Action speaks louder than words. Want to know what someone stands for? Look at their record of results. In almost nine years serving Passaic County, I have demonstrated a commitment to fiscal responsibility, economic development, and standing up for the vulnerable and for the American values of inclusion and opportunity.
Nothing has more vividly illustrated the range of issues that County government deals with than the COVID19 crisis. Passaic County has risen to that crisis in so many ways, from opening the first county-run testing site in the State, the first county-operated at-home and mobile testing program, to providing food aid to families and direct grants to businesses and nonprofits, to our efforts in 2021 to get vaccines to everyone who needs them and help avert an eviction and foreclosure. State and federal partnerships, and funding through the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan, have been essential to our success.
Your Passaic County government has key roles to play in almost every element of your quality of life, and I am particularly proud of my record of results on these issues:
- Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development. Of the nine County budgets I’ve voted for since taking office, six had no tax increase at all, and all but one were held below the state-wide 2% cap. At the same time, we’ve helped businesses grow and improved employment and educational opportunities in Passaic County.
- Community Engagement. From my first days in office, I have worked to make sure County government is responsive to the needs of all our diverse communities – from bringing County staff out into the community with multi-lingual outreach programs, to making sure Census 2020 gave us the complete count we need to continue all these services in the 2020s.
- Transportation Improvements. In my 9 years as Passaic County’s representative on the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, we’ve brought more than $400 million into Passaic County for key state and local infrastructure projects, including more than $24 million in the past 3 years just to support Passaic County initiatives: bridges that better connect us to work and play, safety improvements that protect pedestrians and drivers, and investments in rails-to-trails and the Morris Canal Greenway so everyone can enjoy the outdoors. All those federal dollars enable us to do more for residents without increasing the county tax burden.
- Standing up for American Values. I am proud to have spoken out and organized my colleagues to adopt policies that make Passaic County a fair and welcoming place for all people, and as an attorney to protect voting rights in New Jersey and beyond.
What’s more, I’ve worked across the aisle to get things done – not by sacrificing my principles, but by finding and working together on the issues that unite us. We need more representatives who bring that attitude to their work, to overcome partisan gridlock. Governing isn’t about scoring political points: good governing is about earning our constituents’ support by serving them. I hope my track record of making County government more accessible, efficient, and responsive has earned yours.