Campaign Report from Matt Thieke
[Editor's note: We pass this email along to our readers from Matt
Thieke, the GPNJ candidate for Governor in 2005.]
Dear Greens,
It's been a week since the election, and I want to thank everyone who
helped my campaign.
With a campaign budget of about $2,500, no advertising on radio or in
newspapers, as well as no chance to debate with Corzine and Forrester, we
got over 12,000 votes and came in 5th out of 10. That means we spent less
than 25 cents per vote received! Corzine and Forrester combined spent
about $35 per vote! ($70 Million)
By comparison, Hector Castillo came in 3rd, but had over $700,000 to
spend. And he only got a little more than 27,000 votes.
And the Libertarians spent over $40,000, and still just barely beat us
with 16,000 votes!!
Plus, the two of them got to debate twice on TV, once with Corzine and
Forrester. So, I really beat the pants of 'em...(nyah, nyah, na nyah, nyah)
;-)
I want to give big thanks to Liz Arnone for being my treasurer. But she
did way more than handle the checks and file reports. She distributed
signs and brochures, held a house party, wrote letters to the editor, and
got me to speak at her town's library. Thanks, Liz!
Thanks to Gregory Lane for hosting and creating my website! And to Stu
Kautsch for adding my links to gpnj.org, while still running his own race
for Assembly!
My name wouldn't have been on the ballot without the help of about 2 dozen
Greens who collected signatures. Thanks to you all, especially the
Monmouth Greens who brought in over 400 signatures at the deadline to put
us over the top!
Big personal thanks to my friend and sweetheart, Georgette Macbeth. She
backed me 100%, helped collect signatures, was my photographer, did
research, and gave advice.
Thanks to Doris Pulone of Burlington county, who handed out hundreds of
brochures and dozens of lawn signs!
Thanks to Norm Zboray and the Rutgers Greens for organizing the speaking
event on campus (and to all the Greens who showed up that night)!!
Thanks to Raven Ahmed of Atlantic county for hosting the plant sale, and
distributing brochures!
Thanks to the other Green candidates that I got to campaign alongside:
Mike Spector in Parsippany, Brian Unger and Ann Napolitano in Monmouth,
Rich Giovanoni in Camden, Chuck Woodrow in Gloucester, Stu Kautsch and the
Bergen Greens in Rutherford.
I got to campaign in 14 counties. The 7 that I didn't get to were Sussex,
Warren, Salem, Cape May, (all the most rural and furthest away), Somerset,
Essex, and Union.
By the way, our 12,000 votes equaled 0.5% of the vote.
The counties we did best in (not all votes counted yet, though) were:
Monmouth, 1.1%
Sussex, 1.1%
Gloucester, 1.0%
Ocean, 0.8%
Hunterdon, 0.7%
The bottom 5 were:
Bergen, 0.33%
Passaic, 0.3%
Essex, 0.27%
Union, 0.27%
Hudson, 0.25%
Note that I only campaigned once each in Bergen, Passaic and Hudson. I
didn't get to Essex and Union.
Lastly, I tried to dedicate this campaign to my 2 kids, my parents, and to
Earl Gray.
Thanks to everyone who contributed time and/or money!!
==============================================================
Monmouth 2005 Campaigns Make a
Big Dent
In Monmouth County, GPNJ 12th District candidates Ann Napolitano and
Judith Stanton received over 4300 votes - 3.4% of the total. This was a
remarkable result in that the four old party candidates were separated by
less than 1300 votes. (All totals in this article are election night -
i.e., without absentee ballots.)
Similarly, in District 13, Greg Orr and Mike Hall got about 4000 votes -
about 3.5% - in a race featuring both old parties which was relatively
close.
Powering the GPNJ in Monmouth County was the Freeholder candidacy of Brian
Unger, who received over 18,000 votes. This was over 5% in a two-seat
election, meaning that Brian got a nod from 10% of the voters. Since his
vote total was far more than the separation among GOP and Dem winners and
losers, it continued to be mentioned in the press for a couple of weeks
after the election. Brian ran a strong campaign, receiving the endorsement
of the Asbury Park Press. Thousands of leaflets were distributed by
campaign volunteers - many from Rutgers University's Campus Greens
chapter. Brian's detailed proposals for the county drew a lot of attention
in the press and at public meetings.
It should also be noted that Matt Thieke, our gubernatorial candidate,
received 2000 votes in Monmouth County, clearly illustrating the effect of
a column of active candidates.
===============================================================
Fifth District Assembly
Campaign
by Mark Heacock
Rich Giovanoni and Mark Heacock both got over 3300 votes in the 5th
District Assembly race, or 5.3% each. They did some door-to-door
campaigning and distributed nine thousand flyers, and both were on the
Comcast Newsmaker segments.
The main lesson learned from this race was that ballot position is VERY
important. While both candidates are better known and did most of their
campaigning in Camden County, they received over 8.5% in the four
Gloucester County towns in the district. While this may be partly
attributable to their appearance at a candidates forum in Westville, where
they were well received, it is more probably due to the ballot.
In Gloucester County, the Greens had Chuck Woodrow as a Freeholder
candidate, and therefore had the entire third column, with Matt Thieke at
the top. There was no county-wide candidate in Camden County, so they were
relegated to the 4th column with the Libertarian candidate (who got 1.7%).
This won't happen again.
We must make every effort to run as full a slate as possible in the future
in order to have a better ballot line. We must also pressure county
election clerks to open the ballot positioning draw to all parties running
a slate of candidates.
The Greens must also start their campaigns earlier. We saw in the 13th
that trying to get on the ballot in the last two or three weeks can result
in failure, and in the 5th we learned that having a campaign fund of more
than $500 (along with those Freeholder candidates) would be a good thing.
We start now for 2007.
=============================================================
Fifth District Assembly Campaign
by Rich Giovanoni
[Editor's Note: It's unusual for the GreenGram to get articles about a
campaign from two people, so we're printing both. The above article was by
one candidate - Mark Heacock - and we now hear from the other, Rich
Giovanoni.]
The Camden County Green Party sees it participation in the November 8th
election as an excellent groundbreaking effort in the 5th Assembly
District which includes a sizeable portion of Camden County plus four
municipalties in Gloucester County. Richard Giovanoni received 3,347 votes
(5.33 percent) and Mark Heacock had 3,302 (5.26 percent) for state
assembly according to the unofficial tallies on election night.
[Note: all voting percentages are those used by the election boards or the
wire services and only reflect the actual percentage of all votes cast for
assembly
in that district, not the percentage of voters who in many cases cast two
votes for assembly.]
The two incumbent Democrats, State Majority Leader Joe Roberts and Nilsa
Cruz-Perez; were relected with 28,448 (45.32 percent) and 26,582 (42.35
percent) votes, respectively. Roberts was elected the Assembly Speaker
later that same week. There was no Republican opposition, though a young
Libertarian candidate from Gloucester County, Kevin Ferrizzi, received
1,095 votes (1.74 percent).
In 2003, Kevin Madden and Martin Nolan ran as Greens in the adjoining
6th Assembly District (which includes even a larger section of Camden
County) and received 2,008 (2.15 percent) and 1,835 votes (2.0 percent),
respectively, on election night. Unlike 2005, there were two Republican
opponents, but no other independent candidates ran.
Giovanoni and Heacock received a higher percentage of the vote in the four
municipalties in Gloucester County - thanks partially to being in the
third column because Chuck Woodrow's Freeholder campaign gave the Green
Party its own column with Matt Thieke at the top. The issue of eminent
domain also probably had an effect, especially in Westville where all the
anti-eminent domain municipal candidates were victorious.
Rich Giovanoni put out about 50 leaflets in Westville in the area
threatened by eminent domain on the Sunday before the election. Chuck
Woodrow put out about 150 Giovanoni/Heacock leaflets while campaigning the
previous day in the Fifth District.
Mark Heacock received 100 votes in his home borough of Woodlynne where he
ran for borough council in 2003 and 2004. Rich Giovanoni worked his local
Camden poll on election day and received 23 votes in both his home 9th ED
and in the neighboring 8th ED. Heacock received 15 and 14 votes,
respectively. Unfortunately, Matt Thieke only received three total votes
there.
Nine thousand of the Giovanoni/Heacock two-color election brochures were
distributed this year compared to only 3,000 in theSixth District campaign
two years ago. Heacock and his supporters concentrated on Woodlynne,
Audubon (where he grew up and went to high school) and Haddon Heights.
Giovanoni, personally, covered nearly all of his Cramer Hill neighborhood
- 1,000 homes and apartments threatened by eminent domain. A good section
of the adjoining neighborhood
of East Camden was covered as well as the predominately African-American
Branch Village apartments in the Centerville section of the city.
Our Democrat opponents mailed an expensive campaign piece to all the
registered voters in the district. This is in addition to all of the
Corzine campaign pieces that were mailed - some of which also highlighted
their names as part of the Corzine Team. Less than $600 was spent on the
"Fifth District Greens" campaign.
Without any Republicans running, there were no formal debates. But both
candidates attended the ARC Gloucester forum where the focus was mostly on
developmentally-disabled issues. We emphasized the fact that the war in
Iraq is draining precious resources (as well as American and Iraqi lives)
that should be being used here in New Jersey.
We did have our 5-minute candidate clips on Comcast plus being in both the
Courier-Post and Philadelphia Inquirer voting guides. A ten-minute taped
interview with Rich Giovanoni was on Power 99 radio on an early Sunday
morning in October.
The Courier-Post printed Rich's letter criticizing their 5th District
campaign editorial that failed to mention our names while bemoaning the
fact that the Republicans did not run any token candidates. Unexpectedly,
they also printed an unsolicited letter
entitled "Strong Green" from Michael Emperor of Brooklyn highlighting
Rich's work at the Green Party Office Committee in Manhattan in 2002 and
early 2003.
One prominent weakness of the Fifth District Greens campaign was that
there was little coordinated campaign structure. There was no campaign
manager or campaign committee and the candidates did not consistently talk
to one another. The only fundraising mailing went out in mid-October to
about 50 people.
Another weakness was in the promotion of Matt Thieke's campaign. Very few
of his campaign brochures were put out in the 5th district or in the 6th
district by those Camden County Greens who lived there. On Election Day
the focus was almost entirely on the personal appeal of being a local
person running for office and not enough on the Green Party ticket.
Without a combined campaign piece it was hard to promote both ourselves
and Matt at the poll.
A specialized piece that would have focused on the eminent domain issue
probably would have increased our vote in both Cramer Hill and in
Westville. A lack of a Spanish translation of our brochure hurt us in the
Cramer Hill and East Camden neighborhoods which both have significant
numbers of Puerto Rican voters.
Unfortunately, due to campaigning, work pressures, poor previous
attendance and Rich Giovanoni's car going out of service the week after
Labor Day, no Camden County Green Party monthly meetings were held at the
Collingswood Library in October and November. On November 3rd, three
previously unknown people showed up at the library looking for a meeting -
apparently from contacting the web site. Kevin Madden (whose wife
Kim works at the library part-time) got a call and went over there and met
with them for about an hour. None of them came to last Thursday meeting,
but we will continue to try to contact them.
Camden County has 50 registered Greens, sixteen of which (including
Giovanoni and Heacock) live in the 5th District - only three in the City
of Camden. So this campaign was primarily focused in letting voters know
that the Green Party exists and has real answers to the issues on the
local, statewide, national and international levels.
=============================================================
Bergen 2005 Campaigns
by Stu Kautsch
For the second year in a row, the Bergen County Green Party ran two
candidates for Rutherford Borough Council: Gary Novosielski and Natalie
Kochmar. Emphasis was placed on open government and independence from
big-money interests, as well as rational planning for future generations
of borough residents. With the help of volunteers, more than 3000 flyers
were distributed as well as hundreds of pens and sunflower seed packets.
The candidates appeared in articles in three local newspapers and also
campaigned from the Bergen Greens' table at the Rutherford Labor Day
Street Fair. The pair took 6% of the vote in a very close race - Dems 49%,
GOP 45%. A large banner in the front yard of a volunteer helped bring the
total in one boro district to over 8%.
For the first time, GPNJ ran a State Assembly candidate in the 36th
District, which covers south Bergen (including Rutherford), the city of
Passaic, and Nutley. Stewart Kautsch's campaign distributed over 4000
flyers - half in Rutherford - and ran a detailed web site. Newspaper
coverage was limited, but better than expected. Election Day total was 967
votes - 1.2% of the total in a two-seat race - but was 2% in Rutherford
and even higher in a couple of boro districts. (The later, official, count
was around 800 due to 200 votes - or 75% - "disappearing" in the city of
Passaic. Hmmm.) The vote total was short of Stu's goal of 1000, but about
double that usually garnered by independents in this district. Several
neighborhoods in towns surrounding Rutherford received their first-ever
Green Party campaign flyers, so the "calling card" function of the
campaign was at least partially achieved.
Topping the Bergen column was Irwin Nack for Freeholder, who received 3500
votes. His total in Rutherford - almost 2% in a two-seat race - showed the
value of having a column of Greens on the ballot. The column effect is one
that the party hopes to duplicate many times during the rest of this
decade.
============================================================
Two other Fall races
Chuck Woodrow ran for Gloucester County Freeholder, and received 2549
votes, or 1.2% of the vote. This was a 3-seat race, so Chuck was mentioned
on well over 3% of the ballots cast. Again, note the synergy between this
and the total in Gloucester County for Matt Thieke (825 votes) and the
Assembly candidates from District 5 (see above). There are New Jerseyans
who are voting a straight ticket when they get the opportunity.
Michael Spector of the Morris County Greens became the first Green
candidate in Parsippany by running for Mayor. Michael got 199 votes
(1.35%) in a four-way race in which the winner was decided by 48 votes and
in which there was a recount and a lot of press attention.
==================================================================
IRV LETTER
Editor's Note: Our long-time Mercer County member Steve Welzer wrote a
cogent opinion piece on Instant Runoff Voting which was featured by the
Asbury Park Press a week after the last election. We reprint it here in
its entirety.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asbury Park Press 11/15/05
OPINION
TOPIC OF THE DAY: Third-party influence
Runoff system produces majority
In the 12th District Assembly race, the Republican team (Jennifer Beck and
Declan O'Scanlon) defeated the Democratic team (Michael Panter and Robert
Morgan) by a very slim margin, less than 1,500 votes.
Meanwhile, Green Party candidate Ann Napolitano received 2,303 votes and
her running mate, Judith Stanton, received 2,044 votes. Arguably, had the
Green candidates not been in the race, the outcome would have been
reversed, with the Democratic
incumbents returning to the Assembly.
Since 2000, when Ralph Nader was labeled a "spoiler" for "taking votes
away" from Al Gore and thus influencing the presidential election, the
Green Party has been urging the Democrats to help advocate for a solution
to the "spoiler" problem. In San Francisco, to cite one example, Greens
and Democrats were successful in passing legislation for Instant Runoff
Voting. This is a system where voters can rank their choices.
If we had it in place for the last election, someone could have ranked
Napolitano No. 1 and Panter No. 2. In a first round of counting, if
Napolitano had the fewest votes, her ballots would be reallocated
according to her second-place choices. So the
majority of ballots listing Napolitano as choice No. 1 probably would have
gone to Panter in the second round of counting. As a result, Panter would
have gained enough additional votes win. Due to the presence of
third-party candidates in the race, Beck
and O'Scanlon won without achieving a majority of votes. With Instant
Runoff Voting, where votes are reallocated round-by-round during the
counting, all winning candidates do achieve majorities in the end.
The Green Party is not going away. It has a distinct message - for ecology
and renewal of community - that resonates with more and more voters. Our
electoral system could be opened up to accommodate "more voices and more
choices," as Ralph Nader said. Everyone could benefit, even the major
parties, if reforms like Instant Runoff Voting were adopted.
Steve Welzer
East Windsor
========================================================
[Editor's Note: Our Vice Chair, George DeCarlo, had the following
letter published in the Newark Star-Ledger on 11/29/2005.]
Full rights denied
New Jersey chose to suffer with the domestic partnership benefits bill
signed into law in 2004. The suffering was extracted through the
Legislature at the behest of Democrats, with substantial support from
Republicans. Was there another path ignored by Trenton for political
expedience along with slavish adherence to the Democratic Party by some
activist gays and lesbians? Yes.
Former Green Party Assemblyman Matthew Ahearn had introduced Assembly Bill
3762 with my encouragement to establish civil unions in 2003.
Ahearn lost his 2003 election due to excessive campaign spending by the
Democratic Party in his district to extract punishment for his change of
party affiliation. Part of this punishment penalized New Jersey with the
loss of a respected legislator.
In early 2004, the Legislature and the governorship, occupied by a gay,
albeit closeted, governor, were controlled by Democrats. Ahearn's civil
union bill could have been passed, solving what are now apparent problems.
Continued obstacles remain in the path of full rights for gays, lesbians
and bisexuals. Until we enjoy full rights, gays and lesbians will not
share in the franchise of citizenship afforded to other state residents.
-- George DeCarlo, Berkeley Heights
The writer is vice chairman of the New Jersey Green Party.
=================================================================
GPNJ to
Host GPUS Campaign School
GPNJ is proud to be the host of a Campaign School run by the Green
Party of the United States ("GPUS") on the weekend of March 3-4, 2006. The
school will be held at the Labor Education Center in New Brunswick, and
will include tracks on candidacy, campaign financing, media relations, and
more. There will be a $25 fee for the weekend.
Details will be posted on the state party's web site - www.GPNJ.org -
under the "Calendar" feature. These will, of course, include directions to
the site.
If you are interested either in attending the school or helping to
organize and run it, contact Jane Hunter at
janemhunter@worldnet.att.net.
=================================================================
GPNJ 2006
Convention
As we go to press, the 10th Annual Convention has been scheduled for
February 4, 2006. Hold this Saturday open on your calendar. The convention
will be at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Lincroft – off exit 109 on
the Garden State Parkway.
There is a snow date for April 8 in case of inclement weather.
Details will be posted on the web site (www.GPNJ.org), and a special
GreenGram email will be sent around New Year's Day with proposed bylaws
changes, directions, and agenda as well as instructions vis-a-vis the snow
date.
1. Greens don't accept money from corporations and limit the amount
individuals can give. Individual citizen support is the foundation of the
Green Party.
2. If you agree with what the Green Party is trying to do, then right
now changing your party affiliation is more important than voting. It's a
paradigm switch. When you vote, your vote disappears right after the
election. Party affiliation is lasting and cumulative.
3. As more people register with the Green Party, the media and other
political parties will have to stop marginalizing the Green Party and take
us and the issues we raise more seriously. The state board of elections
puts out a report each year of how many are registered with each party for
all to see. It's like a continuous vote or snapshot of public opinion.
Party affiliation is the closest thing we have to proportional
representation in the United States.
4. As a practical matter, this can give Green Party activists lists of
people who can help us get GP candidates on the ballot by signing
petitions.
5. Another practical matter: As the number of registered Greens grow,
it should become easier to recruit candidates.
OK! You talked me into it! What do I do?
SIMPLE: Download
Party Affiliation Declaration Form from the state government web site
(Adobe Acrobat required), print it, check "Green Party" and mail it to the
address found on the list of county Superintendents of Elections which is
found on the form.
This new document is also now available in
Spanish.
Please note that, per the instructions on the affiliation form,
registering as Green will disallow you from voting in the primaries of
other parties.
