Common Sense For New Hampshire

In yesterday’s mail:

Maggie Moran

112 Inlet Terrace

Belmar, NJ 07719

September 17, 2014

 

Fellow Belmar resident,

My name is Maggie Moran and I am the wife of our Mayor Matt Doherty. (So far, everything she said is true although there is a grammatical error; the word “mayor” should not be capitalized and should have a comma after it.)  In recent weeks, Matt’s political opponents, including former Mayor Ken Pringle, have made a series of baseless allegations about my business and me. (I’m not sure what allegations she considers to be baseless.  It’s not like someone is out there telling people she was born in Kenya or something. Everything I’ve heard from Jim Bean or Ken Pringle, and everything I’ve written and said myself  is taken from the public record and is completely documented.  Reputable and disinterested news sources such as the Asbury Park Press and the Newark Star Ledger are asking the same questions we are.  And why is she referring to Democrat Ken Pringle as a “political opponent”?  Is it because he has been critical of the mayor?  This is a tactic we’ve seen over and over from these people. They brand any and all criticism as being political in nature and then dismiss it as such.  I find that very frustrating.  Oh, and there’s too many commas in that sentence.  The first one should have been left out.  And it would have sounded better if she said “about me and my business” instead of the other way around)  I want to take this opportunity to communicate with you directly and set the record straight.

I have a public affairs firm in NY and NJ called M Public Affairs – we work solely with private clients and have 20 employees.  (Yeah, her clients are private concerns like AshBritt, Ferreira Brothers, and LIUNA.  The question is whether she is using her influence in the government to help these private clients.  In fact, her bio page on their website lists all her government connections and the powerful politicians she has been senior advisor to.) 

These allegations have been made through direct mail and even at the homes of voters, and I expect that, unfortunately, it will continue through the election season. (Skip the first comma.) Please know that what has been said, and what is likely to be said is simply not true.  (This one is missing a comma.  And this paragraph really should have been closer to the beginning of the letter, before she starts defending her work at M Public affairs.)

I want everyone in town to know that M Public Affairs has NO business in Belmar. It never has, and it never will. I have no clients that provide me or my firm with any financial or other benefits in regard to Belmar. Belmar is where I raise my family, not where I perform work for any clients.  (It’s true that no impropriety has been proven.  But the standard is supposed to be the appearance of impropriety.  And the possibility of impropriety is appearing to everyone except, perhaps, Mr. Magoo.)

I love this town, and I love raising my three children here. My kids and I should not have to endure rumors and baseless allegations because Matt is our Mayor. (She’s out there overtly bragging to her private clients about how much political influence she has and then she feels all sorry for herself when people ask questions about it.  It’s not like you’re a stay at home mom like Tracy Bean, or work for the phone company like my wife.  And again, in that context the word “mayor” should not be capitalized.  It’s capitalized when it’s in front of his name as a title, just like Mr. or Dr. are capitalized.  It’s also capitalized when it’s part of the name of a specific entity such as “the Mayor and Council”.  So many people capitalize it every time it’s used.)  Matt works very hard for the people in Belmar. During and after Sandy he took a lot of time off from his full time job as a Financial Advisor (Caps?) to stabilize and rebuild our town. (He didn’t stabilize our debt, that’s for sure.)  I am proud of Matt and the work he and all of the great employees of Belmar performed during and after that crisis.

I hope Matt’s political opponents stop making false and misleading allegations about me. (Yeah, stop telling people she was born in Kenya!)  Our town deserves better and I could not stand by any longer and let Matt’s opponents continue to undermine my reputation. I thank you for reading this letter and hope these baseless allegations do not distract you from the great work being done in town.

 

Sincerely,

Maggie Moran

Style, I’ll give her maybe a C.  Substance?  I’ll let you decide.