Garden State Patriot

According to PolitickerNJ, District 40 Assemblyman Scott Rumana is using a front group called the Republican Alliance to help his re-election bid. The co-chair of the group is Robert Pimienta, a major donor to the corrupt Bergen County Democrat Organization formerly led by the now indicted Joe Ferriero.

Pimienta operates Impact PAC, and is a major donor to Bergen County Democrats and their indicted former chairman Joseph Ferriero.

Pimienta has, according to the Record newspaper, donated more than $90,000 to Bergen Democrats and in return received a no bid contract that paid him more than $250,000.  

The most recent Republican Alliance flier has drawn the ire of two mayors in Rumana’s district, Randy George of North Haledon and John Coiro of Totowa. Each mayor was named in the flier while neither is supporting Rumana’s candidacy. They are also upset about being linked in any way to Pimienta and, thus, have demanded that their names be removed from the flier.

“I do not support Scott Rumana or any organization allied with him and I do not want my name used for any function that is run my Mr. Rumana or Mr. Semeraro, “ said Mayor George.  

“As far as I am concerned Scott Rumana and Mark Semeraro are a big part of what is wrong with the Republican Party in Passaic County and I will not have my good name used to support the selfish political goals of Mr. Rumana,”  added George 

Mayor Coiro said  he is not party to the June 4 event and using his name to  raise money for Rumana amounts to deception.

“People reading this flier and considering buying a ticket to the event might get the impression that I am supporting Rumana and Semeraro. That is absolutely not the case,” said Coiro. 

“The Republican Alliance is a front group for Rumana. It is not a group interested in helping Republicans win campaigns. I do not want my name associated with such an organization,” added Mayor Coiro.  

Mayor George added that anyone thinking about attending the June 4 event should reconsider. “If you want to support ineptitude in the Republican Party, then by all means support the Republican Alliance,” said George.  

Assemblyman Rumana, along with Assemblyman Russo, of course, are facing a primary challenge from conservatives Joe Caruso and Anthony Rottino. Caruso and Rottino likewise had harsh words for their rivals earlier this week, likening them to Republican turncoat Arlen Specter:

Rottino, of Franklin Lakes, labeled Rumana, along with his running mate, Assemblyman David Russo: “Corzine Republicans” for their near 80 percent support of the Democrat governor’s initiatives.
 
“Arlen Specter finally woke up and realized he was in the wrong party, Assemblymen Rumana and Russo should do the same thing and let Joe Caruso and I represent Republican Party from District 40 ,” said Rottino an entrepreneur with several businesses in North Jersey.

Caruso noted that Rumana supports the governor’s low income housing initiative; never once opposing the new constitutional right to a taxpayer subsidized affordable house that Corzine created last summer.

Rottino pointed out that both Rumana and Russo have been supported public sector union bosses and in return keep giving generous pension and health benefit plans to public employees while the middle class people suffer.

‘They are big government legislators who somehow wandered into the Republican Party. It’s time they wandered out,” said Rottino.

Caruso added that Rumana has taken large doses of campaign money from Democrat law firms and political action committees closely related to indicted Bergen County political boss Joe Ferriero.  

“Scott Rumana is supported by the same people who have been helping Joe Ferriero beat Republicans in Bergen County.  There is no way he can explain that away. He’s in the wrong party.  He should stop masquerading as a Republican and join the party that suits his views,” said Caruso.

Despite Rumana and Russo’s poor Republican voting record and Rumana’s ties to Ferriero cronies, BCRO Chairman Bob Yudin remains behind the incumbents’ candidacies – making the District 40 race one to focus on as we head into the June 2nd primaries.

Previously: The District 40 Battle

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude! and Red County.