Running for Maplewood Township Committee as Independent

Go for it Ileana.

I have Mark Zuckerberg on the phone apologizing for this whole mess.  He assures me that anyone ordering white Russians or Moscow mules will be carefully screened at St James Gate. 

Formerlyjerseyjack said:
I would however, question the intelligence of any candidate calling themselves Republican in this day and age.

big time

LOST said:
You don't think this Township is diverse? In what way should it become more diverse? All current members of the TC were elected as Democrats, but Mr. Lembrich won a Primary against an incumbent backed by the Party. Tell us more about yourself and what you would do differently from the current TC.

How was the Lembrich victory a symbol of diversity?  He was seen as a protege of Mr. Profetta,  spent $30,000 of his own money......Ryan was a strong advocate of the circus building while Greg would not commit at that point.  Also Ryan phoned his campaign in.  No indication od diversity just a well mounted campaign

joan_crystal said:
Ileana:  Could you please tell us why you want to run for TC this year and what you hope to accomplish if you are elected?  This sort of statement could give potential petition signers are clearer idea of who you are and how you might function as a member of the TC.  No need to come up with a platform at this time.  Most of the TC candidates I have spoken with at this point in their campaign preferred to speak with eligible voters and take time to familiarize themselves with the issues before coming up with a formal platform.  

This is all I was asking. Joan, of course, is more diplomatic and articulate than was I. 

author said:

LOST said:
You don't think this Township is diverse? In what way should it become more diverse? All current members of the TC were elected as Democrats, but Mr. Lembrich won a Primary against an incumbent backed by the Party. Tell us more about yourself and what you would do differently from the current TC.

How was the Lembrich victory a symbol of diversity?  He was seen as a protege of Mr. Profetta,  spent $30,000 of his own money......Ryan was a strong advocate of the circus building while Greg would not commit at that point.  Also Ryan phoned his campaign in.  No indication od diversity just a well mounted campaign

The OP opined that everyone on the TC is a Dem. I was just trying to say that that does not mean they all agree or all are part of some lock-step organization. Perhaps Ms. Castillo should tell us what she means by "diversity".

What exactly is SOMA Lounge? How does on access it? I tried Googling and all I got were links to Village Green and a Facebook Page called "SOMA Life". 

It's a private group on Facebook, so log in there and search SOMa Lounge. It's gone through some name changes, so it might be called something else. You'll need to send a request to join the group, it's not open to anyone/everyone. There's also Swap Meet SOMa, which is a local group for selling and buying stuff.

If you're not on Facebook, the first step is to join, no other way of accessing.

LOST said:
What exactly is SOMA Lounge? How does on access it? I tried Googling and all I got were links to Village Green and a Facebook Page called "SOMA Life". 

By the way, a Petition to run for TC states that the signer does "indorse" the candidate. Further the instructions say that one cannot sign for more than one candidate for each position. So signing means making a choice. 

The first paying job I ever had involved inspecting opposition candidates' nominating petitions.

apple44 said:
It's a private group on Facebook, so log in there and search SOMa Lounge. It's gone through some name changes, so it might be called something else. You'll need to send a request to join the group, it's not open to anyone/everyone. There's also Swap Meet SOMa, which is a local group for selling and buying stuff. If you're not on Facebook, the first step is to join, no other way of accessing.

LOST said:
What exactly is SOMA Lounge? How does on access it? I tried Googling and all I got were links to Village Green and a Facebook Page called "SOMA Life". 

Thank you.

Greg changed the mix of the TC by being much younger and a newer resident compared to the others.

That may not be the type of diversity that you want, but it is diversity.

author said:

LOST said:
You don't think this Township is diverse? In what way should it become more diverse? All current members of the TC were elected as Democrats, but Mr. Lembrich won a Primary against an incumbent backed by the Party. Tell us more about yourself and what you would do differently from the current TC.

How was the Lembrich victory a symbol of diversity?  He was seen as a protege of Mr. Profetta,  spent $30,000 of his own money......Ryan was a strong advocate of the circus building while Greg would not commit at that point.  Also Ryan phoned his campaign in.  No indication od diversity just a well mounted campaign

LOST said:
By the way, a Petition to run for TC states that the signer does "indorse" the candidate. Further the instructions say that one cannot sign for more than one candidate for each position. So signing means making a choice. 

The first paying job I ever had involved inspecting opposition candidates' nominating petitions.

You’re welcome to interpret “indorse the person named as candidate for the nomination to the office” (if the local petition, which I haven’t seen, matches the state language) your way. I’m comfortable reading it as a choice to simply support allowing someone to be a candidate, and wouldn’t expect signers to feel committed to indorse as their candidate the person named.

Sorry. I meant to link this:

http://sussexcountyclerk.org/forms/PRIMARY-PETITION-FOR-MUNICIPAL-OFFICE.pdf

apple44 said:
Greg changed the mix of the TC by being much younger and a newer resident compared to the others.

By the numbers: Three members at the time were 52, 53 and 54. (The other two were 64 and 70.) Lembrich was 38.

LOST said:

Sorry. I meant to link this:

http://sussexcountyclerk.org/forms/PRIMARY-PETITION-FOR-MUNICIPAL-OFFICE.pdf

Is this not a petition to be on a primary ballot, while the OP has stated a wish to run as an Independent?

alias said:

LOST said:

Sorry. I meant to link this:

http://sussexcountyclerk.org/forms/PRIMARY-PETITION-FOR-MUNICIPAL-OFFICE.pdf

Is this not a petition to be on a primary ballot, while the OP has stated a wish to run as an Independent?

I think you are correct. My error. Let me see if I can find information on a petition to run as an Independent.

You want the Nomination by Direct Petition for the November 6, 2018 General Election, which is here -

http://www.essexclerk.com/News/View/36/2018-general-election-nomination-by-direct-petition

The one put out by the Bergen County Elections Board states that the signer intends to vote for the candidate!

http://bergencountyclerk.alphadogtest.com/_Content/pdf/forms/2018LocalIndependentPetition.pdf

Petition for: Municipal Office (See Signatures Required, N.J.S.A. 19:13-5)

We the undersigned hereby certify that we reside in the municipality of ___________________
in the County of Bergen, of the State of New Jersey, and that we are legally qualified to vote for such candidate(s), and pledge ourselves to support and vote for the person(s) named in such petition, and that we have not signed any other petition of nomination for the primary or for the General Election for such office, and request that you cause to be printed upon the Official General Election Ballot the name of the candidate and his/ designation of party or party
principle.

Indeed it does: “... pledge ourselves to support and vote for the person named in such petition ...”

I stand corrected.

Let's see if I can find the one put out by Essex County. We are all geting an education today!

LOST said:
Let's see if I can find the one put out by Essex County. We are all geting an education today!

See nohero’s link. I quoted from that one before seeing your link.

ETA: And not for nothing, but that’s Reason No. 1 for being an MOL regular.

So now shall we re-visit Joan's inquiry?

joan_crystal said:
Ileana:  Could you please tell us why you want to run for TC this year and what you hope to accomplish if you are elected?  This sort of statement could give potential petition signers are clearer idea of who you are and how you might function as a member of the TC.  No need to come up with a platform at this time.  Most of the TC candidates I have spoken with at this point in their campaign preferred to speak with eligible voters and take time to familiarize themselves with the issues before coming up with a formal platform.  

joan_crystal said:
Ileana:  Could you please tell us why you want to run for TC this year and what you hope to accomplish if you are elected?  This sort of statement could give potential petition signers are clearer idea of who you are and how you might function as a member of the TC.  No need to come up with a platform at this time.  Most of the TC candidates I have spoken with at this point in their campaign preferred to speak with eligible voters and take time to familiarize themselves with the issues before coming up with a formal platform.  

I am running for the Maplewood Township Committee because I love Maplewood. I have been involved with the town and it’s events in a variety of ways,  and I have always enjoyed the people, and their curious intelligence and steadfast commitment to the town. 
I am not a politician by any means. I am a single mom with two great kids;  however I love our community, volunteering, building relationships and solving problems. 
I simply want to represent all voices and views, address the concern of the community, and challenge our current TC matters that affect our community that are not being addressed to our satisfaction. Thank you so much for asking and i am happy to meet with you (or anyone) also to listen and discuss!

yahooyahoo said:
Go for it Ileana.

Reading post like this is a breath of fresh air thank you so much !! 

I quoted from that petition yesterday regarding the filing deadline.  The only thing that looks weird to me is this:  "ON JUNE 5 , 2018, THE 64TH DAY PRIOR TO THE ELECTION"

I don't get the "64th day."  June 5 is not 64 days prior to the primary election, nor the general election.  

nohero said:
You want the Nomination by Direct Petition for the November 6, 2018 General Election, which is here - http://www.essexclerk.com/News/View/36/2018-general-election-nomination-by-direct-petition

I like what you're about, Kiddo. Good luck!

-s.

BTW...

ml1 said:
I quoted from that petition yesterday regarding the filing deadline.  The only thing that looks weird to me is this:  "ON JUNE 5 , 2018, THE 64TH DAY PRIOR TO THE ELECTION" I don't get the "64th day."  June 5 is not 64 days prior to the primary election, nor the general election.

I think that wording conflates two statutes. NJSA 19:13-9, referring to the direct nomination of independent candidates, says, “All such petitions and acceptances thereof shall be filed with the officer or officers to whom they are addressed before 4:00 p.m. of the day of the holding of the primary election for the general election in this Title provided.” So June 5 is correct.

The 64-day deadline applies to petitions filed for the primaries, per NJSA 19:23-14.

soda said:
I like what you're about, Kiddo. Good luck! -s. BTW...

Thank you very much Soda !! Oh, I remember that day ... we were promoting First Night !! Fun day good memories .. thank you for sharing. 

Must say not my best angle or pic ha ! 

I have given this some thought and have not arrived at a satisfactory answer, so I open my question to the group.  

What might the rationale be for a stronger affirmation by a signatory to an independent's survey to run in the general election ("Support and vote for") versus a partisan's survey to run in a primary ("Indorse") for the same office?

it's pretty surprising how many of the laws that govern elections in this state are written so ambiguously and sometimes even in contradiction with each other.  

It brings back memories of the Lautenberg/Torricelli ballot switch in 2002.

"With the election just 36 days away, however, Republicans promised a legal challenge to prevent Mr. Torricelli's name from being replaced on the ballot. New Jersey election law allows political parties to change candidates 51 days or more before the election, but the law is unclear about making a switch after that point."

DaveSchmidt said:

ml1 said:
I quoted from that petition yesterday regarding the filing deadline.  The only thing that looks weird to me is this:  "ON JUNE 5 , 2018, THE 64TH DAY PRIOR TO THE ELECTION" I don't get the "64th day."  June 5 is not 64 days prior to the primary election, nor the general election.  

nohero said:
You want the Nomination by Direct Petition for the November 6, 2018 General Election, which is here - http://www.essexclerk.com/News/View/36/2018-general-election-nomination-by-direct-petition

I think that wording conflates two statutes. NJSA 19:13-9, referring to the direct nomination of independent candidates, says, “All such petitions and acceptances thereof shall be filed with the officer or officers to whom they are addressed before 4:00 p.m. of the day of the holding of the primary election for the general election in this Title provided.” So June 5 is correct. The 64-day deadline applies to petitions filed for the primaries, per NJSA 19:23-14.