Glouco GOP divided over leadership

A rift over leadership in the Gloucester County Republican Party has created a bitterly contested primary for two seats on the freeholder board.

The ordinarily unified party has split into three factions that will battle on June 2 for a piece of county government, which has been controlled by Democrats for 20 years.

This year, Democrats are fielding incumbent Freeholders Joe Chila and Robert Damminger, with Carmel Morina running for reelection as sheriff.

On the Republican side, county party chairwoman Loran Oglesby has been criticized by members of two party blocs, who say she has been ineffective in her four years in charge. Dismissing the criticism, she plans to seek reelection as chairwoman on June 9.

Oglesby also is running for the freeholder board, saying the "insurgents" in her party have "poisoned the well" and made it difficult to find someone willing to run in the Regular Organization Republican column.

A month ago, she said she submitted her name as a placeholder, but she now calls herself "an active candidate." She enlisted Stephen Austin, a political newcomer from South Harrison, as a running mate. Austin is a self-employed carpentry contractor.

Oglesby, who ran unsuccessfully for freeholder in 2003 and 2004, says she and Austin are "the most qualified candidates and obviously have the party's support."

But Bill Fey, who is challenging her for the chair, says the fact that she could barely fill her ticket shows she has lost party support. Oglesby could not field a sheriff's candidate after Chris Marrero, the person she tapped, joined one of the competing factions a few days before the filing deadline.

Larry Wallace and Phyllis Scapellato, who ran for freeholder last November, say Oglesby failed them miserably during their campaign, and they sought her resignation early this year. When she refused, they formed the Gloucester County Republicans slate and enlisted Richard Dean as a running mate for sheriff.

Of the race so far, Scapellato said: "There's a lot of sharks in the water, a lot of opposition, a lot of candidates for the seats. But we have name recognition and are just hoping people remember last year's campaign and choose us to serve them."

Scapellato, of Franklin, is a school administrator in Mansfield, Burlington County; Wallace, of Woolwich, is an administrator for a dental practice.

Fey, who supports their slate, said it was time for fresh leadership when "you have a chairman that stands in front of people and says that it was an Obama year last year and it's OK to lose."

Fey said that Republicans should not give up so easily and that his town, Franklin, switched to GOP control last year despite Democratic victories nationwide. He said Oglesby's lack of management skills led to the defeat of last year's GOP freeholder candidates.

But Oglesby, a sales associate for Sears Holding Co. from West Deptford, said Scapellato and Wallace should take the blame for their loss, especially as she hired a professional strategist for them and raised money for TV spots.

The third faction calls itself Conservative Republicans Putting Taxpayers First and is aligned with Steve Lonegan, who is vying with Christopher J. Christie for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.

The group has endorsed Ron Brittin and Matthew Burns for freeholder and Marrero for sheriff. Brittin, a semiretired landscaper from Mantua, said he and Burns, a West Deptford resident who just finished a stint in the Navy, broke from the party because of the turmoil Oglesby has created. "If she should win, it's doom for the party," he said.

Other contested primaries in the county include GOP races for local committee seats in Harrison and South Harrison.

In Harrison, where two committee seats are open, incumbent Donald Heim and newcomer Robert Shearer are running against former Mayor Phil Rhudy and newcomer Joseph Naples. Incumbent Jim Woods is competing alone.

Running unopposed are Democrats Joseph Lancellotti and Joseph Hassell.

In South Harrison, incumbent Gary Spinner, former Mayor James McCall, and newcomer Mary Howard are vying for two seats. Mayor Robert Campbell, a Democrat, has not filed for reelection and no Democrats are on the primary ballot.