Big News from Southern Ocean County

by: denniscmcgrath

Thu May 14, 2009 at 12:32:00 PM EDT

I am an on-again, off-again resident and extremely frequent (like, every weekend) visitor to Stafford Township, and I have been well aware of the campaign pitting Carl Block against a reform team - especially since you couldn't stand outside the house in the nice weather last weekend without meeting candidates from one or the other side. I believe there are two reasons Block, long-time Mayor and Ocean County Clerk, finally lost - one, his reign, though once in step with the resident's dreams of managed growth, has recently veered into some pretty grandiose big-box developments which came with BIG tax deferrals, and two, the departure of long-time Block nemesis Wes Bell from this vale of tears allowed for the fielding of a slate of opposition candidates that wasn't led by a certifiable nut-job.

Keep in mind that this is deep, deep Republican territory - and that a slate of independents, Democrats and Republicans just defeated a slate led by a deeply entrenched Republican mayor of 26 years' or so duration. That's big - and I think it may (may!) say something positive about the chances of other Democrats in Southern Ocean county this November.