A lame-duck councilman in Matawan took the scorched-earth approach to saying goodbye last week, teeing up Mayor Mary Aufseeser as “repugnant,” badmouthing other members of the governing body and likening the town’s political atmosphere to “The Wizard of Oz,” complete with an unseen power broker behind a curtain.
But one person spared Neil Mendelsohn’s ire, according to a report in the Holmdel Independent, was Borough Attorney Pasquale Menna, the Mayor-elect of Red Bank.
From the story:
“Pat Menna, you are wise. You are eloquent. You are so busy,” Mendelsohn said, then asking Menna to please find time to help his town.
According to the story, Mendelsohn’s tirade was prompted by Aufseeser’s refusal to consider his choice for the borough attorney’s post earlier this year. Menna took over the job in April.
“He did say that, since I’ve been Borough Attorney, that I’ve been open and responsive to him even though he was out of the loop,” Menna told redbankgreen today. “That’s my job.”
Mendelsohn was one of Aufseeser’s running mates a year ago, when the Democrats swept into power. But in June, Mendelsohn lost a primary bid, backed by Democratic party officials, for re-election. When one of two members of the party’s ticket dropped out of the race, Mendelsohn wasn’t tabbed to take his place; instead, the slot went to a Republican who switched parties to run.
Mendelsohn has previously compared the leadership of Matawan Councilman Joseph Mullaney, whose daughter is also a member of the council, to a monarchy and to a coup d’etat.
“I need closure,” the paper quoted Mendelsohn as saying.
