Senator and Assembly Defend Nomination of Marlboro Candidates

Republican mayoral candidate Craig Marshall and council candidates Chris Dean and Marianne Longobardi recently . Their nomination has become a hot-button issue in the local election.

On Oct. 27, several Monmouth County residents were recognized at a ceremony held in Trenton by Gov. Chris Christie to honor citizen volunteer efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.

The .

But Democratic candidate and current mayor Jon Hornik said he thinks the candidates were simply campaigning, and accepting the award was a "slap in the face" to Marlboro first responders.

Republican Senator Jennifer Beck, Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon and Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande, all up for re-election, issued a news release today, defending their nomination of the Marlboro candidates.

“Their nomination was merely an acknowledgement of their selfless efforts. As Governor Christie said, we were not able to recognize everyone; thousands of people contributed tirelessly to the effort. Craig, Chris and Marianne were representative of the countless individuals who went above and beyond in a dire time of need."

Other volunteers recognized at the ceremony included religious organizations who opened their houses of worship for shelter and food, and emergency response teams such as who opened shelters at the Ritacco Center in Toms River and a second at the .

There were 1,800 National Guards, Fire, Police, EMS, CERT and various community volunteers in attendance.

“[Marshall, Dean and Longobardi] spent their own time helping their neighbors and donating their efforts and equipment to the emergency relief. Chris purchased additional saws with his own money and provided his own generators to assist Marlboro residents, and since his power was not lost, he opened his house to strangers to feed those in need. Marianne purchased water and drove throughout Marlboro distributing it. They took days off from work to ensure that people were being helped," said the news release.