| - By Stephen Yellin
In my last two articles on New Jersey's 39th Legislative District, I discussed why the Republican incumbent, Gerald "Gerry" Cardinale was too extreme to represent a rapidly changing district (towards the left, I might add), and why it's time to fire him. Today, I want to introduce you all to his Democratic opponent, and why he should be hired to serve in the New Jersey State Senate. His name is Joe Ariyan, and he'll be an excellent State Senator for New Jersey. His life and credentials will tell you why.
My previous articles on NJ-39:
http://www.bluejerse...
http://www.bluejerse...
http://www.bluejerse... |
| Joe is a 1st-generation American; his family is Armenian in origin, and came to settle in New Jersey. Even as a child, his parents instilled in him the ideas of community service, progressive values and a commitment to social justice that he has followed all his life. In 1977, he and his family joined the march in Washington, DC in support of the Equal Rights Amendment. Joe was just 9 years old at the time. Needless to say, a moving experience at that age can inspire anyone to get involved in public life; it certainly proved so for Joe Ariyan.
Joe graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1990, and along the way chose to become an attorney, specializing in insurance policies. While earning his law degree, he helped citizens who were having trouble filing tax returns through volunteer work. After marrying his wife Susan, he moved to Saddle River in 1995 and became a practicing attorney. In 2000 he co-founded his own law firm (Ariyan, Khoury and Schildiner LLP, located in Hackensack), and shortly after began to get involved in local politics.
In 2004, Joe was appointed by Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney as the county's first Public Advocate for Land Use. Joe's responsibility is to help prevent and turn back the encroachment of businesses and developers on open space in the suburbs - the political buzzword for this is "Suburban Sprawl". This process has been going on for decades, but is now being targeted as a problem to be fixed by both taxpayers and politicians alike. Part of Joe's job involves working with the individual municipalities in Bergen County to protest Suburban Sprawl actions in the county, and to block through litigation any unlawful or unnecessary development. Here's an example from last week of what Joe's work entails:
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
By ALLISON PRIES
STAFF WRITER
http://www.northjers... =eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y 3dnFlZUVFeXk3MTk0MDY2
MAHWAH - Pilot Corporation is back.
The fuel and truck stop company is seeking to redevelop its Route 17 location into a gas station and convenience store -- a twist on the expansive truck stop plans rejected by the zoning board in January.
Gone are the showers, game room and laundry facilities. There will be no truck scale or overnight parking.
But those opposed to the application say six diesel fuel pumps and 10 tractor-trailer parking spots are enough to make it a bad neighbor for the township's four schools a few hundred feet away on Ridge Road.
Pilot, which signed a 20-year lease on the property in 2006, is still appealing the decision on its earlier application...
"This is very disappointing," said Joe Ariyan, Bergen County public advocate for land use. "The fact [is] that Pilot knows how the town's people feel, yet it is still pushing" a plan to redevelop the site....
The state Department of Environmental Protection, meanwhile, is in the midst of an air-quality analysis to determine the impact of truck stops on residents and schools, said spokeswoman Karen Hershey.
The data collected, including information on the number of trucks and how long they idle, will be used to create a computer-generated model to determine whether there are air-quality impacts, Hershey said.
"The modeling analysis will focus on existing activities," she said, adding that it is unclear when the study will conclude. "This is the first truck-stop modeling analysis we've done."
Joe used his position as Public Advocate to block the proposal the first time around, and now (as the public is again concerned with the company's plan) is prepared to block it again, either through the courts or through negotiation. This is but one example of what he's been doing in the last three years to help Bergen County residents.
In addition to his job as Public Advocate, Joe serves in a few other capacities; he works as Public Defender for the borough of Hillsdale and is a Commissioner on the Board of Public Utilities (which deals with water and electricity safety issues for Bergen County). In both capacities, whether it's ensuring that justice is served or that Bergen County residents receive goods and services in good condition, Joe has been fulfilling his dreams of public service.
Now Joe is running for the State Senate in 2007, in order to take what he's done so far and use his expertise for the benefit of New Jersey. Like many New Jerseyans, Joe is pro-choice, fully supports stem-cell research and wants to cut property taxes. While some of his positions are more moderate (he supports the death penalty, for example), they also fit in with his constituents; NJ-39 is moving to the left, but it is still very much a "purple" district in ideology. And such a district is winnable for a socially progressive, fiscally responsible Democrat like Joe. Huh? You make it sound like he doesn't have a chance.
Already, Gerry Cardinale is running attack ads against Joe and his running mates, Esther Fletcher and Carl Manna (you can find out more about all three of them at http://www.voicefor3...). It's a sign of both how desperate Cardinale is to save his seat, and how bloody the General election will be. You'll probably hear a lot of nasty things about both Joe and his running mates from the GOP before all is done - believe me, don't believe a word of it. Joe, Esther and Carl will be impartial, fair and strong leaders for the 39th, and will help the Democratic Party bring greater reforms to the state of New Jersey starting in 2008. Hopefully, you'll come along with them for the ride. |
