Feuds mark Morris County GOP freeholder race

MORRISTOWN – Some GOP primary election candidates for Morris County freeholder continued Tuesday night to trade barbs over financial contributors while a campaign coordinator for one team was asked by police to leave a debate because he refused to stop videotaping.

A debate at the Masonic Lodge in Morristown, sponsored by the Morris County Women’s Republican Club and Morris Township Republican Committee, drew a crowd of about 100 people, including many elected officials who witnessed snarky exchanges between some candidates over contributors to their campaigns.

The session got off to an awkward start when emcee and Women’s Republican Club treasurer Laura Ali asked King Penna to stop videotaping because some of the candidates didn’t like it. Penna, a political consultant and owner of Kingmaker Strategies, is a campaign coordinator for the candidate team of incumbent Deputy Freeholder Director John Cesaro and running mates Christine Myers of Mendham Twp. and former East Hanover Councilman Angelo Tedesco.

As soon as Ali asked Penna to stop filming, he replied that it was a “public meeting.”

“How about the Constitution? You’re going to throw that out the window?” he said.

Tedesco attempted to speak privately to Penna and later apologized to the audience, but didn’t directly say that Penna is coordinator of his team’s campaign. Candidates started introducing themselves and about a half hour into the debate, three Morristown police officers arrived at the lodge and spoke to Penna, who packed up his tripod and videocamera, left the hall and re-set up the tripod on the sidewalk in front of the lodge.

As they have stated at prior debates, Cesaro, Myers and Tedesco all told the crowd they are pushing for quality county services and emphasis on economic growth to relieve the tax burden. Then incumbent Freeholder John Krickus, a former Washington Twp. mayor and committeeman, fired off remarks about the Cesaro’s team’s acceptance of large campaign contributors from Democrats and unions.

Calling the contributions “a stunning new development” in the race, Krickus warned that if the Cesaro team is successful in winning the nomination for three, three-year seats in the GOP primary on June 2, the contributors “will want a piece of Morris County.”

“You the taxpayers will be paying for it,” Krickus said.

The Krickus team includes incumbent Freeholder David Scapicchio, a former Mount Olive mayor, and 20-year Denville Councilwoman Deborah Smith. The seventh candidate in the GOP race is three-term Rockaway Borough Councilman Thomas Mulligan, who said he is running a campaign on a shoestring and believes he could bring “stability” and harmony to the divided freeholder board.

Scapicchio and Smith also lashed out at their opponents’ acceptance of particular campaign contributions, with both saying that the contributors will want a payback.

“Nobody gives that kind of money without expecting something in return. These contributors are seeking to influence Morris County government,” Smith said.

Cesaro, Myers and Tedesco all responded that they are not beholden to any groups but rather inspired businesses to give generously because they spent the time reaching out to groups and listening to their concerns.

“We’re proud of it,” Tedesco said. (The contributors) “are tired of the back and forth which is going on tonight. That’s what our team is about -- growing the economy of Morris County.”

As the debate was under way, a political message was emailed by the Cesaro team which called Scapicchio, Krickus and Freeholder Thomas Mastrangelo, who supports their campaign, hypocrites. The email charged that Mastrangelo has sent out a fundraising invitation prepared by Democratic “super-fundraiser” Ray Ferrioli for a June 9 event at The Park Savoy.

The Scapicchio-Krickus-Smith team a few weeks ago started criticizing their opponents contributions, accusing them of being “bankrolled by Democrats and union bosses seeking to take over Morris County government.” They had a campaign consultant sift through contribution reports filed with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission and then announced the Cesaro team has taken in nearly $70,000 from out-of-county Democrats and “special interest” groups.

The contributions include $24,600 to the Cesaro team from Operating Engineers Local 825 of Springfield. Other large contributors have included Forward Central Jersey of Bayville for $8,400, and Operative Plasterers & Cement Masons International, Local 29 of Jersey City for $4,500.

Scapicchio, Krickus and Smith have all filed individual reports with ELEC. Cesaro’s team files jointly and Cesaro also files as an individual. Smith received a contribution of $75 from a person in Texas, among other contributors. Scapicchio got a $750 contribution from Pennoni Associates, a Philadelphia-based engineering firm, and $500 from an employee of Burton Trent, a public affairs firm in Trenton. Krickus’s contributions include $500 each from Joe Basralian, an investor, and T&M of Middletown.

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@GannettNJ.com.