The Monmouth County Republican Organization released a video on social media this afternoon featuring headlines concerning disgraced Freeholder John P. Curley’s censure and reprimand for sexual harassment and his corrupt practice of taking full time Cadillac health benefits for his part-time position.
Curley, a former Democrat Councilman in Red Bank and a former Republican, was elected to the Monmouth County Freeholder Board as a Republican in 2009. He was reelected as a Republican in 2012 and 2015, but lost the support of the GOP following his censure by his colleagues on the freeholder board which resulted from an investigation into a County employee’s complaint into his conduct by former Acting Supreme Court Justice Mary Catherine Cuff. Curley sued Monmouth County taxpayers in federal court to prevent the Cuff report from being released. His suit was dismissed last month, but U.S. District Court Judge Brian R. Martinotti gave him until August 24 the file an amended suit thereby preventing the report from being released to the public.
Curley is running for reelection as an Independent. Deputy Mayor Sue Kiley of Hazlet is the Republican candidate for the three year freeholder term. Amber Gesslein, a union political operative who moved to Monmouth County after failing to win an Assembly seat in Ocean County, is the Democrat candidate.
The Monmouth County Democrats have been silent regarding the allegations against Curley and his suit to keep the report secret.
Angelo Genova, a prominent Democrat attorney who represented President Barack Obama during the 2012 election and Democrat consultant Maggie Moran in the 2016 election, is the disgraced freeholders attorney.
In his official biography on the Monmouth County website, Curley claims to be a Vice President of his brother’s car dealership, Jim Curley Buick GMC Kia of Lakewood. The dealership website includes the family dogs, Mattingly and Mille, in the staff directory, but not the disgraced freeholder.