The New Jersey Tea Party movement has evolved to the ultimate political action of grassroots citizen candidates running for office.

Barry Funt Tea Party Candidate for NJ Assembly District 27 www.funtforassembly.org

Probably the first of a trend in candidates nationwide, New Jersey has spawned over 40 first time like minded citizen candidates for the 2009 State Assembly elections.

The candidates have grouped  together as the Citizens for Assembly.

Barry Funt, speaking without a  teleprompter at The Morristown Tea Party School Choice event on September 30, 2009, said “No one is a professional politician in this group. We work for a living. Some are … semi-retired.

Barry is a newcomer to politics.  He attended the event for his own interest and was asked to speak after being recognized in the audience. He identifies himself with the Tea Party audience and sees himself as a citizen moved to becoming a candidate for office.

“I’ve never been involved with politics before. I am a Tea Party person just like you guys. I’ve been stirred to action like all you have. I am sure some of you before this tea party movement started – its the first time you ever got out of your chair, couch – I’m that person”

Tea Party activism is only a part of the New Jersey citizen movement. Barry points out, “through out this State people are standing up.” He finds people in communities are taking citizen action on issues of jobs, education and violence outside of the Tea Party movement.

“There are other citizens movements that are happening in urban centers. I go to Newark – Stop the Violence Rallies – there are people taken to the streets who are demanding a better life and to end the violence. … I think these are tea party people in a different name …”

The new grassroots citizen NJ Assembly candidates have adopted a citizen friendly agreement of 10 issues permeating the community movements. The agreement is called the Common Sense Pledge. Read the full story at Common Sense Pledge A Citizen Friendly Contract for NJ. The Citizens For Assembly plus other candidates have the needed seats to implement all of these once in office. All NJ Gubernatorial candidates need to take notice, the next Tea Party may be in the NJ Assembly.

New Jersey State Assembly 2009 candidates have adopted a Common Sense Pledge that outlines a citizen friendly contract for NJ.

Citizens For Assembly In NJ Common Sense Pledge

Announced at the NJ State House on September 30, 2009, the Common Sense Pledge has the trappings of the 1994 Contract for America. Both were announced only a few weeks before the election. The 1994 Contract for America only 6 weeks and the Common Sense pledge just about 5 weeks.

Both also represent the unusual coalition of campaign platform points. The Contract for America was the first time since 1918 a US Congressional election was run on a national level. The Common Sense Pledge unites NJ Assembly candidates at a statewide level. Common Sense Pledge candidates are running under the banner Citizens for Assembly. The Common Sense Pledge elevates state wide government issues above local issues. Local issues have dominated the NJ legislature and resulted in corruption and mismanagement of State funds to the point of fiscal bankruptcy for a decade.

Different from the Contract for America, candidates pledging support for the Common Sense pledge do not need to have a particular allegiance to a political party. Although most candidates are Republican, independents have joined as well. This calls into question the impact on the NJ Gubernatorial candidates. The planks for the Common Sense pledge are grounded in grass roots sentiments that emerged in 2009 at tea party rallies, town hall meetings and other citizen activism events. The appeal ranges from conservatives through to moderates and independents. The latter often voting for such ideas only to find they do not see them implemented. The elected governor will need to contend with citizens and the Common Sense Pledge legislation.

The Common Sense Pledge

The Common Sense Pledge does not apply any particular NJ Assembly District.

Barry Funt Outlines the Common Sense Pledge

The points are targeted at issues cutting across NJ State districts.

1. True property tax reform: End unfunded state mandates and reform the system that causes excessive reliance on property taxes.
2. Cut taxes and red tape: Promote private sector job growth by changing the climate that has forced citizens and businesses to flee our state.
3. Eliminate undue influence: Expand and enforce pay-to-play rules and conflicts of interest law to include special interest groups that take taxpayer dollars.
4. Zero tolerance for abuse of power: End the culture of corruption by stiffening penalties for violators of the public trust.
5. Free choice for affordable healthcare: Reduce state mandates and promote individual choice and competition.
6. Pension reform: New Jersey’s public pension system has been abused and is broken. Make the system simple and fair for workers and taxpayers alike.
7. Citizen Checks and Balances: Require voter approval for future state and agency debt issuances.
8. Election competition: Restore competitive elections by ending campaign laundering (“wheeling”) to encourage regular citizens to run for office.
9. Choice in education: Improve quality and reduce costs by introducing competition.
10. Stop the violence: Government’s primary responsibility is to protect the public. We pledge to devote the necessary resources to end violence in our communities.

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