40 Assembly candidates seek 'return the Legislature to regular citizens'

A group of forty candidates for the State Assembly gathered on the statehouse steps to announce "Citizens for Assembly," a statewide group of legislative candidates formed by District 27 Republican Barry Funt to "return the Legislature to regular citizens."

The group have signed a ten-point platform, the "Common Sense Pledge.

"If elected, the citizen candidates on these steps would constitute a majority in the State Assembly; providing the leadership we need to change New Jersey," said Funt, who is challenging Democratic incumbents John McKeon (D-West Orange) and Mila Jasey (D-South Orange).  "Citizens for Assembly is an effort to remind New Jersey how important it is to elect legislators who represent regular citizens."

Funt called on voters to "to "become comfortable with the idea of voting differently than you may have in the past."

"You should know that supporting this group of candidates is not moving from one group of insiders to another. An overwhelming majority of the people up here with me are running for office for the very first time," Funt said.

COMMON SENSE PLEDGE

Fellow citizens of New Jersey, we hear your call and we ask you to join with us. As Republican and Independent citizen candidates seeking to join State Assembly, we are determined to restore the public's trust in their government. Together with our colleagues, we will enact meaningful reforms to reduce the size and power of government in New Jersey to eliminate the culture of corruption and make our state affordable once again.  We are free from conflicts of interest. Together with you, we can change New Jersey's course. When elected to the State Assembly, we pledge to implement the following reforms:

1. True property tax reform: End unfunded state mandates and reform the system that causes excessive reliance on property taxes.
2. Cut taxes and red tape: Promote private sector job growth by changing the climate that has forced citizens and businesses to flee our state.
3. Eliminate undue influence: Expand and enforce pay-to-play rules and conflicts of interest law to include special interest groups that take taxpayer dollars.
4. Zero tolerance for abuse of power:  End the culture of corruption by stiffening penalties for violators of the public trust.
5. Free choice for affordable healthcare:  Reduce state mandates and promote individual choice and competition.
6. Pension reform: New Jersey's public pension system has been abused and is broken. Make the system simple and fair for workers and taxpayers alike.
7. Citizen Checks and Balances: Require voter approval for future state and agency debt issuances.  
8. Election competition:  Restore competitive elections by ending campaign laundering ("wheeling") to encourage regular citizens to run for office.
9. Choice in education: Improve quality and reduce costs by introducing competition.
10. Stop the violence: Government's primary responsibility is to protect the public. We pledge to devote the necessary resources to end violence in our communities.

Respecting the judgment of our fellow citizens as we pledge a return to a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Participating candidates:

Andy Bloschak (District 28)
Anthony Mazzola (District 17)
Aracelis Sanabria-Tejada (District 29)
Barry Bellin (District 37)
Barry Funt (District 27)
Beth Hamburger (District 33)
Bill Harvey (District 14)
Bo Vastine (District 22)
Brian Greenberg (District 6)
Brian Kluchnick (District 5)
Carmen Pio Costa (District 36)
Clenard Childress (District 34)
David Taylor (District 34)
Domenick DiCicco (District 4)
Don Diorio (District 36)
Erik Peterson (District 23)
Eugene Lawrence (District 4)
Fernando Linhares (District 29)
Herb Glenn (District 28)
Irene Kim Asbury (District 31)
Joe Sinagra (District 18)
John McCann (District 1)
Judith Fisher (District 38)
Marie Day (District 31)
Mark Meyerowitz (District 27)
Marty Marks (District 22)
Mike Donahue (District 1)
Nicholas Lonzisero (District 38)
Peter Kothari (District 19)
Richard Piatowski (District 19)
Rob Calabro (District 14)
Robert Jones (District 18)
Robert Schroeder (District 39)
Robert Villare (District 3)
Salim Nathoo (District 17)
Scot DeCristofaro (District 6)
Stepfanie Velez-Gentry (District 5)
Tony Bucco (District 25)
Werner Graf (District 15)
Wojciech Siemaszkiewicz (District 37)