New township attorney will seek Assembly seat
BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer

MANALAPAN - Carolyn Casa-grande, who was named township attorney in January, says a successful bid for a nomination to run for the state Assembly will not affect her ability to effectively serve Manalapan.

Casagrande, 30, of Colts Neck, announced last week that she has submitted her name for consideration by the Republican County Committee to be picked as a candidate for a 12th District state Assembly seat.

Manalapan and Colts Neck are two of the municipalities in the 12th District.

Fair Haven Republican Councilman Thomas Gilmour and Little Silver Republican Councilman Declan O'Scanlon Jr. have also submitted their names for consideration.

Two 12th District Assembly seats will be up for grabs in the November election. An Assembly term is for two years.

O'Scanlon ran for the Assembly in 2005 and lost by fewer than 100 votes to Democrat Michael Panter.

O'Scanlon's running mate, Jennifer Beck, was elected to the Assembly. Beck announced last week that she will now run for the 12th District state Senate seat.

Casagrande is an associate with the Matawan law firm Cleary, Alfieri, Jones and Hoyle. In addition to working as Manalapan's township attorney, she is an associate attorney for Fair Haven.

Casagrande was asked if she is concerned that the rigors of a campaign for political office could affect her ability to effectively execute her duties as township attorney.

She said she had already discussed her plans with her boss and it was agreed that if she is "lucky enough to get my party's nomination for a run for office," she will relinquish all of her duties with the firm except for her work as township attorney in Manalapan, thereby making it possible to run for office and still serve Manalapan effectively.

Mayor Andrew Lucas said he has been favorably impressed not only by the volume, but by the quality of the work Casagrande has done in the month she has been Manalapan's municipal attorney.

Lucas, also a Republican, and Casagrande were named in a published report last week as two of the members of the Monmouth County Republican Party who will help to screen candidates for this year's elections.

Beck is also a member of the screening committee as is Sal Alfieri, one of the partners in the firm where Casagrande is employed.

Lucas said although he was not aware Casagrande was considering a bid for elected office, that fact does not give him cause for concern.

"She's been doing an excellent job for the first month. If she states that she will make Manalapan a priority, that's good enough for me," Lucas said.

Noting that a family emergency caused him to miss the Jan. 7 Township Committee meeting when Casagrande was named Manalapan's attorney, independent Committeeman Anthony Gennaro said he, too, had not been aware either before or after her appointment that Casagrande had political aspirations.

"I found out about it along with everyone else when I read about it in the newspaper," he said.

Asked if he was concerned that a run for office might affect Casagrande's effectiveness as township attorney, Gennaro said he had not been able to give the matter much thought "since the announcement came so fast."

"I'm just now trying to analyze if her running for office will impact her duties. I need to watch and see what happens in order to do that," he said.

Republican Committeeman Joseph Locricchio said he was "absolutely amazed" to hear about Casagrande's intent to run for office.

"I had absolutely no idea she was even considering entering politics," he said.

As to whether her potential run for Assembly concerns him, he said, "Personally, I'm just getting to know her and I do like her work so far."

However, Locricchio, who just last week announced his own intention to run for a four-year term in the state Senate, went on to note, "Manalapan is a town of 37,000 residents that needs a full-time attorney and as a legislative candidate myself, I know you have to be prepared to devote your heart and soul to your campaign in order to represent the 12th District. I'd love to know how she's going to pull it off."

Locricchio is in the final year of a three-year term as a committeeman. He said he will not seek re-election to the Manalapan committee since he announced his bid for the state Senate. He said he does not believe it is possible to serve effectively in both capacities.

Democratic Committeeman Richard Klauber said that he, too, had been unaware that Casagrande was interested in political office.

"I wish her luck with her run. It certainly concerns me how she'll do her job for Manalapan. However, she has indicated that she would put all of her time into the Manalapan job," Klauber said.

Deputy Mayor Michelle Roth was out of the county on business and could not be reached for comment.