A Town Hall Epilogue

by: Matthew Jordan

Mon Mar 02, 2009 at 09:15:15 PM EST

(Promoted from the diaries because New Jersey's Congressional delegation would be much better off without Rush Limbaugh Republican Garrett - SW) (Promoted from the diaries because New Jersey's Congressional delegation would be much better off without Rush Limbaugh Republican Scott Garrett -SW)

As many of you know we had our first official Take Back the 5th Town Hall yesterday. Although there was a threat of snow, we still had a fairly good turn out (nearly 40 people on a Sunday afternoon), and a distinguished panel of speakers. The most encouraging sign in my opinion was the diverse group of elected officials that came out to speak. Freeholders Vernon Walton & Jim Carroll, Sheriff Leo McGuire, Ridgewood Councilman (and 2006 Democratic Nominee) Paul Aronsohn, Former Closter Councilman Jack Kelly, and Ogdensburg Mayor Jim Sekelsky, all were on hand to discuss why Scott Garrett was an ineffective Congressman and the work that needs to be done to unseat him in 2010.

Another thing that became very evident to me is how different the voters are in each county of NJ-5. A message that could work in Warren and Sussex probably won?t work in Bergen, and the geographic challenges that a candidate faces in the district make it very difficult for him/her to connect with voters. New ideas and methods need to be implemented in order to win in 2010, and this event opened a new dialogue for organization and message development throughout NJ-5.

In my opinion alternate campaign tactics to be utilized to address these challenges. When Paul Aronsohn spoke about how he walked across the district in 2006 knocking on doors and engaging voters in made me realize how great of an idea that was. If we could organize people to walk in their respective towns in the district, knocking on doors, distributing literature, and just opening a dialogue with voters on why Garrett is not representing them, we could really begin a grassroots movement.

Matthew Jordan :: A Town Hall Epilogue

I cannot stress enough how important the 2009 local, county, and legislative races are across the 5th district. Especially in Sussex & Warren Counties, we need to recruit candidates to run in these races and make Republicans accountable for their records. Organizing on the local level provides an infrastructure for 2010, and will be a key to unseating Garrett.

This event is the first in many events Retire Garrett hopes to hold. We are going to begin planning another town hall like event to occur in the next 4 months, and build on the momentum we started yesterday. Nick Lento was kind enough to record the Town Hall, and he should be posting that footage soon for all your viewing pleasure.

On a personal note, when you watch the video pay close attention to Jim Sekelsky and Leo McGuire. Both are ideal candidates in my opinion and could really put this seat in play in 2010 if either chooses to run.

Myself, Adam, and Mike thank everyone for their support and help and we will keep you posted on future events we hope to plan.

Tags: Jim Carroll, Vernon Walton, Jack Kelly, Leo McGuire, Scott Garrett, Paul Aronsohn, Jim Sekelsky, Retire Garrett, nj-5, (All Tags)

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A Town Hall Epilogue | 7 comments

agree completely (3.00 / 1)

it far exceeded my expectations, and both Jim and Leo would be phenomenal candidates.

To those who attended and to those who spoke, thank you very much. We will be in touch and truly appreciate the time you took, as well as your suggestions.

Scott Garrett - on the wrong side of, well, everything.

by: Adam L @ Tue Mar 03, 2009 at 02:30:36 AM UTC

by: you @ soon

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taking down garret (4.00 / 1)

I think what needs to be done is a database needs to be created that lists all the interest groups that should support a democratic candidate. There are all of these Friends of [insert name of environmental phenomena] through Northern New Jersey and I believe that lots of the people the people who vote for Garret belong to those groups and could be persuaded to help retire him.

Scott Garrett - on the wrong side of, well, everything

by: doughnutman @ Tue Mar 03, 2009 at 03:00:36 AM UTC

by: you @ soon

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Allies (4.00 / 3)

There's a classical lesson from Paul Wellstone, which is incorporated into the excellent Camp Wellstone campaign trainings. It's about finding allies. The advice is to sit down and figure out every individual and group who stands to gain, or would be happy, if you win. Including groups who aren't immediately obvious. And often the groups that are the least obvious are the most effective, an example being senior citizens recruited to help lobby for a youth center. I always loved this model because it suggests - as the last election teaches too - that there are far more people "on our side" than we think.

It's not a particularly snappy signature, but here's what I think we need in the next NJ Democratic State Chair.

by: Rosi Efthim @ Tue Mar 03, 2009 at 06:13:37 AM UTC

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