Oh what a party! Oddly enough, this is by far the most interesting of the many political fundraisers we experience during the election season.Candidates who are serious about getting elected in November, tend to make an appearance at the Independence Party event of the year. The large crowd was a good indicator of just how many people are serious.
What is also quite interesting is, other than formal meetings, this is the rare time to mix it up with members of the opposition and probably your opponent. All said, everyone vying for an elected position, for the most part, has the betterment of their community in heart and feel they could serve their district better.Len Bernardo and his team did a terrific job putting the event together. Candidates who feel they have a shot at getting the nod from his team made the effort to be there. In reality, only half are going to be thrilled when the choices are made.
I must say, it was nice to see some of the candidates having civil chat at such a well attended function. Gilda Ricardi chatting with Nina Postupack in one corner, while Jonathan Katz was joking with Don Williams in the other. Even Glenn Noonan showed up and mixed it up with some Democratic Legislators. Fun stuff to watch.
There was one altercation half way through the evening when Legislator Frank Felicello used an ethnic slur at a food server in front of Todd Langon. Seems the face to face arguement got a bit heated and Todd had to step away for fear of it going further. [very smart] Todd's better half is of latin decent and the words were not flattering toward the Holiday Inn staff. Shame on Frank.
The list of candidates missing was also quite a surprise. Did they just expect to get the line, or did they dismiss the validity of the Independence Party as a key factor in winning their respective races. We wont know until election day will we?Well done Len and the officers of the Independence Party and thanks again for your support.
