Forty one citizens from various walks of life are placing their careers, businesses and lives on hold to run for the NJ State Assembly.  Calling themselves Citizens For Assembly, they joined together on the steps of the NJ State House in Trenton on September 30, 2009 to announce their combined intentions.

Citizen Candidates for NJ 2009 State Assembly at Trenton State House: www.citizensforassembly.com

Every Day People Stepping Up to Fill a Voting Choice Gap

Reminiscent of the 1994 Contract with America that swept Democrats from power in DC, the nature of the candidates reveals a marked difference.

Barry Funt, a candidate for District 27, echos the sentiments of why these candidates are running , “I decided to run for one simple reason, I did not think there was anyone in my district who represents me”.

Some like Mitchell Dobies have stopped running their businesses. Mitchell, who made his decision only three weeks back, said to dedicate himself to this as a citizen his wife has to assume the role of running his business.  Mitchell is only now organizing a web site and other campaign communication activities. In the mean time his business web site The Aqua Short is how you will reach him.

Most districts have Citizens for Assembly candidates further along. Stepfanie Velez-Gentry, a small business owner and working mother of two, choose to bring her first hand grass roots work with community organizations like the Girl Scouts to the process and thinking in Trenton. Stepfanie is running in District 5.

Growing Citizen Activism To Correct Failures of NJ Government

Barry recognizes the disconnect regular citizens are expressing about their elected officials. “We can see this at Tea Parties, health care town hall meetings and other gatherings all across New Jersey as citizen activism enters the mainstream”. Barry in his address enumerated several recent citizen activism events within NJ.  “In Newark hundreds of citizens have peacefully taken to the streets to try to put and end to urban violence.”   “In Secaucus, Hoboken [and] Ridgefield citizens have gathered at city hall to protest the latest wave of political corruption.”  “In Camden, Elizabeth, Newark and Trenton and in too many other cities with failing schools parents have gathered demanding choice in education.”

Barry Funt Outlines Motives for Citizen Candidates and Common Sense Pledge

The Common Sense Pledge for A New New Jersey

The candidates  pledged an allegiance to the Common Sense Pledge that includes popular reform themes such as true property tax reform, school choice and citizen oversight of the NJ Government. These themes represent the sentiments of the grass roots movements dominating town halls and citizen rallies this year. Werner Graf, running for District 15, describes the team commitment to the pledge designed to take New Jersey Government back for New Jersey citizens. “These folks … are your neighbors and together with you they are the new New Jersey.” “Sick of corruption, intolerant of waste, and committed to building something better in New Jersey for our children.” [See related story: Common Sense Pledge A Citizen Friendly Contract for NJ]

Werner Graf Introduces The NJ Citizens For Assembly Movement

Meeting the NJ Citizens for Assembly Candidates

You can read the candidate biographies yourself, available at  Citizens for Assembly web site, and judge how they represent their About Us page statement  “… not about career politicians or more of the same empty rhetoric — it’s about electing legislators who will truly represent regular Citizens.”

Barry Funt Introduces the Citizens for Assembly Candidates