NEW REPUBLICAN GROUP IN PASSAIC COUNTY VOWS TO BATTLE DEMOCRATS, CREEPING SOCIALISM AND HIGH TAXES

GOP STRONG

Fighting For Republican Victories 

PAC Will Be Voice for Business and Taxpayers 

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 PASSAIC COUNTY - A new political action committee – GOP STRONG -- has been formed in Passaic County to help rebuild the party and broaden its support in the community.  

The new organization has four co-chairs, including former County Republican Organization Chairman Michael Mecca. Other co chairs are Michael Ramaglia, the chairman of the Young Republican Organization in the county, Robert Fass, a Wayne businessman  and Ann Marie Pusterla of Wayne. 

The objective of the organization said Mecca is “quite simply to help Republicans win elections in Passaic County and begin reviving the organization from the bottom up. Many Republicans see the need for a more active, open and aggressive organization to represent Republican positions and that’s what GOP Strong is all about.” 

Ramaglia, 33, said the conservative Republicans in the county have no voice in their party or in the county government.

 “It is unfortunate that the party structure in Passaic County --  and in much of the state -- has strayed so far from Republican’s conservative roots. 

“We have seen where the liberals and moderates have taken Passaic County and New Jersey and it’s not good.  In order to get New Jersey back on track, Republicans need to start applying their fiscally conservative ideals to local and county offices and then work on electing people to state office who will start dismantling the socialist government that Democrats like Jon Corzine have imposed on hard working families,” said Ramaglia, a West Milford resident.

 Fass, 33,  said he joined the organization to give a voice in Republican politics to business owners and entrepreneurs.  

“The county and state economies are horrible and there doesn’t seem to be much interest by Republican leaders to work at creating a better economic environment for business,” said Fass who is a partner in a recruiting company.  

"The Democrats who run Passaic County obviously have no clue about how to create business friendly government so it is up to organizations such as GOP Strong to fight for business interests,” added Fass.

“The county needs to attract business and start creating jobs for people.”  The fourth co-chair, Pusterla  -- who is also the treasurer of the county’s  Young Republicans Organization --  said GOP Strong will be the voice against the high taxes of the County Democrats and the “creeping socialism” of Gov. Jon Corzine.  

 “The combination of ever increasing county taxes, plus reductions in state aid and the redistribution of income from hard working middle class people to urban centers in killing taxpayers and killing the state. We will fight to make people aware of how their government is wasting their money and how we can stop that from happening,” said Pusterala.

Mecca said the organization has the support of former county GOP chairman Peter Murphy, who is the chairman of the Totowa Republican organization and a co-founder of GOP strong.  

 “Peter has a wealth of political knowledge that will be beneficial to the new organization and he has pledged to help us raise money to support local candidates,” said Mecca. 

Murphy said he is pleased to see new faces coming in to the party and willing to work to elect Republicans. “I wanted to help create a vehicle for young people to come in and work with some experienced Republicans to bring the County Republicans back to prominence,” said Murphy.

“I’m happy to pass the torch on to these new people, who will bring fresh ideas and a fresh perspective to politics.  I am sure they will be successful.” 

Mecca noted that GOP Strong is open to anyone who supports Republican values. 

 “This is and inclusive group. It was not formed to boost any individual’s political career. It was not formed to push any single person’s agenda. It was formed to give Republicans an active and passionate voice in local, county and state government.” 

Among the first objectives of GOP Strong said Mecca will be to fight for the county GOP freeholder ticket this year and to begin mobilizing communities against Gov. Corzine’s low income housing mandates that he says “will destroy many towns and raise property taxes.”