Matt Thieke and Other Candidates Speak in Glassboro
by Chuck Woodrow
The Gloucester County Green Party hosted a “meet the candidates” event on
Sunday, Sept. 25th at the Eleven East Café in downtown Glassboro. Speaking
were candidates Matt Thieke for Governor, Rich Giovanoni for State
Assembly in the 5th District (which includes part of Gloucester County)
and Chuck Woodrow for Gloucester County Freeholder.
The event was held in the large basement room of the café, which is
popular for its vegetarian food and specialty coffees. Singer/songwriter
Margie MacWilliams, a recent addition to the Gloucester County Greens, led
into the event with a set of folk tunes capped by her own most recent
anti-war themed composition. Candidate Rich and several members of the
audience had been at the anti-war rally in Washington the previous day.
In addition to a strong contingent of Gloucester County Greens there were
some Greens from other counties in attendance and quite a few members of
the general public. Nearly 90 minutes after the candidates began speaking
it was still going strong, with Matt, looking and sounding quite
gubernatorial, fielding a lot of good questions from the group.
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Plenty of candidates in NE New Jersey
In Bergen County, the Greens are running Gary Novosielski and Natalie
Kochmar for Borough Council in Rutherford. Their campaign is pushing the
common-sense approach to local politics that the GP can bring to the table
due to its avoidance of corporate contributions. They had an important
presence at the Rutherford Labor Day Fair, distributing hundreds of
flyers, pens, and sunflower seeds. Mass flyer distributions are planned
for October. To learn more about their campaign, visit
www.SaveRutherford.org. Their email addresses are listed there and they
would like to hear from you.
Irwin Nack honors us with his second run at County Freeholder. He will be
appearing in forums sponsored by the League of Women Voters. Most
importantly, his presence on the ballot gives all voters in Bergen a
chance to vote Green. Irwin has been busy this year writing tax policy for
the Bergen chapterr.
Stu Kautsch is the first Green to run as a Green for state assembly in the
36th District. His web site -
www.StuKautsch.com - has a lot of issue
content on topics including energy, eminent domain, democracy, the
environment, and much, much more. He is encouraging voters to register as
a Green to facilitate the introduction of GP candidates at the local
level.
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Campaign House Party held in East Windsor
Steve Welzer
We had a beautiful day and good attendance for the Green Party picnic in
East Windsor on August 21. In attendance and making presentations were
GPNJ candidates for State Assembly in the 5th District (Mark Heacock),
12th (Ann Napolitano), 13th (Greg Orr, Mike Hall), and 36th (Stewart
Kautsch). Also with us was the Green candidate for Mayor of Parsippany,
Michael Spector. The highlight of the day was a talk by Green Party
gubernatorial candidate Matt Thieke, who outlined the issues he will be
addressing in the fall. Attendees were generous contributing to the
various campaigns. A good time was had by all.
Matt Thieke talks to supporters
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House Party for “Matt for Governor” at Liz Arnone’s
Liz Arnone
Liz Arnone hosted a house party fundraiser for Matt Thieke on 8/28. Eleven
people attended including Matt’s father, John and sister, Diana. It was a
pleasure having them with us because we got the inside scoop about the
real Matt Thieke. We can tell you the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree
in this yard. Matt’s dad is a warm, friendly fellow who is full of great
stories and lots of politics. Imagine the lively discussions when this
family gets together. Matt also told us ever since he was a little boy he
dreamed of becoming President one day. If we do a good enough job, maybe
one day we’ll be having Matt for President house parties. Imagine that?
All in all we had a great day. Several of our loyal Greens from Ocean
County came out, Rena and Lena Amada, Joe Carrino, Robert Main and Marty
Anderson. We can always count on these folks. And much to our surprise
Mike Skelly and wife Pat surprised us with a basket of fresh goodies from
their garden and delightful conversation.
Matt spoke about his platform and the changes he would like to see
implemented if he were elected and folks were free to ask questions. Some
of the things they were anxious to hear about were the impact of the war
in Iraq, real estate taxes, the environment, eminent domain, Oyster Creek,
and Wal-Mart.
After Matt finished answering everyone’s questions, they were more than
happy to write out a check to his campaign, to the tune of $560.00.
We could use a few more parties like this. Wouldn’t it be great to break
$1,000?
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Monmouth County Candidates take on Clean Elections
Green Party candidates for District 13 Assembly, Greg Orr and Mike Hall,
are taking to task the NJ Fair and Clean Election legislation, which is
being piloted in their district. Testifying at the August commission
hearing, they surfaced the program’s deep flaws and blatantly unfair
provisions. Press coverage was very good -- an Asbury Park Press Sunday
editorial specifically advocated that the Green Party be eligible for the
same amount of public funding as the two major parties.
The story behind the Clean Elections pilot reveals our business-as-usual
NJ legislature at work. The first NJ Clean Elections bill (A3833) was
introduced in June 2003 by then Green Party Assemblyman Matt Ahearn. It
was an effective, workable bill based on the successful Clean Election
Laws already in place in Maine and Arizona. However, instead of simply
taking this tried and true approach to clean and open democracy, the NJ
legislature proceeded to create a Frankenstein program.
For the most glaring example, consider the criteria used to qualify
candidates for clean campaign funding. In Maine and Arizona, an Assembly
candidate must collect, respectively, 50 and 210 $5 contributions, during
an 8 month period. Did NJ take a similar approach? Hardly. They raised the
bar to a staggering 1,500 contributions, 500 of which must be at a new $30
level. A joint campaign for two Assembly candidates running together must
therefore raise 3,000 contributions (amounting to $40,000) -- all in just
9 weeks. Since these qualifying contributions all go directly to the state
election fund, candidates that try hard but fall short get no funding
whatsoever - making such a large effort a risky investment, even for major
party candidates with massive political machines at their disposal.
Clearly for independent and third party candidates, the extreme threshold
effectively excludes them altogether from the Clean Election Program.
Leaving nothing to chance, the NJ legislature also tossed in an apparent
‘just in case’ provision. Should independent or third party candidates
manage to reach the same threshold of 1,500 qualifying contributions, they
are to receive “no more than half” of the public funding allocated to
major party candidates. This is a blatantly unfair and corrupt creation of
the NJ legislature. Even more bizarre, when a third party candidate falls
short of qualifying or does not participate, their allocation is handed
over to the (presumably) major party candidates. A convenient way to
channel more money to the major party candidates, should anyone try to
challenge their power.
Since even the major party candidates have been struggling with this
monster program, Governor Cody last week extended the qualifying deadline
in an 11th hour attempt to rescue the program. The use of an Executive
Order to change the actual legislated deadline is questionable in itself,
but this last minute band-aid is an indicator of just how much dirt there
is in the details of their highly touted “Fair and Clean” Election Law.
New Jersey desperately needs Clean Elections. The Green Party will
continue to fight for final legislation that enables and encourages all
candidates to qualify in a program that is both clean and fair.
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Bergen Greens table at Rutherford on Labor Day
submitted by Stu Kautsch
Once again, the Bergen County Green Party hosted a table at Rutherford's
Labor Day Street Fair. The Fair was attended by an estimated 10,000 people
and lasted much longer into the day than usual - until after 5pm - due to
the wonderful weather.
Of the more than a dozen Greens who helped staff the table, five
candidates were present: Gary Novosielski and Natalie Kochmar, Rutherford
Borough Council; Irwin Nack, Bergen County Freeholder; Stu Kautsch,
Assembly 36th District, and Matt Thieke, our gubernatorial candidate. Most
of the candidates had opportunities to speak to the press, though the
mention of our candidates in the local press was woefully insufficient.
The candidates had literature and "giveaways" (pens and sunflower seeds),
and the party contributed a wide array of leaflets. Over 1,000 pieces of
literature were distributed, and several people signed up for more
information.
On September 17, the Bergen Greens were out in full force to picket the
armed forces' recruiting stations in Hackensack. The picket line, which
was organized by the Peoples' Organization for Progress ("POP"), the
Bergen Action Network, and the BCGP, drew somewhere around 30
demonstrators and many onlookers. Many of the GPers were attired in their
fashionable "Bergen County Green Party" aprons. POP provided signs for
those without them (like this writer!), and a good time was had by all.
Many photos were taken; hopefully they'll appear in a future issue of this
paper or on the BCGP web page.
The BCGP meets the second Wednesday of each month - see our page on
GPNJ.org for directions. We are lining up some good guest speakers for the
fall meetings and will be hearing from our many candidates.
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Ocean County Update
There’s a lot going on in Ocean County.
Liz Arnone has been attending meetings spear-headed by the Jersey Shore
Nuclear Watch folks. Here’s the story.
Jersey Shore Nuclear Watch wants New Jersey residents to know about the
dangers posed by the Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant in Lacey Township.
It is the oldest nuclear facility in the States and is located less than
400-feet from Route 9, a busy highway, making it an attractive target for
terrorists.
In 2000 Oyster Creek, which had been declared grossly uneconomical by its
owner GPU,Inc., was purchased by Amergen, a partnership of PECO and
British Energy. Amergen plans to make the plant economical through a
combination of accounting changes and operating efficiencies.
Heated debates have been going on between residents and Amergen ever
since. Amergen is still seeking to renew its bid to the NRC to continue
generating electricity from this plant past 2009.
Jersey Shore Nuclear Watch advocates:
* The immediate and permanent shut-down of this facility.
* Job placement for workers not employed in decommissioning Oyster Creek.
* The expansion of New Jersey's Clean Energy Program, including incentives
and rebates for renewable energy such as solar and wind systems.
Jersey Shore Nuclear Watch wants to clarify its position regarding the
shutdown and decommissioning of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating
Station in Lacey. The main concern of most citizens is closure of Oyster
Creek.
On Feb 17, 2004, the largest municipality in Ocean County, Dover Township,
passed a resolution calling for the immediate shutdown and decommissioning
of the plant. Since June, 16 towns have adopted resolutions regarding
Oyster Creek. Eleven of them -- Berkeley, Brick, Dover, Ocean Township
(Waretown), Beach Haven, Harvey Cedars, Lakewood, Little Egg Harbor, Point
Pleasant, South Toms River and Surf City -- have passed resolutions
calling for decommissioning the plant. Ocean County municipalities in New
Jersey are closest to the nuclear plant and are at high risk if there were
a nuclear catastrophe.
Regardless of what the Nuclear Regulatory Commission decides on the
20-year license extension, Jersey Shore Nuclear Watch will continue to
call for an immediate shutdown. Even if the license were not to be
extended beyond its expiration date of 2009, the plant will still remain
open for another five years. Safety, health and security are immediate
concerns. An accident or a terrorist attack at Oyster Creek could make the
area uninhabitable.
High levels of strontium-90, which has been associated with cancer, have
been found in samples of baby teeth of numerous children throughout Ocean
and Monmouth counties. We can't wait another five years until the license
expires. If Oyster Creek shuts down tomorrow, the lights would still go on
and washing machines would continue to work, together with all the other
appliances. No one would miss the electricity it presently produces.
Regulations are in place to ensure a safe, permanent shutdown of Oyster
Creek. A $350 million trust fund has been set aside for the
decommissioning process, which follows the closure of the plant. At a
minimum, security has to be maintained and the fuel rods would have to be
removed from the reactor. Since 1963, 19 nuclear plants have been shut
down and are being decommissioned. This is due to economic factors and
citizen opposition.
Edith Gbur, Dover Township, is chairwoman of Jersey Shore Nuclear Watch.
Its Web site is www.jerseyshorenuclearwatch.org <http://www.jerseyshorenuclearwatch.org>.
Published in the Asbury Park Press 2/27/04
Stop Wal-Mart: The fight continues to stop “Big Box” stores from
destroying our communities.
Toms River
Contact: Carol Gay
Phone: 732 785-1503
Email: carolgay747@aol.com <mailto:carolgay747@aol.com> <>
Description:
The proposed Wal-Mart will be located on the border of Dover
Twp/Manchester Twp on Rt. 37 W and Northhampton Blvd.
It is intended to be Wal-Mart's newest prototpye SuperCenter.(They have
changed their design to try to make it more appealing than the big ugly
box.) It will be 227, 000 sq.ft., and will contain a grocery store,
McDonalds, vision care store, a bank, and one other store inside, plus a
tire and lube, as well as a garden center.
The Toms River(Dover Twp)/Manchester Twp. Planning Board meetings are
continuing and are finally getting to the public comment portion of the
hearings. Notifications are sent our regularly of upcoming meetings. As
many people as possible are needed to come out to the next hearings. If
you are interested, contact Carol Gay (above).
Teachers Unions Join Back-to-School Wal-Mart Boycott Aug. 10 (Bloomberg)
-- The two largest U.S. teachers' unions joined a ``back-to-school''
boycott against Wal-Mart Stores Inc., targeting one of the year's busiest
shopping seasons to protest the retailer's labor practices. The 2.7
million-member National Education Association, the biggest U.S. union, and
the 1.3 million-member American Federation of Teachers is teaming with the
United Food and Commercial Workers in urging shoppers to stay away from
the world's largest retailer and buy school supplies elsewhere, a release
from the UFCW's ``Wake-Up Wal-Mart'' group said. The back-to-school season
is the biggest shopping time for Wal-Mart other than Christmas. The unions
are holding news conferences and rallies in 32 cities today, demanding the
company boost its wages, expand health benefits and adhere to child-labor
laws. Protests have intensified in the past year and threaten to hurt
Wal-Mart's sales and profit, one investor said. ``Even a hit of just 1 to
2 percent could make a big difference in comparable store sales and
earnings,'' said Patricia Edwards, a portfolio manager and analyst at
Wentworth, Hauser & Violich in Seattle. Her firm manages $5.7 billion in
assets including 69,000 Wal-Mart shares, down from about 1.2 million a
year ago. Wal-Mart's declining public image, also hurt by recent
discrimination lawsuits, played a part in the decision to sell shares,
said Edwards, who doesn't own the stock personally. Bentonville,
Arkansas-based Wal-Mart, which is also the biggest private employer in the
U.S., didn't return a call seeking comment. Shares of Wal-Mart fell 12
cents to $49.10 at 3 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading.
The stock has fallen about 7 percent in the past year. Organizing Failures
Wal-Mart had sales of $285 billion in the year ended in January, an
increase of 11 percent over the previous year. The company said last month
that it expects August sales at stores open at least a year to rise 3 to 5
percent. The teachers' unions may help bolster UFCW's efforts against
Wal-Mart. UFCW, which represents about 1 million U.S. workers, has failed
to make inroads in organizing the company. The union now says it will move
away from organizing and instead focus on building support against
Wal-Mart's practices. ``The only thing Wal-Mart is going to respond to is
the pressure that the American people will bear on this company,'' said
Chris Kofinis, a spokesman for the UFCW's Wake-Up Wal-Mart group.
And Rena Amada continues to collect food and clothing for the needy in
Lakewood. Contributions come in from stores and people willing to donate
what they can’t use. Rena’s garage is packed to the gills and every
Saturday she loads up and heads for the Square in Lakewood to distribute
the goods. She spends a great deal of time making pick ups and sorting
through items and boxing them to bring to the Square where folks truly
welcome and appreciate her presence. She has helped thousands of needy.
Rena is also vocal on local issues which she brings to township meetings
regarding housing, development, “opt out” programs in the schools,
registering young people to vote, and tabling Green Party information at
Ocean County College, all this while husband Len is busy writing a
continuous stream of articles to the press.
These two folks have been activists since the early days of the Viet Nam
war and continue to this day. They march, they speak, they vigil, and they
walk their talk. Truly great Americans! It is an honor to have them with
us.
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.
