Marlboro Republicans Bring the Chocolate Thunder to Marlboro Day

Marlboro, NJ – Former Nets star and NBA legend Darryl Dawkins will be signing autographs and posing for photos at Marlboro Day, Sunday, September 18, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., courtesy of The Committee to Elect Steve Rosenthal, Rosa Tragni and Jeff Cantor to the Marlboro Township Committee.

Marlboro Day, a community festival featuring food, entertainment, crafters, vendors and rides, is being held at the Marlboro Municipal Complex at 1979 Township Drive.

Dawkins was the first player to go straight from high school to the NBA, drafted fifth overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1975 NBA Draft. Nicknamed the “Chocolate Thunder,” he played 14 NBA seasons — in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Detroit and Utah — as well as five pro seasons in Italy and a stint with the Harlem Globetrotters.

Dawkins was a fan favorite because of his backboard-shattering dunks. Because his dunks resulted in delays while teams went to find another backboard, the NBA eventually modified their basketball rims to make them collapsible in the event another superstar wanted to emulate Dawkins' dunks.

The Committee to Elect Steve Rosenthal, Rosa Tragni and Jeff Cantor to the Marlboro Township Committee, along with the Marlboro Republicans, will also be sponsoring a variety of activities of children of all ages throughout the entire day at Marlboro Day. Included will be performances by “the Wire Guy,” who creates intricate, whimsical sculptures out of a single strand of wire, hair braiding, temporary tattoos and giveaways.

A booth will also be available for voter registration.

Steve Rosenthal, Rosa Tragni and Jeff Cantor are running for the three seats that will be available on the Marlboro Township Council the end of 2005.
Rosenthal is the founder and CEO of CheckPoint HR, a human resources management and payroll outsourcing company. He previously led two other hugely successful companies, one of which became one of the largest human resources outsourcing companies in the United States. A father of three, Rosenthal is currently the chairman of the Open Space committee.

Rosa Tragni works as an advocate for battered women and children. She has lived in Marlboro for 10 years. She is married and has two children who are active in travel baseball and swim team.

Cantor who is currently filling a one-year term, is seeking his first full term on the governing body. A resident of Marlboro for 10 years, he is a district sales manager for Astrazeneca Pharmaceutical and a volunteer emergency medical technician. A major in the U.S. Army Reserve, Cantor returned to the United States in March 2004 following one year of service in Iraq where he helped to establish a new government in the northern city of Kirkuk following the fall of Saddam Hussein.

The Cantor, Rosenthal and Tragni platform, supported by Mayor Kleinberg, focuses on stabilizing property taxes and growth in the township; and continuing to root out corruption in politics.