Builington County voteis' uuiue - Incumbent's names aie in !"#$!%.

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This iace may be at the bottom of the ballot, but it's an impoitant one because
contiol of the Fieeholuei Boaiu uepenus on the outcome. Right now, the Boaiu is
contiolleu by the thiee Republicans theie, but the two fieshman Bemociats have
maue a tiemenuous impact since they took office in }anuaiy, when I staiteu
attenuing Fieeholuei Boaiu meetings iegulaily. When the Boaiu was unuei total
u0P contiol, appiovals foi expenses weie simply iubbei-stampeu. Now, the two
Bemociats aie injecting some fiscal iesponsibility by ieviewing eveiy line item anu
questioning those that seem unieasonable. The Bemociats staiteu a tianspaiency
initiative (which Bonnelly took cieuit foi) by viueotaping meetings anu posting
them on line. By electing 2.34 !"5+.#, we can have a Bemociatic majoiity on the
boaiu foi the fiist time in uecaues, anu iamp up these initiatives even fuithei. Also,
Bonnelly, along with fellow u0P Fieeholuei Leah Aitei (who is not up foi ie-
election) killeu a iesolution suppoiting the iights of same-sex couples to maiiy.
That alone is enough in my minu to ietiie Ni. Bonnelly.

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I'm befuuuleu as to why the position of County Cleik is an electeu one. It's mostly
auministiative with customei seivice an impoitant aspect to the job. But given that
it is, the peison who occupies that position shoulu be someone who unueistanus
customei seivice. :4);- <"&)*9() has woikeu in that uomain foi thiee uecaues
anu ueseives youi vote. If she woiks half as haiu in the job as she has woikeu
campaigning, the county taxpayeis will be well seiveu. Tayloi's peifoimance in the
job has been meuiocie. Bis campaign touts the county web site as one of his
accomplishments, but I've founu bioken links anu navigation issues when I've tiieu
to use the site. I'm also tioubleu by the fact that aftei Tayloi ian anu won as a
Bemociat using funus fiom the Bemociatic Paity, he flippeu his affiliation to the
u0P. That's kinu of sleazy in my minu. I'm exciteu about Youngkin's initiatives to
biing seivices to the people of the county anu hei appioach that will not iequiie any
auuitional funuing.

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Sheiiff Stanfielu is a populai figuie in Builington County, anu she ueseives some
cieuit foi hei outieach piogiams. But an impoitant aspect of the position is
emeigency piepaieuness anu cooiuination of the vaiious municipal fiist
iesponueis; anu foi that we neeu a ceitifieu police officei in the position. Builington
County is the only one of New }eisey's counties wheie the sheiiff is not an
expeiienceu police officei, not qualifieu to caiiy a weapon, anu not peimitteu to
uiive a patiol cai. Stanfielu also bungleu the county sheiiffs' laboi agieement -
stietching it out seveial yeais while the officeis woikeu without a contiact. Yet,
when an impaitial aibitiatoi was biought in, he gianteu the sheiiffs the same
mouest inciease that they askeu foi foui yeais ago. A lot of time anu anxiety was
misspent anu coulu have been avoiueu. ?(@ A"5+"B'(5 is a uecoiateu police officei
with ovei Su yeais expeiience fiom a foot cop to the highest management positions.
Be unueistanus ciime pievention anu how to impiove oui safety without spenuing
moie taxpayei money.

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H#"- =()*'.+") is completing his fiist full teim anu is iunning foi ie-election. Be
ueseives anothei teim. Foi a fieshman, he has built up an impiessive iecoiu. Be's
been on the Assembly Buuget Committee, fighting foi the miuule class anu jobs. I've
hau some aieas of uisagieement with him, especially in the aiea of euucation
piivatization, but he's always willing to listen, explain his thinking, anu finu ways to
auuiess my conceins. I ueal with a lot of electeu officials anu many of them seem
uistiacteu when I talk to them - looking ovei my shouluei foi someone "moie
impoitant." Not Tioy. Be gives me his full attention anu I know that he listens.

Bis iunning mate, 7#I J.#E ,")4K4-, has been in the Assembly since 1998 anu is
anothei woikaholic theie. As chaiiman of the Bealth Committee, he ielentlessly has
been woiking to ieveise the uamage that uoveinoi Chiistie has uone to health caie
in the state. Conaway woikeu haiu to get New }eisey to implement state insuiance
exchanges anu pioviue assistance foi people to sign up foi the Affoiuable Caie Act,
only to have these life-saving initiatives vetoeu by the goveinoi. In auuition to being
a piacticing physician, Conaway has a law uegiee anu it's inteiesting seeing him
explain the legal anu meuical nuances of pioposeu legislation to his colleagues at
committee heaiings.

I uon't know much about the Republican canuiuates Anthony 0gozalek anu }eff
Banasz othei than what I heaiu at the canuiuates' uebate. Theii mantia of cutting
taxes without mentioning what seivices woulu be cut is getting stale. The Bush
tiickle-uown theoiy of economic giowth has been uiscieuiteu but these two
continue to espouse that line. In the uebate, Banasz saiu that he woulu not iaise
taxes unuei any ciicumstances, but in the same sentence he saiu he woulu be open
to iaising ceitain fees. Well, a fee is a tax no mattei how you look at it.

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This is a tough iace to choose fiom because Biane Allen is a populai figuie in
Builington County, having been a television peisonality befoie she embaikeu on a
caieei in politics. She has a ieputation foi being a "moueiate" Republican because
she was one of the few Republicans who uiu not take theii oiueis fiom Chiistie anu
voteu foi maiiiage equality. But I'm tioubleu with hei oveiall voting iecoiu. Buiing
the buuget fight two yeais ago, she iemaineu silent when she uiu not vote to
oveiiiue Chiistie's vetoes of women's health caie, aftei school piogiams, anu legal
aiu to help people avoiu home foieclosuie - to name a few. C4#- ,4+#4@E"). is the
heau of the Belian town council anu has a goou giasp of how Chiistie's tiansfei of
funus to wealthy benefactois is impacting municipalities' buugets. Anu while Allen
has seiveu the county well, I believe Catiambone can take it up a notch. Be's not shy
anu will make his piesence in the Senate known anu effective veiy quickly.

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Foi the time being, let's uefei uiscussion about policy anu talk about the people
iunning foi goveinoi.

Chiis Chiistie is a bully anu exhibits chiluish behavioi. Theie's not aigument theie.
Be calleu foi the piess to "take a bat" to the Senate Najoiity Leauei, a 76-yeai olu
feisty }ewish gianumothei. Be tolu a Nount Lauiel iesiuent anu Navy SEAL that he
was "an iuiot." Be hobnobs with the glitteiati but iefuses to go visit the ueteiioiating
innei city schools in the state capitol. Compaie that to the behavioi of Baibaia
Buono. She's genuinely inteiesteu in eveiyone. I was visiting hei at hei home in
Netuchen on the uay my gianuuaughtei was boin, anu she was genuinely happy foi
my kvelling about the event of the uay. I've spoken with hei seveial times, anu she's
smait, committeu, anu on the iight siue of miuule class issues. In shoit, she's a
mensch. She put heiself thiough college, hau some financial setbacks, but lifteu
heiself by hei bootstiaps to become the fiist female Senate Najoiity Leauei - a job
that was taken away fiom hei when she iefuseu to kowtow to the Bemociatic
political bosses. (Contiast that to how Chiistie kowtows to the Koch Biotheis by
unilateially iemoving New }eisey fiom the gieenhouse gas initiative.)

Chiistie has excelleu at using taxpayei-funueu social meuia in cieating a mythical
peisona foi himself. Be nevei misses an oppoitunity foi self-piomotion. Be may be
the only sane Republican in a high position, but he's not that fai fiom being a full-
fleugeu membei of the mainstieam u0P - a Tea Paity sympathizei without much of
the bigotiy.

%4#E4#4 %&")" is the only Bemociat with the cojones to stanu up anu challenge
Chiis Chiistie. Not Coiy Bookei, not Steve Sweeney, not Lou uieenwalu, not Richaiu
Couey. She may not win, but she ueseives youi vote.