Many of you have noticed and used the anonymous tip box we have in the left hand column. Most seem to understand its purpose and use it correctly (thanks, all you anonymous people). But sometimes, not so much. Here is an example of what not to send us:
his name is (removed) and he drives an aqua Ford Mustang with Florida plates. He is a hazard on the road due to his constant drug use and I believe he has already been arrested once for a DUI but his driving under the influence concerns me as a member of the community. I think that it would be in the best interest of the citizens of the area to have him off the road and even moreso if he is in fact dealing. He is a huge marijuana and cocaine user and I believe he is putting his coworkers, his employer and anyone who may be on the road when he is in jeopardy.
As fascinating as this might be, we're just bloggers - we have no way of confirming what color Michael Cino's car is. I can understand how we might be confused for the state police, but try to keep the tips relevant. If we were to go around trying to bust Republican drug rings all day, we'd never have time to blog about their wacky ideas. Plus, we'd be too busy fending off countless imaginary "slander" suits.
Use the comments below to predict the results in tomorrow's primary (and your justification for it, if any). The person with the most accurate guess for the NJ-5 (D) results will get a free Blue Jersey t-shirt. In case of a tie, the earlier prediction wins.
US Senate (R): Tom Kean Jr / John Ginty NJ-5 (D): Camille Abate / Paul Aronsohn NJ-5 (R): Michael Cino / Scott Garrett NJ-13 (D): Joe Vas / Albio Sires Bergen County Executive (R): Kathleen Donovan / Todd Calaguire Harrison mayor (D): Raymond J. McDonough / Michael Hinchcliffe
Michael Cino is no stranger to us here at Blue Jersey. He has, shall we say, entertained us to no end. I'll be sad to see the primary come and go because "The Gas Man" as he likes to be called will then be running on empty.
Now, the formal name for Megalomania is "Narcissistic Personality Disorder". It is characterized as a "dramatic, emotional or erratic disorder". Here is the official list of symptoms:
*is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
*believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by other special people
*requires excessive admiration
*strong sense of entitlement
*takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
*lacks empathy
*is often envious or believes others are envious of him or her
*arrogant affect
Now, I've never met Mr. Cino, and I'm not qualified to diagnose him even if I do meet him. Still, take a look at his latest press release desperate grab for attention and decide for yourself.
According to a filing with the FEC, Camille Abate's campaign raised $12,004 for the first quarter of 2006. There were no prior expectations of a competitive quarter from Abate, a late entry to the Fifth District race who filed with the FEC in March.
Democrat Paul Aronsohn, finished the quarter with a $125,000 lead over Abate in cash-on-hand. The presumed Republican opponent, Scott Garrett, had a lackluster quarter but currently leads Aronsohn by $240,000 in available funds.
The next quarterly reports will be filed in early July, at which point Democrats and Republicans will already have chosen their nominees.
Judge rules NJ congressman does exist
Challenger to Rep. Scott Garrett plans to appeal
BY MICHAEL DAIGLE
DAILY RECORD
Michael J. Cino, the lone Republican primary challenger to Rep. Scott Garrett, R-Wantage, said today he will appeal an administrative law judge's denial of his claim that Garrett is not who he says he is, and should be removed from the June ballots.
Cino had claimed that "Scott Garrett" does not exist and is not registered to vote at the Wantage address on Garrett's nominating petition.
Garrett, a three-term congressman, carries a New Jersey driver's license in the name of Ernest S. Garrett, and as a 24th District Assemblyman before he ran for Congress in 2002, was known as E. Scott Garrett.
Administrative Law Judge Thomas Clancy ruled Thursday that Garrett and his attorney Bill Baroni of the state Republican committee presented sufficient evidence to establish Garrett's identity, to show that he is a registered voter and has been "using the name Scott Garrett for practically his entire life."
[snip]
...Cino's mother's signature was challenged in 2004 because she is a registered Democrat.
In the Daily Record, which serves the 5th district only peripherally.
Candidate's bid to dump Garrett called 'frivolous'
Fight over June primary ballot
BY MICHAEL DAIGLE
DAILY RECORD
A state Republican committee lawyer on Tuesday called "frivolous" candidate Michael Cino's attempt to have Rep. Scott Garrett removed from the June primary ballot by claiming that such a person does not exist.
Cino, who is challenging Garrett in the Republican primary for the congressional seat in the Fifth District that includes Sussex and Warren counties, wrote to the state Department of Law and Public Safety on Monday challenging the nominating petitions filed by Garrett by claiming that "the person named in the petitions is not registered to vote at the address stated in the petitions and apparently does not exist as per court cases and case law which is presently on the books in the state of New Jersey."
Cino issued a press release Tuesday that said the state division of elections was seeking more information about his claim.
In his reply to the state election division, Cino said that he would not at that time address the basic issue he raised -- that "Scott Garrett" is not a registered voter and therefore not eligible for election to Congress -- but did submit information regarding the use of nicknames and titles on petitions. Cino said he would submit more information after he researched the issue further.
Here's the latest is a sad, sad story about a sad, sad man making a sad, sad ass of himself:
Michael J. Cino for Congress
23 Woodland Road
Demarest , NJ 07627
(201) 768-4468
April 17, 2006
State of New Jersey Division of Elections
Department of Law and Public Safety
Ramon De La Cruz Director
PO Box 304
Trenton, NJ 08624
Dear Sirs:
Please accept this letter as confirmation that I am challenging the Nominating Petitions for Member of the House of Representatives in the 5th Congressional District of a "Scott Garrett" on the basis that the person named on the Petitions is NOT registered to vote at the address stated in the petitions and apparently DOES NOT EXIST as per Court cases and case law which is presently on the books in the State of New Jersey today.
This time, he's threatening the Star Ledger. In a hilarious press release the campaign just sent out, it appears he's mad that the Auditor reprinted his threats against Corzine:
Among the 29 New Jerseyans who filed to run for Congress last week, Michael Cino of Demarest might be risking the greatest public humiliation.
You might remember Cino as one of the men who criticized then-Senate candidate Corzine for making anti-Italian jokes in a private meeting during the 2000 campaign. (Corzine later released an audiotape in which Cino appeared to be threatening the candidate with further embarassing disclosures if he didn't get a job on Corzine's staff. Cino denied the charge and said he was just trying to be a "peacemaker.")
Hmmm...first he threatens Corzine, then he threatens anyone who repeats the fact that he threatened Corzine...:
Michael J. Cino...today promised to seek huge damages against the Star Ledger and one of their "mystery" writers who on Easter Morning printed slanderous statements which were proven wrong and malicious over six years ago - and then appeared to have the newspaper endorse higher gasoline prices.
The Ledger endorsed higher gasoline prices? No, they're just mocking him:
Now, Cino wants to be known as the "Gas Man."
Cino, a gasoline wholesaler, is running in the GOP primary against incumbent U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett in the 5th District. His slogan: "Republican for Lower Gasoline Prices." He hopes the media picks up on that.
"It's a great idea, right?" said Cino, dismissing any notion that voters might make sport of a man and his gas.
Then there's this gem in Cino's release:
"The Star Ledge is got to be kidding."
No, you is got to get a grammar checker.
His entire press release is below. If you're reading this in the morning, finish drinking your milk before you read.
It seems that leaving government to work for the side you were supposed to be working against is not just a phenomenon limited to DC political appointees. Former DEP head, Brad Campbell, is going to work for a law firm that handles "development" projects.
They had their carrots, now here come the sticks. Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Camden school districts will undergo "tough" state audits. No word yet if these "tough" audits will be of the same level of "toughness" we have grown accustomed to in this "tough" state.
Parsippany High Schoolers are going to be suspended for slandering fellow students and teachers using MySpace.com. Michael Cino's lawyers have not been contacted for comment on wether or not they will represent anyone in this case.
After 7 months since the Bergen Record did an excellent job of exposing the toxic waste dump that Ford left behind in Ringwood, The EPA has once again put that site back on the Superfund list. This is now the 6th time this site is on the list. No word as to wether or not this 6th time, it will be clean and carcinogen free.
Despite attempts to protect casino workers from second hand smoke, the smoking ban goes into effect tonight at midnight. Sorry smokers. Look at the bright side, its springtime and beautiful outside! In other news, Atlantic City scientists have discovered that human beings become immune to airborne carcinogens simply by entering a Casino.
Former Democrat Model Republican Michael Cino, aka Reagan 977 has proven that he is, indeed, totally out of his league in challenging Scott Garrett for the Republican nomination in New Jersey's Fifth District.
Remember when Michael Cino (NJ-5 Republican primary opponent of Scott Garrett) threatened us with a lawsuit for repeating things that were in the press? If you don't you can read all about it here. And here. And here. And here.
Short story: Cino tried to blackmail Corzine a few years back: ''We have so much dirt on him we can't decide which to throw out first.'' He got upset that we repeated that fact, and threatened to sue. Repeatedly.
That was almost two months ago and I thought they had gotten over it. I was wrong. Earlier today I received more threats of a lawsuit from Cino's campaign manager in an instant message exchange we had:
miata7: I'm going to request one more time that you pull all those lies off your website our case is strong and you think you may be in a strong position but you are not.
me: I'm going to request that the next time you want to contact me, you do so through an attorney. Please do not email or instant message me any more.
miata7: give me your attorneys name miata7: I will call him and send him a letter
me: you can send it to me. I'll forward it if I need to.
miata7: Listen man do yourself a favor give me your attorney's name let me talk to him and forward to him the Court cases
me: Don't assume it's a man, and I'll forward it along if I think it's worth the time. I'm pretty familiar with the case law.
miata7: ok let me get some info for you miata7: give me your name and address so I can send it to my attorney
me: (gave name and address)
miata7: send me email Im going to find this stuff we have to sue you man Im sorry I wish you would just make it simple
me: The next time you contact me by email or IM about this topic, I will block your screen name and add your email to my junk mail filter. If you want to talk about other things, that's fine. This is the last time I'm going to say this.
miata7: DREAM ON miata7: Only one "m" in defamatory we will have the lawyers correct that.
(He has been blocked and added to my spam filter, so unfortunately I probably won't be able to report on any more of these fun exchanges unless I actually get a letter from an attorney. Stay tuned...)
Poll Hint: It's not Ann Coulter
Update: Wow. You guys are creative with those tags.
Update 3 (A big one, so I'm posting it up top): There WILL be two Democratic challengers to Frank LoBiondo in NJ-2. Fairfield Township councilwoman Viola Thomas-Hughes and Henry David Marcus will compete in the primary. This now means that every Republican House member in New Jersey will face a challenger in November.
According to the Division of Elections, Gary Schiavone has filed to challenge Chris Smith in the 4th Congressional district. With about two hours left until the filing deadline, no Democrat has filed in the 2nd yet to challenge LoBiondo.
The GOP has failed to file challenges to Rob Andrews (NJ-1) and Donald Payne (NJ-10).
Update 1: Donald Payne (NJ-10) will have a challenger in the primary, and Michael Cino has just filed to challenge Garrett in the primary. Assemblywoman Oadline Truitt (D) from the 28th legislative district will face a primary challenge.
What we said originally is clear: if you repeat slander you can be sued. This has been confirmed by the United States Supreme Court in a recent opinion.
You can go back all you want and repeat different things if you would like.
Your story is STILL WRONG - We made it clear that we requested that you STOP REPEATING THE SLANDER. The whole story was made up to deflect attention away from the ethnic slurs of Corzine. Now it has been reported that the star witness in the case is under federal investigation concerning a dental school slush fund as per Wally Edge and other website postings. That is going to go well in Court.
It is not a difficult concept to grasp about repeating slander and seeking to smear someone who is innocent.
It is clear from your posting that you are seeking to smear an innocent person - intent probably malicious, just as Corzine is and was malicious. Our lawyers are preparing the case and we will argue this in court. The file-sharing cases have made it clear we can obtain a court order in order to get your name and address and we can proceed from there. The website will also be named in the lawsuit as per the Supreme Court decision.
Earlier I posted a comment on a post that said Michael Cino, a primary candidate for the Republican nomination for Congress in NJ5, threatened Jon Corzine in 2000 and was looking for a job in return for not attacking him. This is what I wrote:
This is the guy who, back when he was a Demcorat, called Corzine's home and threatened him -- on the answering machine! -- that if Cino didn't get a job he would attack Corzine for making an Italian joke about cement shoes.
Someone posting as Reagan 977 threatened to sue me and Blue Jersey for slander in response and has demanded that I identify myself and provide my address.
My name is Nathan Rudy, and I am chair of the Blue 7th PAC which publishes the Dump Mike blog. Hence the posting name. Others may use the name to post stuff for the PAC, but I wrote the comment. If Reagan 977 wants to find me, that ain't hard. Also, you can see a picture of me over in the left-hand column holding my daughter for our effort to raise money for childhood cancer research. Shameless plug: DONATE TODAY!
It turns out that I was a little wrong in what I wrote. I had heard that Mr. Cino had demanded a job and that he did so on a home answering machine, but that appears to be incorrect. According to the New York Times, he never asked for a job and the aswering machine was not at Corzine's home.
At the news conference, Mr. Corzine's lawyer, Stanley Arkin, played a copy of a voice-mail message apparently left by Mr. Cino at 9:49 a.m. on Friday, in which he demanded that a ''peace conference'' with Mr. Corzine be held today -- or else.
''We also have more material, so I think it's in everybody's best interest and the interest of the Democratic Party to have that meeting on Monday, O.K.?'' the caller says on the voice-mail extension of Karen Goldman, a Corzine campaign worker. ''This is your last chance, Karen.''
That night at 11:17, according to Joanne Corzine, Mr. Cino called the Corzine home and again demanded to meet Mr. Corzine today, warning, ''We have so much dirt on him we can't decide which to throw out first.''
Ms. Corzine said that the caller, his voice growing louder and louder as the 15-minute call went on, added: "If Jon would just meet with us Monday, this would all go away. Your staff promised we would be taken care of."
Sam Fumosa, the other co-chairman of the Columbus Coalition, said that he had recommended Mr. Cino for a job with the Corzine campaign. "I had the utmost confidence in the guy," he said today, after learning of the telephone calls on Friday. "This is a side of him I've never seen. I want to be as far away from him as possible at this point, believe me."
I apologize to Mr. Cino for getting the information wrong. My memory of silly incidents from six years ago is not as good as it should be.
The whole article from the NY Times, which is behind the Select firewall, is after the jump.
Believe it or not, I have friends (even family) who are Republican. Yes, we tend to disagree on many thing, but we've learned over time to be respectful of each other and agree to disagree. Because there is a level of respect to begin with, we are able to give and take on issues when we debate them.
Ah, the gentlemanly art of politics!
Unfortunately, contemporary politics have become more about slash-and-burn, take-no-prisoners, with-me-or-against-me whining. If you can't deal with someone's stance on the issue, don't bother trying to educate yourself and the public as to what is wrong with it, simply lob grenades at them. If all else fails, run to the courts and cry foul.
That's what is wrong with Democrats at the national level and Republicans at the state level. Perhaps it comes with being a slight minority and not having the creativity to make up the slack.
Republican Congressional candidate Michael Cino has repeatedly threatened to sue us for a comment that was posted in response to a diary he posted earlier this week. Those threats also appear in the diary. The comment quotes politicsnj from April 11, 2000. A politicsnj article on April 4, 2000 contains similar information. This article talks about Corzine's "cement shoes" comments.
I'm not sure which part of the comment is inaccurate, but if those sources are inaccurate, we invite Mr. Cino to set the record straight.
We've been told that "the lawyers are already preparing to go to Court on Monday" and suggested that we "contact an attorney and ask him about the law concerning repeating libelous statements...Anyway, we have your name, we can sue you and go from there."
For future reference, my personal information is not a secret and is available to anyone else looking to sue. Just drop me an email.
A quote from PoliticsNJ's Wally Edge a few days ago is worth looking at:
(just remember Christy Davis was in the middle of Corzine's ethnic slurs against Italians and the slander of Michael Cino)
Wally Edge:
In case you missed this story over the President's Day Weekend
Christy Davis Jackson, the Campaign Manager for Jon Corzine's 2000 U.S. Senate campaign and the wife of a politically powerful Black Minister, is the subject of a federal criminal investigation related to allegations of a political slush fund at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, according to a Star-Ledger report.
Jackson resigned her post as UMDNJ Vice President of Government Affairs in December.
The Star-Ledger obtained a confidential memo that says UMDNJ "maintained a political fund to funnel thousands of dollars in contributions to top New Jersey elected officials."
The memo was written by Carol Caprarola, who was a longtime aide to State Senate President Donald DiFrancesco before going to work for Jackson at UMDNJ.
A Grand Jury is reviewing allegations that UMDNJ officials were instructed to contribute to political campaigns and then get reimbursed by the school.
Jackson is married to the Rev. Reginald Jackson, the Executive Director, New Jersey Council of Black Ministers.
Cino Says United States Navy
Should Take Over Ports
Cino Says National Security Paramount
Michael J. Cino Congressional Candidate in New Jersey's 5th Congressional District states that the United States Navy should step into the Port Deal, exercising eminent domain on the basis of National Security Concerns, and take over all the ports covered by this transaction.
The Attorney General should then be directed to properly compensate the current seller in this transaction.
The United States Navy would then have a new ports from which we can DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE OUR HOMELAND SECURITY.
"The Sailors in the Navy are already on this Nation's payroll. How hard is it to have the Navy expand its role in Port Security? Commodore John Barry would not believe any of this - he would be shaking his head," Cino stated.
Commodore John Barry, of Irish descent, was recently recognized by the United States Congress as the First Flag Officer of the United States Navy - Michael J. Cino is a Candidate in the June 6 Republican Primary in New Jersey's 5th Congressional District which includes Northern Bergen County, Sussex, Warren and Upper Passaic Counties.
Update 3 (A big one, so I'm posting it up top): There WILL be two Democratic challengers to Frank LoBiondo in NJ-2. Fairfield Township councilwoman 
