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Replacing Vas

by: kwilkinson

Sat Mar 14, 2009 at 04:42:48 PM EDT

From the Home News' coverage of Mdlsx Dem County Chair Joe Spicuzzo's press conference yesterday, referring to S. Amboy Mayor John O'Leary:

The county party chairman said the Democratic nominating convention, which had been scheduled for March 26, now has been canceled.
The nomination of candidates for the party's endorsement for the June primary election will be set on March 18, during a 7 p.m. meeting at The Pines Manor in Edison. The party's bylaws do not require a convention if the number of candidates for a post does not exceed the number of seats available. Because O'Leary and incumbent Assemblyman John Wisniewski are the only Democratic candidates for the two Assembly seats, a convention is not necessary.

Well, that's convenient. I guess Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, Sayreville and Carteret don't have anyone interested. Supposing you wouldn't want both reps in the assy from the same town, you can knock out Sayreville.

The district is 1/4 latino, according to politckernj.com, and already represented by two white guys: Sen. Vitale and Assyman Wisniewski.

From what I hear, South Amboy is a blue collar Democratic town of about 8,000. It's is one of several municipalities in Middlesex that have no women on council. Photos and bios, here:

Council President Fred Henry - Term: 2009
Council Vice-President Joseph Connors - Term: 2009
Councilman Russell Stillwagon - Term: 2012
Councilman John O'Connell - Term: 2012
Councilman Mark Noble - Term: 2012

It's looking like Middlesex Co. Dems are going to buck the trend of replacing indicted legislators with women, which got us to a record 28% women in the legislature. So much for minority representation in the 19th, unless Pradip "Peter" Kothari, the GOP candidate from Woodbridge, were to pull off an upset.

Oh, and Vas will let Spicuzzo know if he's willing to step down as Perth Amboy Dem municipal chair sometime next week.

kwilkinson :: Replacing Vas

Tags: Joe Vas, NJ19, Joe Spicuzzo, Middlesex, (All Tags)

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Replacing Vas | 10 comments

on the bright side.... (4.00 / 1)

....every time there is a vacancy (retirement, promotion, indictment, et al) it feels like easing the gender disparity is always a main consideration. but it's not the only consideration. it can't be.

it would have been nice to see the diversity trend continue in this specific case but you gotta admit, lately thing are getting better. 5 years ago, women were like 20% of the leg. now they are closing in on 40%.(any fact checkers out there? i know we just got a new woman in LD3)

activist for hire.

by: Jay Lassiter @ Sun Mar 15, 2009 at 22:54:00 PM UTC

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solid 30% women in the NJ legislature (4.00 / 2)

Last I checked, 26 in the assy, 10 in the Senate, a solid 30%. No harm in optimism, but looking at Middlesex, I'd say it's going to be a slow road toward 40%. For local offices in Mdlsx, it's surprisingly up to 25% from 19% three years ago, so it's moving in the right direction anyway.

Remember the slogan, "50/50 by 2020," that's 100 years after women got the vote, and refers to the US Congress. If we make progress at the same rate as we have for the last 100 years, we'll won't even be there by the end of the century!

by: kwilkinson @ Mon Mar 16, 2009 at 17:37:54 PM UTC

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does that include..... (0.00 / 0)

....our new Assemblywoman from LD3? she's the first female to represent Salem in like a million year.

activist for hire.

by: Jay Lassiter @ Mon Mar 16, 2009 at 23:47:38 PM UTC

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Riley and Redd, included (0.00 / 0)

last I checked.

by: kwilkinson @ Tue Mar 17, 2009 at 21:57:04 PM UTC

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Now unfortunately (0.00 / 0)

you have to subtract 1 with Nilsa Cruz-Perez announcing she won't run again, unless a woman replaces her.

by: Jason Springer @ Tue Mar 17, 2009 at 22:03:47 PM UTC

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women in the legislature (0.00 / 0)

10 women in the Senate add up to 25% of the Senate, Don't know the numbers in the Assembly, but nowhere near 40%.

by: Senator Loretta Weinberg @ Wed Mar 18, 2009 at 03:01:41 AM UTC

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without Nilsa Cruz-Perez, 29% in the legislature (0.00 / 0)

If Cruz-Perez isn't replaced by a woman.

That would still leave 31.3% in the assembly.

Dana Redd may also leave the senate.

All the more reason to bring a woman in to replace Vas.

by: kwilkinson @ Wed Mar 18, 2009 at 19:25:18 PM UTC

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Just to note (0.00 / 0)

Within the democratic delegation, women are 30% of our Senators, and 35% of our Assemblymembers.

So, although we can do much better than that right now, 50/50 by 2020 seems very doable - by the Democrats at least.

by: Jeff Gardner @ Thu Mar 19, 2009 at 12:34:48 PM UTC

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partisan numbers (0.00 / 0)

you just reminded me, my number 25% of local and county Mdlsx offices only pertains to Democratic women among all Dems in office.

Statewide, the GOP isn't that far behind on this issue, plus they got Whitman into office and elected Marge Roukema more recently than the Dems elected a woman to Washington (1975).

I think 50/50 by 2020 is only do-able if there is a commitment to it. Continuing indictments of male politicans doesn't hurt.

by: kwilkinson @ Thu Mar 19, 2009 at 16:48:27 PM UTC

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"Not that far behind" (0.00 / 0)

Within the republican delegation, women are 18% of their Senators, and 22% of their Assemblymembers.

I would call that rather far behind.

Whitman and Roukema? Sortof last century's news, no?

by: Jeff Gardner @ Thu Mar 19, 2009 at 21:11:37 PM UTC

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