See why insiders say Crate can’t lead — and who’s turning on her
In the race for Brick Township, Mayor Lisa Crate has once again hired Brick Democratic operative Mitch Seim to run her race. However, complicating the situation, Seim is working 40+ hours a week for the Toms River finance department while also trying to get his own municipal CFO license. Political operatives don’t know if Seim is a Democrat or a Republican.
Crate and her business administrator Joanne Bergin have been rudderless since the departure of former Mayor John Ducey, who kept Seim, Crate, and Bergin in check. Since Ducey became a judge, not even township attorney Kevin Starkey can keep them under control.
Even worse, Crate has had pressure from left-wing liberals such as council candidate Dan Ward to support LGBTQ+ issues such as transgender men in women’s in sports in Brick. Ward is a leader in the Ocean County LGBTQ+ Caucus. Crate has tried to portray a conservative, but cannot fend off her own left wing, as she and Seim did not want Ward to run.
What makes matters even worse, Michael Bucca, a longtime Seim operative, has switched parties and now works for the Make Brick Great Again Team. Bucca has said that Crate cannot operate without direction, and regrets working on her team. Bucca is a two time Emmy award winning media consultant who did not believe in the vision of the Brick Democrats in the end.
Bucca switched allegiances after Councilwoman Heather DeJong took aggressive action against Bucca’s new senior-focused news company Jersey Senior Weekly. It is undetermined if DeJong was acting on behalf of Ocean County Meals on Wheels or her role as Brick councilwoman when she took such actions.
