Contact: Carmine Inteso

732-255-5132 September 17, 2007

 CHANGING CANDIDATES IN TOMS RIVER?

IT DOESN'T MATTER - BOSSES STILL RULE

 TOMS RIVER, NJ -- No matter who is chosen to replace Gregory McGuckin as the Republican candidate for mayor in Tom's River, it doesn't matter, says Independent candidate Carmine Inteso, " the replacement candidate will, like McGuckin, still be controlled by the party bosses."

 McGuckin was forced to resign from the race after it was revealed that he owed over $120,000 in federal income taxes. He resigned he says to avoid the Democrats making an issue of his personal tax problems.

 Inteso -- a sitting councilman and an Independent Republican -- says the local GOP has a greater issue than McGuckin's inability to pay his taxes.

 "The problem is the insider dealing and the patronage jobs engineered by the party bosses who control so much of what happens in this town and county," said Inteso. "It really doesn't matter who is chosen to replace McGuckin because the people pulling the strings won't change. They will still be working behind the scenes to betray the taxpayers and reward their friends," said Inteso.

 The Independent Republican said the Toms River Democrats have no real advantage on ethical issues since the state Democratic Party has condoned corruption and has seen several sitting and former Democratic state and local officials indicted, convicted or forced to resign from office or refuse to stand for re-election.

 "I don't see how the Democrats make any headway with voters on ethics reform when their party has taken corruption to unimagined levels in New Jersey," said Inteso. "These guys can't even pass simple ethics reforms that ban dual office holding. How are they going to make voters believe that they aren't as much a part of the corruption and tax problem as anyone else."

 "The homeowners I have been meeting and speaking with are still most concerned about taxes. They don't see any difference in the two major parties. That's why they are embracing an Independent like me. They want real tax relief and real change,"