HOPATCONG - The promo from the borough's Republican club said Tom Kean Jr. would attend Monday's "Meet the Candidates" night in this Sussex County town.

That prompted about a dozen sign-waving protesters to show up outside the local senior center to welcome him.

The signs accused the CD-7 congressman of abandoning Roxbury - the proposed site of an ICE detention center - and of hiding from constituents.

That is hardly a new lament.

Kean has developed a reputation of not interacting with the press or the general public, more or less limiting his appearances to un-publicized staged events.

So, it was no surprise that he skipped this event as well, to which one protester said:

"If he’s a no show here, he will be a no show for you when you hire him."

Inside, about 25 to 30 people listened to presentations from GOP candidates seeking local and county-wide offices.

Sitting behind a sign for Tom Kean Jr. was Chase Geer, the congressman's field director for Sussex and Warren counties. The district also includes at least parts of Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset and Union counties.

Geer spoke on Kean's behalf. He said the congressman has brought millions in federal aid to Hopatcong, Sussex County, and for that matter, all of CD-7. He also highlighted Kean's work in raising the SALT, or state and local, federal tax deduction from $10,000 to $40,000 and his support for the Save America Act regarding voter integrity.

That was it. There was no general question and answer session, although attendees were able to talk to candidates individually.

Geer made no mention of the protesters outside.

But Chris Carney, who is running for county clerk, did.

His point was that Republicans need to be energized, something that he said does not always happen with a midterm election.

And he used the contingent outside to make that point.

"They're here. They want to win. We need to want to win more," Carney said.