Locricchio, county GOP embroiled in bitter battle
Republicans ban 'renegade' candidate from annual dinner
BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer

MANALAPAN - Republican Town-ship Committeeman Joseph Locricchio claims his recent announcement that he will mount a primary challenge against the Monmouth County Republican Party's candidate for the 12th District state Senate seat has made him a target for county party officials.

Meanwhile, GOP Chairman Adam Puharic said Locricchio is a "renegade."

The primary election will be in June. The winner of the primary will run for a four-year Senate term in November. The 12th District in the state Legislature includes western Monmouth County.

In the latest skirmish, Locricchio said a full-page advertisement he submitted and paid $200 to appear in the ad journal of a Feb. 19 Republican fundraiser was removed from the journal as retribution for his planned primary challenge. Locricchio also said he was told that his attendance at the dinner would not be welcome by others attending the event.

The event at the heart of the matter was the Monmouth County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner held Feb. 19 in Aberdeen.

Event co-chair Tom Apostle, of Freehold Township, pulled Locricchio's ad and said the event was a "party-building event" and that Locricchio was "running against the Monmouth County Republican organization."

"There is no obligation on our part to accept anyone's advertisement," Apostle said.

According to Locricchio, Apostle told him that "anyone who does not agree with Adam Puharic is not a real Republican."

Locricchio said he believes the statement was a response to his planned challenge to Jennifer Beck, who is being supported by the county Republicans in her bid for the 12th District Senate nomination.

Beck is completing her first two-year term in the state Assembly and is running for one of 40 seats in the state Senate.

Locricchio said another source of friction between himself and the county GOP is his refusal to sign a contract that has been drawn up under the direction of Puharic with the understanding that Republican candidates who seek the party's backing at the county level will sign the contract and participate in a candidate selection process.

Locricchio has said he will not agree to submit to the new candidate screening process installed by Puharic. He has been critical of the changes Puharic is bringing to the party at the county level. He charged that the chairman is trying to "stifle the powers of the individual county committee members."

Referring to what he said was

Apostle's admonition to him, Locricchio said, "Is there any more evidence needed to prove that they've taken the power away from the county committee? If you don't agree with the chairman you're not a Republican? Are you kidding me?"

Locricchio said while some people might be tempted to change their political affiliation in a similar situation, "I won't, because I won't let a handful of people bring down the party I love so much."

When informed of Locricchio's comments, Apostle had a different take on the matter. He said he told Locricchio his ad was being returned for two reasons.

Apostle said Locricchio's ad for the journal that would be distributed at the Feb. 19 dinner had not been paid for when he (Apostle) decided on his own on Feb. 14 to pull the ad from the draft version that was headed to the printer. Apostle said he pulled the ad because it had been sent via fax and had not yet been paid for.

Locricchio said that the ad had been paid for by the time Apostle called him on Feb. 14.

Apostle also said his Feb. 14 call to Locricchio was as much a courtesy to Locricchio as anything else because he wanted Locricchio to know there were many people in the party who would not welcome Locricchio's presence at the Feb. 19 GOP fundraiser.

"He seems to be running against the party chairman rather than trying to get himself elected to the state Senate," Apostle said. "Jennifer Beck is our candidate and he (Locricchio) just can't accept that and so he is trying to destroy the party at the county level."

Apostle referred to Locricchio as being "ethically challenged" and said the county party wanted to distance itself from any campaign with which he was involved.

"Joe Locricchio is ethically challenged and his is an ego-driven campaign. Also, we have questions about his fundraising experiences," Apostle said.

Apostle referred to an October 2006 event that was billed as a 12th District Republican Rally and held in Freehold Township. Locricchio was the chairman of the event and Apostle said the proceeds appear to have only benefited Locricchio.

Locricchio was not running for any office in November 2006. His three-year term on the Manalapan Township Committee ends this year and he has announced that he is not seeking re-election to that office.

According to Apostle, no registered Monmouth County Republicans other than Locricchio received donations from the October 2006 event despite the fact it was billed as a fundraiser to help the 12th District Republicans "elect legislative leaders."

"There are questionable disburse-ments which he made to himself," Apostle said, crediting a recent News Transcript story with "making it possible for anyone to get a look" at the monetary disbursements made by the 2006 12th District Republican rally's treasurer who, said Apostle, did not file any paperwork with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission until the newspaper began looking into the matter.

"Since Operation Bid Rig [occurred], we have been trying to be as ethical as possible and be held to a higher standard, and Mr. Locricchio has clearly not been supporting that and certainly not a dime he raised ever went to any other candidate but Mr. Locricchio," Apostle said.

Operation Bid Rig was the name given to a federal investigation into political corruption that resulted in the arrest and conviction of Monmouth County Democrats and Republicans over the past two years.

"There is no individual in the county Republican Party who is supporting Joe Locricchio. Jennifer Beck is our candidate. She has performed at the highest standards while Mr. Locricchio has demonstrated he is ethically challenged and we have questions about his fundraising methods," Apostle said.

Asked to respond, Locricchio said Apostle's own remarks "prove they are trying to control things." He referred to Apostle's assertion to a reporter on Feb. 14 that Beck was the Republican Party's 12th District state Senate candidate when the selection committee was not scheduled to choose a candidate until Feb. 17.

Locricchio said it was a "blatant lie" that other Republican candidates had not profited from the 2006 12th District Republican Rally. He said several candidates from throughout Monmouth County benefited by view of the fact that their campaigns were advertised in the journal that was handed out at the October rally.

Remarking on Apostle's assertion that he is ethically challenged, Locricchio said, "I'm ethically challenged? Why? Because I was the first candidate to announce their intent to run for the state Senate long before Jennifer Beck did?"

Puharic told the News Transcript that Locricchio directly lied to him by promising before the October 2006 12th District Republican Rally that the proceeds would be spent on furthering the campaigns of all the county's candidates in the 12th District, which includes western Monmouth County.

According to Puharic, none of the approximately $13,000 stated as being earned from the rally was spent on any candidate other than Locricchio.

When told of Locricchio's explanation regarding the inclusion of candidates in the event's advertising journal meant they benefited from the proceeds, Puharic said, "That's preposterous and really shows what a renegade Joe Locricchio really is."

Locricchio countered by saying he was targeted by Puharic because he has defied the chairman's attempt to completely control the Republican Party.

Manalapan Republican Chairman Steve McEnery said he shares Apostle's and Puharic's assessment of the situation.

"We are not supporting Joe's candidacy [for state Senate]. By running outside the line he has distanced himself from us," McEnery said, adding, "however, it is important to note that he has not asked for our support."