Mon May 11, 2009 at 12:58:37 PM EDT
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| Disclaimer: I am working on John and Mark's campaign, but more importantly I am a constituent of Scott Rumana and David Russo. I would be surprised if they could find my hometown of Wanaque without a GPS, which is just one of the many reasons why they shouldn?t represent the 40th. Additionally, getting John and Mark into the Assembly would be a great first step in retiring Scott Garrett and his abysmal record in NJ-5. Unseating Congressmen like Garrett starts with making electoral gains on the local and legislative levels.
The 50 State Strategy put into place by Howard Dean in his tenure as the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee is largely responsible for the position Democrats enjoy today. A commanding majority in the House of Representatives, with Arlen Specter joining the Democratic Caucus and Al Franken on his way from Minnesota a 60 vote filibuster-proof majority in the US Senate, and a Democrat in the White House who won traditionally Republican states like Virginia, North Carolina, and Iowa.
So what does this mean in New Jersey and how can we learn from the new paradigm that Dean introduced on the national level? In my opinion, especially in a blue state like New Jersey, it means going on offense all over the State. With a little investment and energy we can put traditionally Republican Municipalities and Legislative Districts into play and stretch Republicans thin all over the State.
This line of thought brings me to the 40th District and the two candidates that are running as Democrats. John Agostinelli and Mark Bombace have both introduced themselves to the Blue Jersey community and explained a little about their backgrounds and why they are running. |
| Matthew Jordan :: The 40 District Strategy |
| In John and Mark there are several reasons to be excited about them as candidates and the campaign in the fall. For starters, they have both been elected in their communities before, which I think is very important for any candidate who is running in a Legislative or Congressional race. It means they have a political base of support already in place. Secondly, from personal experience I can say one thing with little doubt in my mind: they are both just greats guys who would bring a lot of practical knowledge and a new ethical standard to Trenton.
They aren?t looking to go to Trenton with grand ambitions of long political careers and backroom deals to further their own interests. They see a genuine lack of leadership by their State Representatives and think they have a duty to challenge Scott Rumana and David Russo's records in the Assembly.
More importantly, they both have ideas on how to make things better. Mark has a wealth of knowledge from his time as the President of the Ridgewood Board of Education and genuine ideas on how to make out public school systems more efficient and more accountable. Not to mention his day job as a Ridgewood Fire Captain and the new perspective he could bring to public safety issues in Trenton. John has been a civil engineer for more than 15 years, and has a strong grasp on transportation and infrastructure issues that I could do no justice to in this post. He wants to expand mass transportation, improve our roads, and improve our environment, and has the professional background to get it done properly. They are looking to bring common sense solutions to Trenton that will benefit the people of the 40th District, not craft legislation that increases bureaucracy and wastes taxpayer dollars.
So I know as we reach the conclusion of this post you are asking yourselves, how can I help them get to Trenton? Well, if you live in Northern New Jersey I hope you will join us at the kickoff fundraiser hosted by Mark Bombace at his Ridgewood home. The event costs only $35 and all of the details can be found on the Blue Jersey calendar. This campaign isn?t going to be run on the heels of lawyers and lobbyists writing big checks, it is going to be on the backs of normal people making $5, $10, and $25 dollar contributions. Furthermore, you can join John and Mark?s Facebook Group and stay up-to-date on campaign events and issues (a web-site will be up soon). This campaign is going to be won on grassroots support and I hope the Blue Jersey community will be a partner in sending John and Mark to Trenton in November.
Cross Posted on Retire Garrett |
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