporting Hanlon, who has emerged as an ardent supporter of far-left social causes such as the controversial practice of gender affirming surgery on children.
The entrenched Monmouth GOP insiders have been courting radical left-wing causes and groups like Garden State Equality since at least 2018, according to a report on the political site InsiderNJ that highlighted county officials, including Sheriff Shaun Golden, Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone, and County Clerk Christine Hanlon attending the group’s Equality Ball in Asbury Park.
According to the article, the event added $250,000 to the radical group’s propaganda war chest: “That’s how much we raised last night to bring LGBT liberty to every corner of the state,” according to the author of the article. https://www.insidernj.com/equality-ball-5-takeaways/
“It is no wonder, that liberal school board members from the Marlboro Board of Education – who have spent the last year-and-a-half fighting against parental rights and transparency – have become some of Christine Hanlon’s most vocal supporters on Facebook, “ says Bellomo.
“The left’s support of Hanlon – and her invitation to Democrats to take part in the Republican Primary – speaks volumes about where Hanlon’s priorities truly lie: not with parents, but with those pushing divisive social agendas in our schools and championing the spending of more public money on leftist causes,” added Bellomo, the mother of three.
Bellomo said the entrenched Republican officials in Monmouth, who are seldom challenged, have abandoned any pretense of fealty to Republican values in order to remain in power and reward themselves at the expense of taxpayers.
Look at how much the county officials have increased spending and raised their salaries,” said Bellomo, who noted that Hanlon’s salary has increased from $115,000 when she was appointed clerk to more than $145,000 today.
“What we are seeing in Monmouth County is the erosion of Republican values by the entrenched party members who are quick to abandon bedrock Republican positions and adopt the policies and practices of leftists just to stay in power,” said Bellomo.
“I will never abandon my core beliefs as a mother and as a conservative for a handful of votes,” she added.
Here is Hanlon’s press release:
“It is not surprising that the statement released on behalf of my opponent contains complete fabrications just like all of the other allegations she has made against me. It is well known that my opponent has issues with the truth, which may be why her fellow school board members in Marlboro (whom I have never met) might be supporting me.
It is also not surprising that my opponent has no idea what the County Clerk does. If she did, she would know that the County Clerk has no ability to give taxpayer money to Garden State Equality or any other non-profit, for that matter. Let me be clear: I did not allocate $100,000 of taxpayer dollars to any such groups, and to suggest that I did is a complete fabrication and not within my legal authority as County Clerk.
Despite trying to characterize herself as conservative, my opponent registered as a Republican only a few months ago, has raised taxes on Marlboro residents as a member of the Marlboro school board, voted against investigating her board’s actions relating to an alleged molestation of a child in school, and is now working hard against President Trump’s pick for Governor of New Jersey.
Today’s latest smear rounds off a desperate campaign in a downward spiral of lies and dysfunction. While our opponents find new fabrications for press releases, my running mates Sheriff Shaun Golden, Commissioner Director Tom Arnone, Commissioner Nick DiRocco and I are hard at work for the taxpayers. I stand by my proven record of accomplishments during my time as Monmouth County Clerk:
To improve transparent access to voting and elections resources, I launched two websites and a free mobile app for residents.
To help give vote-by-mail voters peace of mind, I implemented the first and only enhanced ballot-tracking system in the state that provides status notifications.
To improve outreach to Monmouth’s 53 municipalities, I created Monmouth’s first Mobile County Connection initiative in coordination with Sheriff Shaun Golden and Surrogate Maureen Raisch to bring our services directly to our communities.
To demonstrate our gratitude to our many Monmouth County veterans, I created a veterans’ discount program called “Honoring our Heroes” that has grown to 250+ participating Monmouth County businesses.
To combat the rise of property fraud, I launched a free property fraud alert program for Monmouth County property owners.
To modernize our county’s record-keeping system, I spearheaded multiple digitization initiatives, allowing for many property and government records to be accessible to the public online.
My running mates and I will also continue to support parents and families against the radical Murphy agenda. The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners called for the creation of a Parent’s Bill of Rights in education back in 2022. My opponent may be unaware of the strong stances my Republican colleagues and I have taken as they relate to protecting our families and children in Monmouth County because she only became a Republican in late February.
Unlike our opponents, we are proud to support President Trump, and his pick in this gubernatorial contest – Jack Ciattarelli – who will fix the dysfunction in Trenton and make New Jersey more affordable for everyone.”
