heightsonline has learned that two candidates who filed to run in the upcoming 2013 primary have withdrawn from the race.
Prospect Avenue residents Margaret Conrad and Anthony Tumminia, in an April 15 letter to Monmouth County Clerk of Elections Bertha Sumick, noted the lack of support by the County Republican party as their reason for withdrawing. “In light of Mr. Bennett’s overriding the Spring Lake Heights GOP Committee in it’s [sic] selection of Republican Candidates for Borough Council,” the brief letter reads, “we regretfully withdraw our names as Candidates for Borough Council in the upcoming June 4 primary.”
“Mr. Bennett” refers to John Bennett, the Chair of the Monmouth County Republican Party. The Chair has the ability to choose which candidates will receive the “party line”: this means they will be in the same column as any national, state, and county level party representatives running. Other candidates are not prevented from running; instead, they are assigned a separate column of their own.
Tumminia and Conrad’s letter indicates that Bennett has selected incumbent Republican Richard T. Diver and Raymond Miller to run on the Republican party line. Rather than run off the line, Tumminia and Conrad chose instead to bow out. They still may run as Independent candidates if they collect the necessary signatures on a new petition and file it with the County Board of Elections by the June 4 primary day.