Censured Monmouth County freeholder wants to censure other freeholders

Susanne Cervenka | Asbury Park Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Curley censure: Special counsel shares the 'vulgar outbursts' Jonathan Testa, special counsel for Monmouth County, shares the "vulgar outbursts" by John Curley.

FREEHOLD BOROUGH - Monmouth County Freeholder John Curley is calling for his fellow freeholders to be censured for violating a federal court order when they censured him in December.

Curley contends his fellow freeholders lifted portions of a sexual harassment investigation into his conduct, which had been sealed by a federal court judge, and used them directly in the resolution the freeholders approved in December that censured Curley, which you can hear in the video at the top of the page.

A censure is an official rebuke of a public official but does not remove him from office.

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U.S. District Court Judge Brian R. Martinotti, in Trenton, last month found Monmouth County freeholders in contempt for violating the seal. Martinotti ordered Monmouth County to pay Curley's legal bills that are related to bringing the contempt issue to the court's attention. That amount hasn't been determined yet.

"They are in breach of a federal district court order. That is unlawful," Curley said, who released a statement directed "To the taxpayers of Monmouth County."

Curley said freeholders Tom Arnone and Lillian Burry, former Freeholder Gary Rich and Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso, who was a freeholder at the time, should pay for the legal bills personally.

"The Monmouth County taxpayers should not have to pay for their willful and intentional misconduct," he said.

Arnone blasted back at Curley: "This is not news. Mr. Curley has been hiding behind the report for months, taking every step to keep the truth from the public. Enough is enough, the report should be released so everyone can see the real Mr.Curley."

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The issue stems from a complaint lodged against Curley following the 2017 Memorial Day parade in Bradley Beach where an unidentified woman said she overheard Curley make a sexist remark.

The complaint prompted an investigation that led to his fellow freeholders to schedule a meeting to censure him.

But before they could act, Curley sued the freeholders and the county in December, saying they violated his civil rights with the investigation and censure. He asked and Martinotti agreed to seal the investigative report, however, the freeholders were allowed to proceed with the censure vote.

Martinotti has since dismissed the lawsuit but left a window open for Curley to refile a portion of it.

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Curley, who was a Republican at the time, but is now running for re-election as an independent, has denied any wrongdoing and claims the investigation is political hit job because he frequently bucked the party line.

Curley said he plans to bring his idea of censure up at a freeholder meeting and will ask for support from Republican freeholders Pat Impreveduto and Gerry Scharfenberger, who were not on the board in December and were not parties to the lawsuit.

Impreveduto said he didn't have comments beyond Arnone's statement. Scharfenberger said he had not read Curley's statement and could not comment.

"If the freeholders do not step forward, they will show they are under control of the political bosses of our Republican chairman and Sheriff Shaun Golden and our County Clerk and Republican co-chair Christine Hanlon," Curley said. "It will show the incestuousness of the Republican Party in Monmouth County."

Susanne Cervenka: @scervenka; 732-643-4229; scervenka@gannettnj.com