Barnegat Merry-Go-Round: Howard Effron/Phil Checchia for Township Committee

In a recent comment on Howard Effron's blog, Phil Checchia, the unsuccessful GOP primary candidate for Township Committee, indicated he's not taking his hat out of the ring just yet. Rather, he may run as a write-in candidate and hope to repeat Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski's write-in victory last November over a weak Democrat and a TNut Republican supported by Sarah Palin. 

Here's my suggestion. Howard and Phil need to sit down and talk about organizing a joint campaign committee. There's a lot of synergy to take advantage of by the two of them  running together.

Unfortunately, they can't run on the same ballot line as Phil would be a write-in candidate. But they can coordinate their expenditures and run as a team "independent" of the two major parties which so far have failed miserably in stabilizing Barnegat's tax rate. Howard and Phil may not agree on every issue, but that's not important. What is important is that both men believe in more open and accessible government, as well as the need to be pro-active in reducing the burden of property taxes which hits heaviest on the poor and middle class.   

While Howard and Phil might have an extensive network of friends and supporters they can count on, they still have to raise money to get their message out to those who are not familiar with their names and background. This is especially true of newer residents. Howard knows how to cook, so it shouldn't be too difficult to put together a few spaghetti dinners and pig roasts to raise the money they'll need to be competitive. 

It's unusual, to say the least, to have an independent candidate on the ballot and an independent write-in candidate organizing a joint committee to raise money and coordinate expenditures. In fact, it may be unprecedented. It should attract attention beyond Barnegat, maybe even throughout the state. 

I know a few political reporters who work for major media outlets that might be interested in this story. Certainly, even the possibility of a seriously competitive race in Barnegat should make the "Bosses" in Toms River sweat in their silk boxers and shake in their Gucci loafers.   

We'll see how this plays out, but ultimately it's up to Howard and Phil to make this happen.