Kanitra gets Monmouth line for Catalano’s Assembly seat

Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Paul Kanitra appears poised to run on the Monmouth County Republican organization line for an open State Assembly seat in the 10th legislative district after two other candidates failed to file enough signatures to compete at the GOP convention.

Kanitra is seeking the open seat of John Catalano, who is instead planning to run for mayor of Brick.

Petitions for two other candidates, Toms River school board member Ashley Lamb and former New Jersey PTA President Cathy Lindenbaum, were disqualified on Friday because they fell one signature short of the ten county committee members required to compete at the convention.

Now Kanitra has a lock on the Monmouth line, along with Assemblyman Greg McGuckin (R-Toms River).  Catalano had previously filed his petitions before deciding to drop his bid.  He’ll run in Monmouth with State Sen. James Holzapfel (R-Toms River) and the organization candidates for county commissioner.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the Monmouth filings is a signal that Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore prefers Lamb and Lindenbaum for the 10th district Assembly seats and not two other prospective candidates, former Toms River Republican Club President Geri Ambrosio and former Brick Councilwoman Ruthanne Scaturro.

It also signals that Lamb’s husband, Toms River Councilman Justin Lamb, will not challenge Mayor Mo Hill in the Republican primary.

The five Monmouth municipalities  – Brielle, Manasquan, Sea Girt, Spring Lakes, and Spring Lake Heights – make up about ten percent of the registered Republicans in the 10th district.