Sometimes it just takes one thing to reveal a candidate's nature.
My experience in May 2014 convinced me that the next time there was an Assembly election, I would not give my vote to Jerry Green.
Meanwhile, he has transformed his blog from one of attacks on individuals to a cavalcade of endorsements. He recently won the endorsement of the Courier News for another term, though he might not post that one, as the editors also endorsed William "Bo" Vastine, a Republican, rather than choosing both Democrats.
Obviously, I am only one registered Democrat out of 12,959 eligible to vote on Nov. 3. There are also 801 Republicans in Plainfield, 8,012 unaffiliated voters and some from other parties, totaling 21,776 Plainfielders who can go to the polls Tuesday. Jerry is on the ballot with James Kennedy and Bo Vastine is on the ballot with William Michelson of Plainfield. Voters are not bound by parties in the general election and can choose any two Assembly candidates regardless of party affiliation.
Maybe I am taking "Remember in November" too much to heart in this case, but sometimes enough is enough.
--Bernice
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Jerry Green will win again
ReplyDeleteYou may be right. How sad is that for Plainfield?
DeleteThank you for reminding people that they can vote for whomever they feel is best for the job. I know I won't be voting down the Democratic line B, but voting for who will do the best job for Plainfield.
ReplyDeleteDitto on not voting down line B, I am a Democrat but will not be voting for Jerry Green, of course, I didn't vote for him the last few times he ran but I feel confident that eventually he will lose the Plainfield edge. I will also not vote for any Campbells
ReplyDeleteHi Bernice,
ReplyDeleteThis is going to sound very odd coming from me. My strong opposition to the damage Jerry Green has caused in Plainfield by putting incompetent people in elected office to do his bidding in siphoning millions of taxpayer dollars to his politically connected cronies while Plainfield still lags behind in so many areas is well known through my blog posts over the last several years.
However, there is a greater evil to consider, namely NJ’s ‘Big Boy” in Trenton. During his time in office Governor Christie’s administration has given away over $1 Billion dollars in ‘corporate welfare’ in tax breaks and ‘sweetheart’ settlements to the largest Republican corporate donors. Let’s remember, he lied about the funding for the ARC tunnel from NJ to NYC to cancel the project, which hurt Plainfield and the rest of NJ economically by delaying increased rail access to NYC. Mr. Christie has proven himself to be a true Republican by giving to the rich at the expense of everyone else and has declared his intention to drive the NJ State Supreme Court to the right if he can get the votes to do so.
On a personal note, I attended a fundraiser for Mr. Vastine six years ago when he was running against Jerry for Assembly in 2009. He promised a robust campaign against Jerry, saying he was going to blanket the City with campaign signs and literature leading up to the election. I never saw or heard from him again.
So, in the spirit of choosing the lesser to two evils, I will hold my nose and vote for Jerry and his running mate because I am not going to give Governor Big Boy another vote in the Assembly. In addition once a seat turns Republican there is no guarantee if will turn back.
Tom Kaercher
HI Tom,
DeleteRemember that tubby can't run again, so voting for Jerry may be something worth reconsidering. I also look at what bad governing the democrats have done and won't give Jerry any more votes. Maybe if the Dems in Trenton felt threatened they might work for us and not themselves. Thanks for voting.
New Jersey literally has the highest taxes in the US…forcing retirees to move away from their families or face losing their homes; Right now, New Jersey has one of the highest unemployment rates in the US…forcing college graduates to live at home with their parents or move away from their hometown to find work; Right now, New Jersey has the highest foreclosure rate in the US…which, combined with all the rest…creates the highest net loss of residents, businesses and jobs in the entire country. Perhaps these issues haven’t touched you directly…but if we continue to double down on the same people and the same failed policies…eventually they will.
DeleteThe structural problems that have led to these issues in New Jersey cannot go unaddressed indefinitely without catastrophic results…and the hard truth is that they will never be fixed until the legislature makes them the priority (which they have not). Haven’t we seen firsthand the results of kicking the can down the road? Our pension system hasn’t been fully funded by ANY Governor since 2000 and our Transportation Trust Fund is depleted. How can we expect a different result in the future, if we continue to do the same thing right now?
Paying lip service in an election year, engaging in class warfare or using misdirection to confuse voters is a tool used by the people who created these problems and we cannot allow them to continue. Here is the truth: I didn’t vote to raise your taxes 117 times over the last 20 years, my opponent – Jerry Green did. I didn’t create restrictive regulations and over burdensome red tape which has driven businesses and good paying jobs out of New Jersey, my opponent – Jerry Green did. I didn’t choose to support the New Jersey Teachers’ Union, rather than the Teachers of New Jersey, which left large populations of students in failing schools, my opponent- Jerry Green did.
The legislature has to vote on every program that the Governor executes. The Executive branch cannot unilaterally create a single program...it is all created by the legislature. You can succumb to the misdirection attempting to make this about Christie…or you can make it about the person who has directly impacted Plainfield in a negative way for over 20 years. Jerry Green has stopped progress in Plainfield for over 20 years...isn't it time to stop Jerry Green?
Tom, Please reconsider. It is highly unlikely that the Assembly will have a Republican majority, and the Senate certainly does not have a Republican majority, so having Bo win will do very little to change the landscape of Trenton.
DeleteWhat voting for Bo will do is it will send a message to the Democratic Party that Jerry is done in Plainfield. Think of how Jerry will have to tap dance if he loses the election - but what would make it sweeter is if he loses Plainfield.
This is NJ, Tom. Getting a Republican out of office, especially in Union County is easier than a no brainer. But getting Jerry out is a lot more formidable. Get Jerry out, send a message to the Democratic party. Who knows, Bo might turn into another John Bramnick - reasonable.
One last thing, your taxes are as high as they are because the Democrats - including Jerry Green - voted to raise taxes and fees 115 times since around 1995. Now they want to raise the gas tax to pay for roads. The money to pay for roads was supposed to come from the 1% State Sales tax increase (6-7%), and it was in a TRUST FUND. Where did that money go? I say take a chance, we can always vote the Republicans out.
And if you cannot vote Republican, than please, just don't vote for Jerry.
Signs are expensive! I know that in Union County and especially in Plainfield that it is hard to fundraise for political campaigns. Remember signs don't VOTE people do! If you look after Election Day the Democrats leave their litter for us to clean up.
ReplyDeleteproud to say I've never cast a vote for him EVER, I vote the person, not the party
ReplyDeleteSorry but anyone who votes for Green is making a stupid mistake that will only hurt Plainfield. Don't put your ideology over your best interests. At this point how many more years of corruption and failure do you need to see that behind the curtain the Wizard's just a crook? I've met Vastine and he's a sensible guy who won't sell us out to the county, which is better than what Green/Kennedy will do.
ReplyDelete