The Manasquan Republican Club on Thursday discussed potential candidates to replace former Councilman Don Grasso's seat on the Borough Council for the remainder of the calendar year. 

The GOP Committee, comprised of eight district representatives and Chairman Rich Dunne, has until the May 7 Borough Council meeting to submit three names to the governing body, who must select Grasso's replacement within 15 days by majority vote. 

And while the Republican Club members do not have an official say in picking the three names, they helped Dunne on Wednesday brainstorm and put together a short list of potential candidates. 

The party's two candidates for the 2012 election, Greg Olivera and Mike Sinneck, are likely to fill two of the spots, but several names were thrown around at Wednesday's meeting as the potential third candidate. 

They were: Robert Ferrante, Lou Cocozza, Richard Norris and GOP Club President Bill Giunco. 

Giunco said Wednesday that he would only volunteer if the committee could not find anyone else. 

The club president also said he would like to see a woman considered for the third spot. 

Dunne said he would contact each person on the list to measure their interest. 

The committee is expected to meet behind closed doors on Monday and hopefully finalize the list, Dunne said. 

Dunne said each person on the list should be able to work with the other council members and have the interests of Manasquan, not personal gain, at heart. 

Dunne said Grasso had good ideas but had difficulty communicating those ideas with the rest of the council. 

If the committee cannot provide a list of three names to the council, the governing body by law can select whomever they want to fill the vacant seat, officials said.