Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Rudy for Freeholder

It's always important to support good people for local office, too. Local gov't has lots of power, and it's where tomorrow's stars come from. So, if you're feeling a bit generous, support Nathan Rudy for Freeholder.
His pitch:

Nathan Rudy is a progressive Democrat who is running for Freeholder* in Somerset County, NJ, a stronghold or Republicanism in a largely Democratic state. He is serving in his second term as a councilman in North Plainfield, NJ, a community named the most diverse community in central NJ by USA Today. He is also a blogger who is using the web to reach out to constituents and voters.

The Rudy for Freeholder campaign is starting a fundraising drive on Wednesday, August 11th called A Thousand Fifties which is looking to raise a thousand fifty dollar contributions in fifty days, ending on September 30th. Contributions can be made on-line here.

Nathan is an ardent environmentalist (he and his wife both drive hybrids) who took on Lockheed when they abandoned a trichloroethylene (TCE) spill that was bubbling up in North Plainfield's neighborhood creeks at 1,000 times the legal limit. After three years of struggling, the North Plainfield Environmental Commission got Lockheed to install a pump-and-treat system at their expense and the creeks are now TCE free.

Nathan is also pro-choice, supports Living Wage Laws and workers' right to organize, universal health care, smart growth, enforced affordable housing, and a return to progressive taxation as opposed to an over reliance on sales and other consumption taxes.

The Somerset County Freeholder Board has been Republican for 25 years, and has served as the springboard for people like former NJ Governor and EPA Director Christie Todd Whitman and Congressman Mike Pappas who sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Kenneth Starr" on the floor of the House and then lost reelection to the great Congressman Rush Holt. Not for 20 years have Democrats been closer to taking a seat on this board, a blow that would reverberate throughout the New Jersey Republican Party.

Nathan's Freeholder runs have been endorsed by New Jersey for Democracy, Democrats 2000and Congressmen Rush Holt (NJ-12) and Frank Pallone (NJ-6). He serves as the Somerset County Chair of Democracy for America, and is a speechwriter and public relations professional.

*A Freeholder is what New Jersey calls a county commissioner, and it is responsible for human services; county roads, parks and bridges; and setting the budget for the county jail, prosecutor, courts and surrogate.