Monday, November 30, 2009

Sour Grapes...

Bo Vastine’s blog today reads as if he cannot get over that fact that he was rejected by the voters of the 22nd Legislative District. Not only am I working with the Mayor and Council of Plainfield to deal with the crisis that is facing Plainfield as well as the State of New Jersey, I am beginning to believe that the respect Marty Marks and I gave one another the day after the election, is the sort of respect that win or lose, elected officials give one another.

Unfortunately, I find it very odd that the only town in the 22nd District that Bo Vastine and talk about is the City of Plainfield. He is the same man that moved out of Plainfield, turning his back on the families and children of the City of Plainfield, yet continues to be aggressively critical of the City. If he loved Plainfield so much, why did he not stay and offer his services?

In reading his bio, the only tangible on his resume since leaving Bush and Texas, has been to be a Republican in Plainfield. So for a man that has done nothing but look out for himself personally, and look for opportunities to try to embarrass the City of Plainfield, as well as blame me for all of its problems, I am pretty sure that in every ward within the City of Plainfield that gave me more votes than him, it is clear they do not believe in his type of politics, and were not impressed with his thin resume.

As I stated earlier, it is time to stop blaming Republicans and Democrats, those who made their choices, and roll up our sleeves and get to work on our problems. This is a necessity because the same problems being felt within Plainfield are the same ones being felt throughout the entire State. Unfortunately, Mr. Vastine has taken this personally, and I am hoping that he can realize that there is life after politics.

Scotch Plains taxes are high, they have a new sewage agency that the public is not happy with, and yet, Mr. Vastine does not speak on these issues; he turns a blind eye to these issues and chooses to dump on Plainfield, as if he enjoys doing so.

Ps

I would appreciate it if anyone had any ideas as to how to better the 22nd District to contact my office. As we move forward into the new year, working with a new governor, it is time for me to put my energies into dealing with the issues that the State of New Jersey is facing, as opposed to going back and forth with an individual who has yet to offer ANY solutions to the problems our State and District are facing. Maybe when Bo gets a life, he will realize that you win elections by showing the public that you are interested in their concerns rather than continue on a trek of negativity.

Bo, you blamed me for raising taxes, you blamed me for closing Muhlenberg Hospital, you tried to paint a picture of me being corrupt, but it is obvious that I received more votes out of Linden than any of the Assembly candidates on the ballot. I was born and raised in the Roselle/Linden area; I was educated in that community was in business in the community for over 40 years, which allowed those communities to know me personally. Unfortunately, in Plainfield, all that is known of you if that you came from Texas, and that you were not capable of helping the community in any way.

I was proud to run on the same slate with all of the Democratic candidates, including Governor Corzine, but unfortunately, Bo, you were too embarrassed to let the public know that you were a Republican candidate by failing to mention your party affiliation on your literature. In fact, in order for you to have received more votes in the City of Plainfield than Governor-Elect Chris Christie, it is clear that you were concerned more with your personal success, than you were with getting him elected.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Thank You 22nd District!!

After the election, I thank the voters of the 22nd Legislative District for all of your support. The Election Day operation I put together had well over 300 people participating in phone banks, canvassing, and working at the polls in order for our success to be accomplished. We won all but two districts within the City of Plainfield, those two being strong Republican districts.

My margin of victory is one I am very proud of. I do not feel the need to apologize for anything said or done during the campaign. I not only have extended my deepest gratitude towards the City of Plainfield, but just as importantly and vital have I extended my sincere thanks to the ENTIRE 22nd Legislative District. EVERY municipality within my district is just as important, vital, and needed as is the next.

I was born and raised in the Borough of Roselle, a block away from Linden, which spurred a healthy relationship in my younger years between the two municipalities. The same is true regarding my relationship with the City of Rahway, which I lived there for five years. These relationships with the latter cities within my district have yielded necessary votes for me in this past general election.

So today, I want to make it clear that I am thanking ALL who supported me in this past general election, and that I will continue to work hard fort ALL within the 22nd Legislative District, including those who did not support me, no matter the political affiliation. I believe that once election, you must put differences aside and work for the community, regardless of party lines.

Unfortunately, some bloggers do not see or understand this truth, and continue to write as if the campaign is still going on. I personally do not feel I have anything else to prove, with having over 30 years experience in politics. Considering the outcome of this year’s election, having lost a Democratic Governor, there are many towns within my district that are Independent and decided to vote Republican this election. This was not taken personally, wherein I want to thank them for exercising their right as US citizens, voicing their opinions and expressions. I just hope that they are prepared to work with my fellow Assembly members, State Senate, the Governor-Elect Chris Christie, and myself.

I hope that in the future, local bloggers can come up with ideas that can improve State government, a type of dialogue I would like to have as we move forward toward the future. A dialogue consisting of education remedies, taxes, quality of life issues, crime, and job creation/sustainment. Personal attacks do not help the community.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Let's Move On

I would like to reiterate how happy and proud I am of everyone in Plainfield who supported me. I mentioned yesterday how pleased I was to have received a call yesterday from Marty Marks to congratulate me and to discuss how we can work together to help move this state in the right direction. To my surprise I also received a lot of phone calls from Republicans congratulating me and looking forward to working with me for the next two years. And again, while it was unfortunate that Corzine was not able to pull through with a victory, I am looking forward to working with Governor-elect Chris Christie (I made this statement publicly today in the Courier News).

I believe the strategy of the Republican Party was to make the suburban communities feel that I care only about Plainfield. Unfortunately, my opponents were successful, as some suburban towns were not only angry with me but Corzine and the entire Democratic Party. However, I did not take this personally; I am a team player and have to accept the message that was sent through their actions. These communities were not happy with the Democrats over the last four years and this victory is an opportunity to change that.

I’m happy to know that all of the Republicans who called me yesterday to congratulate me understand that NJ politics is business, not personal. The election is over and now we have to begin to do the job that the people elected us to do. It is time to get back to dealing with the budget, education, jobs, and quality of life issues that are facing NJ. Unfortunately there are still a few people who do not understand that when the race is over, it’s over. I was surprised when I read Bo’s comment on his blog (in the comment section) today that inquired about my brother’s place of employment. My brother, who is not employed by the county of Union and is not in the best of health, should have never been mentioned. As a result I have taken this very personal. However, because I would like to see this nonsense come to an end, as the campaign is over and it’s time to move on, I am asking Bo nicely, publicly, and one time only: If you have nothing nice to say about me and my family then please say nothing at all. I will not accept nor tolerate anyone going after my family. I do not put anything before my family, including politics, so if you want to go after my family, who had nothing to do with this election, then let me make it very clear that this is a war you will not win. I will not allow you or anyone else to embarrass my family. So once again I’m asking that we put a stop to this. I do not know anything about your family and you do not know anything about mine.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Thank You

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the voters of the 22nd District for their support yesterday. While it was a bittersweet moment (as Governor Corzine was not re-elected) I look at this election as a wake up call for everyone, specifically the Government. It was obvious that the suburban communities were not happy with the status quo and I’ve heard their voice loud and clear. Moving forward I am prepared to work with Governor-elect Chris Christie in moving the State of New Jersey in the right direction in terms of taxes, economic development and jobs.

I would especially like to thank the voters here in the City of Plainfield for all they have done in helping in this victory. The support given as well as the effort put out for the local Democratic Party was something the City of Plainfield should be proud of.

Lastly, I would like to congratulate my two opponents Bo Vastine and Marty Marks for running a good campaign. I would especially like to thank Marty Marks, who was the first one to call me this morning and congratulate me. It is my intention to continue to work with Mr. Marks in making life better for all of the citizens in the 22nd District.

Again, to my district, I want to thank every one of you for giving me the opportunity to represent you for the next two years. I am humbled and honored to be able to serve as your Assemblyman of the 22nd District for another term. I will not let you down.