If you’re involved in politics, reading this story could save you thousands of dollars in legal fees and prevent you from inadvertently being charged with a crime.
Around 11:30 PM last Friday, a Readington township committeeman was arrested in his home after unexpectedly finding out that political signs he allegedly stole had a tracking device.
Now he faces a criminal disorderly persons charge under conditions that may have politicos rethinking their sign-stealing strategies.
It’s a reminder that the rapid expansion of smart doorbells and security cameras for homes and businesses, and the ability to harness technology to keep an eye on outdoor political signs, could lead to a reduction in their theft.
The backdrop to the story is a bitter internal fight between moderate old guard Republicans and a newer, significantly more conservative faction in a Hunterdon County municipality split by supporters and opponents of Donald Trump.
The two factions have been in a civil war since 2022 when three-term Township Committeewoman Betty Anne Fort, a Republican rabidly opposed to Trump, lost the primary by a 2-1 margin to conservative Vinny Panico, a former president of the Hunterdon Central Regional Board of Education who ran off the line with the blessing of party leaders.
Fort had endorsed Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-Ringoes) in 2020 over Republican Thomas Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield) and contributed $7,900 to his 2020 and 2022 campaigns. That cost her re-election.
Last year, two incumbents from the moderate faction, John Albanese and Jonathan Heller, lost party support but ran off the line and narrowly won the GOP primary.
On June 4, incumbents R. Juergen Huelsebusch and Adam Mueller, the current mayor, face two old guard primary opponents allied with Albanese, former Mayor Benjamin Smith and Planning Board member Jacqueline Hindle. If Smith and Hindle win, it would swing control of local government back to the moderate wing.
Like many local government fights, tensions are running high. There have been allegations of sign stealing over the last few years – some Republicans were informally caught swiping Kean placards in 2022 after a hunting camera was used to keep watch.
The conservative faction grew tired of playing the game and built out an independent sting operation.
They decided to attach Apple AirTags to repurposed signs from Kean’s 2022 race with a severe anti-Malinowski message and position them adjacent to the Smith and Hindle signs.
The AirTags allowed the group to ping the sign to determine its exact location.
The opposition followed the signal to Albanese’s home. Panico telephoned a police sergeant to report the theft. They found the six anti-Malinowski signs there and placed Albanese under arrest.
A summons was issued to Albanese, a former mayor, by Patrolman Brandon Griffiths, accusing him of “unlawfully taking or exercising control over certain moveable property, to wit, 6 political signs belonging to the Readington Township Republican Party with the intent to deprive the owner thereof, specifically by removing the signs from previously placed locations and retaining possession of the signs.”
Panico said he was “deeply disheartened by the allegations levied against Committeeman Albanese.”
“As a former mayor and local leader with the Readington Township Committee … his alleged actions are shameful as he betrayed the trust of Readington families,” he said. “Over the years, disappearing campaign signs have been a distraction from the most important topics in Readington and I’m hopeful this will put an end to the petty political strife.”
Huelsebusch and Mueller called Albanese’ arrest “indefensible.”
“The arrest of Committeeman Albanese, an elected official and former Mayor, is deeply troubling and indefensible. Given the considerable damage and embarrassment this has caused to Readington Township and the Republican Party, we call for his immediate resignation from all elected offices. This is a necessary step to begin restoring trust and integrity within our community, Huelsebusch and Mueller said. “We also call on our opponents, Ben Smith and Jacqueline Hindle, to join us in demanding the immediate resignation of Committeeman Albanese.”
Now Albanese, a former aide to State Sen. Bill Schluter (R-Pennington), the state’s government ethics king, had to get a lawyer and is set to appear in court on June 3, the day before the primary election. That is likely to get postponed; the municipal court judge, Gerard J. Shamey, is a former four-term township committeeman and the presiding municipal court judge of the Somerset/Hunterdon/Warren vicinage, which could force the moving of the case away from the tri-county area.
It’s unclear what his next move will be.
“I have not yet seen the evidence that the state allegedly possesses in support of the charge. I remind everyone that Mr. Albanese is presumed innocent unless and until the state proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Albanese intended to steal the signs,” said Albanese’s attorney, Scott Wilhelm. “I look forward to reviewing the state’s evidence.”
The ownership of the anti-Malinowski signs presents a potentially interesting question. They were paid for by the Kean for Congress campaign two years ago and then collected by the conservative faction after Kean unseated Malinowski. They marked the back of the signs as “Property of Readington GOP.” Still, it’s unclear who the victim was, if anyone.
A spokesman for the Kean campaign declined to comment. Kean is backing the conservative wing candidates, Huelsebusch and Mueller.
Readington Township officials did not immediately respond to a document request made under the Open Public Records Act, a move that potentially opens them up to criticism that they are deliberately slow rolling the inquiry until after Election Day.
In 2020, Trump carried Readington by a 55%-43% margin against Joe Biden.