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Welcome to “Are you with us? NJOP 2021 Elections Scorecard.” Huge thanks to Chris and Meghan, the entire NJOP elections committee, and all the candidates who responded to our questionnaires for their work on this.
Here are key things to know: first, at NJOP, we put people and issues before party politics, and we believe the doers are the deciders. So if you’re reading this and notice that people’s party did not seem to determine their score, YOU ARE CORRECT! Our community, the issues that matter to us, and whether or not we are at the table making the decisions that impact our lives come before party politics all day, every day around here.
Second, you may also notice that this isn’t every race in the state. It’s essentially the Governor’s race (which is the whole state) and then Monmouth, Ocean, and Atlantic Counties. That’s where the majority of elections committee members and our members are from. If you want to see your district included in the next round, we invite you to join the elections committee! Need to figure out who represents you? opens in a new windowClick here.
Governor Race
Governor Murphy is very strongly aligned with NJOP.
We appreciate Governor Murphy and his staff’s accessibility and availability – they respond to meeting requests and questions very quickly. In addition, we are invited to events related to our priorities.
Over the years we have collaborated, Governor Murphy has signed into law all key pieces of priority legislation. He has moved to implement key priorities: rent and mortgage protections for families impacted by Covid, a supplemental fund for Sandy families, freeze on clawbacks, expanded access to Narcan, and supported responsibly developed offshore wind.
In some cases, we wish the work would go farther. We think there is considerably more we could do to expand access to treatment and address overdose. In some ways the same is true with Sandy recovery – it has been challenging to get families through the supplemental fund. We also have direct communication with the head of the program and do our best on a case-by-case basis.
Some highlights from his questionnaire response include a stated willingness to forgive
Clawbacks (officially called ‘recoupments’) “for homeowners with demonstrated hardships and those who relied on improper guidance through no fault of their own,’ a truly exciting development.
We also appreciate the thoughtfulness and clear examples in response to how to better prepare our state for future storms and the understanding of how incredibly urgent this is, especially given Tropical Storm Ida.
This is the Governor’s race – it covers all of New Jersey.
Score based on: record as Governor and completed questionnaire
Madelyn Hoffman is aligned with NJOP.
We appreciate that Madelyn and the whole team responded to our questionnaire – including Heather Warburton, the candidate for Lt. Governor who has been an NJOP member since 2019. Some highlights from their questionnaire include a detailed response about the harm the War on Drugs has caused in communities and support for Medication Assisted Treatment and harm reduction. We also appreciated their clarity that asking disaster survivors to repay grant funds (clawbacks) is unacceptable.
This is the Governor’s race – it covers all of New Jersey.
Score based on: completed questionnaire
LD 2 Assembly Race
Assemblyman Armato is aligned with NJOP
Assemblyman Armato goes above and beyond to support bills on our overdose prevention priorities and, historically, has voted to support all of our priority bills. He and his family are directly impacted: he lost his son to overdose and has been very vocal about MAT, naloxone, and harm reduction. He’s a strong ally for us and allied organizations. We appreciate his stance on making sure we have offshore wind that benefits Atlantic County and shore communities Our biggest challenge with Assemblyman Armato is not with him, but with establishing a rapport with staff (shared with current Assemblyman Mazzeo) in his office both for constituent services for Sandy families in particular and rapid responses to questions and meeting requests.
SLD 2 covers the opens in a new window Atlantic County municipalities of opens in a new window Absecon City, opens in a new window Atlantic City, opens in a new window Brigantine City, opens in a new window Buena Borough, opens in a new window Buena Vista Township opens in a new window Egg Harbor City, opens in a new window Egg Harbor Township, opens in a new window Folsom Borough, opens in a new window Hamilton Township, opens in a new window Linwood City, opens in a new window Longport Borough, opens in a new window Margate City, opens in a new window Mullica Township, opens in a new window Northfield City, opens in a new window Pleasantville City, opens in a new window Somers Point City and opens in a new window Ventnor City.
Scorecard based on: record as State Assemblyman.
Caren Fitzpatrick is aligned with NJOP.
Caren Fitzpatrick is currently an Atlantic County Commissioner, has been an NJOP member since 2018, and has attended meetings and offered support. One highlight from her questionnaire was her support for moving forward with responsibly developed Offshore Wind. She has also worked as an Atlantic County Commissioner on opens in a new windowlegislative initiatives to combat overdose – an issue close to her heart as she lost a son to overdose in 2018, and taken a strong public stand opens in a new windowon responsibly developed offshore wind that works for our communities.
SLD 2 covers the opens in a new window Atlantic County municipalities of opens in a new window Absecon City, opens in a new window Atlantic City, opens in a new window Brigantine City, opens in a new window Buena Borough, opens in a new window Buena Vista Township opens in a new window Egg Harbor City, opens in a new window Egg Harbor Township, opens in a new window Folsom Borough, opens in a new window Hamilton Township, opens in a new window Linwood City, opens in a new window Longport Borough, opens in a new window Margate City, opens in a new window Mullica Township, opens in a new window Northfield City, opens in a new window Pleasantville City, opens in a new window Somers Point City and opens in a new window Ventnor City.
Score based on: record as Atlantic County Commissioner and completed questionnaire.
LD 2 Senate Race
Candidate for State Senate and current State Assemblyman Mazzeo is aligned with NJOP.
As an Assemblyman, Vincent Mazzeo has historically voted to support all of our priority bills. We appreciate his stance on making sure we have offshore wind that benefits Atlantic County and shore communities. Our biggest challenge with Assemblyman Mazzeo is not with him, but with establishing a rapport with staff (shared with Assemblyman Armato) in his office, both for constituent services for Sandy families in particular and rapid responses to questions and meeting requests.
SLD 2 covers the opens in a new window Atlantic County municipalities of opens in a new window Absecon City, opens in a new window Atlantic City, opens in a new window Brigantine City, opens in a new window Buena Borough, opens in a new window Buena Vista Township opens in a new window Egg Harbor City, opens in a new window Egg Harbor Township, opens in a new window Folsom Borough, opens in a new window Hamilton Township, opens in a new window Linwood City, opens in a new window Longport Borough, opens in a new window Margate City, opens in a new window Mullica Township, opens in a new window Northfield City, opens in a new window Pleasantville City, opens in a new window Somers Point City and opens in a new window Ventnor City.
Score based on: record as State Assemblyman
LD 9 Assembly Race
Assemblywoman Gove is aligned with NJOP.
Senator Connors, Assemblyman Rumpf, and Assemblywoman Gove were the first delegation to return their questionnaire to us, significantly before the deadline, which we appreciate. Two things to highlight: first that their office has actively worked to assist constituents with individual Sandy cases and mitigation grants, as well working dedicatedly on Sandy recovery overall. We also appreciate their focus on putting key issues, like clawbacks and Sandy recovery, before party politics. opens in a new windowThey led an effort to pass legislation to end clawbacks and were very publicly disappointed with Governor Christie when he pocket vetoed that bill. Assemblywoman Gove has supported NJOP’s legislative priorities.
SLD 9 covers the opens in a new window Atlantic County municipalities of opens in a new window Galloway Township and opens in a new window Port Republic City; the opens in a new window Burlington County municipalities of opens in a new window Bass River Township, opens in a new window Tabernacle Township and opens in a new window Washington Township; and the opens in a new window Ocean County municipalities of opens in a new window Barnegat Township, opens in a new window Barnegat Light Borough, opens in a new window Beach Haven Borough, opens in a new window Beachwood Borough, opens in a new window Berkeley Township, opens in a new window Eagleswood Township, opens in a new window Harvey Cedars Borough, opens in a new window Lacey Township, opens in a new window Little Egg Harbor Township, opens in a new window Long Beach Township, opens in a new window Ocean Township, opens in a new window Ocean Gate Borough, opens in a new window Pine Beach Borough, opens in a new window Seaside Park Borough, opens in a new window Ship Bottom Borough, opens in a new window South Toms River Borough, opens in a new window Stafford Township, opens in a new window Surf City Borough and opens in a new window Tuckerton Borough
Score based on: record as State Assemblywoman and completed questionnaire
Assemblyman Rumpf is strongly aligned with NJOP.
Senator Connors, Assemblyman Rumpf, and Assemblywoman Gove were the first delegation to return their questionnaire to us, significantly before the deadline, which we appreciate. Two things to highlight here with Assemblyman Rumpf: first, he personally worked to move clawback forgiveness as priority at the state level, and second, in his role with the Ocean County Department of Health, he has ideas and insights about how to address the overdose epidemic, engaging with our Economic Security and Dignity team around solutions. We appreciate being in regular contact and communication with him on the issues that matter to us, and he has also supported NJOP’s legislative priorities.
SLD 9 covers the opens in a new window Atlantic County municipalities of opens in a new window Galloway Township and opens in a new window Port Republic City; the opens in a new window Burlington County municipalities of opens in a new window Bass River Township, opens in a new window Tabernacle Township and opens in a new window Washington Township; and the opens in a new window Ocean County municipalities of opens in a new window Barnegat Township, opens in a new window Barnegat Light Borough, opens in a new window Beach Haven Borough, opens in a new window Beachwood Borough, opens in a new window Berkeley Township, opens in a new window Eagleswood Township, opens in a new window Harvey Cedars Borough, opens in a new window Lacey Township, opens in a new window Little Egg Harbor Township, opens in a new window Long Beach Township, opens in a new window Ocean Township, opens in a new window Ocean Gate Borough, opens in a new window Pine Beach Borough, opens in a new window Seaside Park Borough, opens in a new window Ship Bottom Borough, opens in a new window South Toms River Borough, opens in a new window Stafford Township, opens in a new window Surf City Borough and opens in a new window Tuckerton Borough
Score based on: record as State Assemblyman and completed questionnaire.
LD 9 Senate Race
Senator Connors is aligned with NJOP.
Senator Connors, Assemblyman Rumpf, and Assemblywoman Gove were the first delegation to return their questionnaire to us, significantly before the deadline, which we appreciate. One challenge with our level of alignment with Senator Connors is that of four key overdose bills that passed this year, he voted yes on two but opens in a new windowhe didn’t vote on the third and voted no on the final bill. Two things to highlight: first that their office has actively worked to assist constituents with individual Sandy cases and mitigation grants, and played a lead role in Sandy recovery legislation. Second, Senator Connors spends time on Barnegat Bay and is clear from his own lived experience that we have to support “infrastructure improvements that prevent and mitigate flooding in coastal areas,” as stated in his questionnaire response.
SLD 9 covers the opens in a new window Atlantic County municipalities of opens in a new window Galloway Township and opens in a new window Port Republic City; the opens in a new window Burlington County municipalities of opens in a new window Bass River Township, opens in a new window Tabernacle Township and opens in a new window Washington Township; and the opens in a new window Ocean County municipalities of opens in a new window Barnegat Township, opens in a new window Barnegat Light Borough, opens in a new window Beach Haven Borough, opens in a new window Beachwood Borough, opens in a new window Berkeley Township, opens in a new window Eagleswood Township, opens in a new window Harvey Cedars Borough, opens in a new window Lacey Township, opens in a new window Little Egg Harbor Township, opens in a new window Long Beach Township, opens in a new window Ocean Township, opens in a new window Ocean Gate Borough, opens in a new window Pine Beach Borough, opens in a new window Seaside Park Borough, opens in a new window Ship Bottom Borough, opens in a new window South Toms River Borough, opens in a new window Stafford Township, opens in a new window Surf City Borough and opens in a new window Tuckerton Borough
Score based on: record at State Senator and completed questionnaire response
David Wright is aligned with NJOP.
We appreciated David Wright’s references to his personal experiences and connections to the issues we prioritize: he has worked with Sandy families struggling with contractor fraud in his law practice and has lost friends, former classmates, and loved ones to overdose. One highlight from his questionnaire response is, “as we have seen an increase in serious storms in the area, the coastal communities need assurance that their interests are protected in Trenton.”
SLD 9 covers the opens in a new window Atlantic County municipalities of opens in a new window Galloway Township and opens in a new window Port Republic City; the opens in a new window Burlington County municipalities of opens in a new window Bass River Township, opens in a new window Tabernacle Township and opens in a new window Washington Township; and the opens in a new window Ocean County municipalities of opens in a new window Barnegat Township, opens in a new window Barnegat Light Borough, opens in a new window Beach Haven Borough, opens in a new window Beachwood Borough, Berkeley Township, opens in a new window Eagleswood Township, opens in a new window Harvey Cedars Borough, Lacey Township, opens in a new window Little Egg Harbor Township, opens in a new window Long Beach Township, Ocean Township, opens in a new window Ocean Gate Borough, opens in a new window Pine Beach Borough, opens in a new window Seaside Park Borough, opens in a new window Ship Bottom Borough, opens in a new window South Toms River Borough, opens in a new window Stafford Township, opens in a new window Surf City Borough and opens in a new window Tuckerton Borough
Score based on: completed questionnaire response
LD 10 Assembly Race
Though Assemblyman Catalano and McGuckin are incumbents, we don’t have a working relationship with them despite attempts to build one. Given we have no track record working together and no questionnaire – we didn’t have enough information to answer the question: Are you with us?
Though Assemblyman Catalano and McGuckin are incumbents, we don’t have a working relationship with them despite attempts to build one. Given we have no track record working together and no questionnaire – we didn’t have enough information to answer the question: Are you with us?
Mary “Sharon” Quilter is aligned with NJOP.
Mary “Sharon” Quilter is a Superstorm Sandy survivor and a valued longtime NJOP member. She has been active on both our Sandy and Shorekeeper teams for years and has also contributed to our Economic Security and Dignity team. She has shown her commitment to these issues by being an active member. Her questionnaire responses indicate the key issues that moved her to run are also key issues for NJOP – making sure we are mitigating and adapting our communities to withstand the impacts of climate change, quality affordable healthcare and mediation, and infrastructure investment.
SLD 10 covers the opens in a new window Ocean County municipalities of opens in a new window Bay Head Borough, opens in a new window Brick Township, opens in a new window Island Heights Borough, opens in a new window Lakehurst Borough, opens in a new window Lavallette Borough, opens in a new window Manchester Township, opens in a new window Mantoloking Borough, opens in a new window Point Pleasant Beach Borough, opens in a new window Seaside Heights Borough and opens in a new window Toms River Township.
Scorecard based on: completed questionnaire
LD 10 Senate Race
Though Senator Holzapfel is an incumbent, we don’t have a working relationship with him despite attempts to build one. Given we have no track record working together and no questionnaire – we didn’t have enough information to answer the question: Are you with us?
Emma Mammano is aligned with NJOP.
We appreciate Emma taking the time to answer our questionnaires – and believe there were some tech issues that meant we didn’t get her responses to the Sandy section, but we don’t fault her for that. Highlights from her questionnaire included working for everyone regardless of party, one of our core beliefs, and our experience with her as a candidate over the years is that she values lived experience, another core belief of ours.
SLD 10 covers the opens in a new window Ocean County municipalities of opens in a new window Bay Head Borough, opens in a new window Brick Township, opens in a new window Island Heights Borough, opens in a new window Lakehurst Borough, opens in a new window Lavallette Borough, opens in a new window Manchester Township, opens in a new window Mantoloking Borough, opens in a new window Point Pleasant Beach Borough, opens in a new window Seaside Heights Borough and opens in a new window Toms River Township.
Score based on: completed questionnaire
LD 11 Assembly Race
Assemblywoman Downey is aligned with NJOP.
We appreciate Assemblywoman Downey’s service as Chair of the Human Services Committee and the opportunity she has in that position to play a powerful role in addressing the opioid crisis. She has experience with issues we work on and a commitment to constituent services assisting Sandy survivors. In her questionnaire, she was clear on the need to shift to responsible renewable energy and be better prepared for future flooding. Assemblywoman Downy and Assemblyman Houghtaling share staff who are incredibly responsive and we appreciate being in connection and communication with them and their offices.
SLD 11 covers the opens in a new window Monmouth County municipalities of opens in a new window Allenhurst Borough, opens in a new window Asbury Park City, opens in a new window Colts Neck Township, opens in a new window Deal Borough, opens in a new window Eatontown Borough, opens in a new window Freehold Borough, opens in a new window Freehold Township, opens in a new window Interlaken Borough, opens in a new window Loch Arbour Village, opens in a new window Long Branch City, opens in a new window Neptune City Borough, opens in a new window Neptune Township, opens in a new window Ocean Township, opens in a new window Red Bank Borough, Shrewsbury Borough, opens in a new window Shrewsbury Township, opens in a new window Tinton Falls Borough and opens in a new window West Long Branch Borough
Score based on: record as State Assemblywoman and completed questionnaire.
Assemblyman Houghtaling is strongly aligned with NJOP.
We appreciate Assemblyman Houghtaling’s experience with and commitment to addressing the Overdose Crisis. In particular, in the questionnaire, he expressed a concrete commitment to work towards funding for mobile Medication Assisted Treatment – a high priority for our team. We also appreciate his clarity on how we need to be better prepared for future flooding. Assemblywoman Downy and Assemblyman Houghtaling share staff who are incredibly responsive and we appreciate being in connection and communication with them and their offices.
SLD 11 covers the opens in a new window Monmouth County municipalities of opens in a new window Allenhurst Borough, opens in a new window Asbury Park City, opens in a new window Colts Neck Township, opens in a new window Deal Borough, opens in a new window Eatontown Borough, opens in a new window Freehold Borough, opens in a new window Freehold Township, opens in a new window Interlaken Borough, opens in a new window Loch Arbour Village, opens in a new window Long Branch City, opens in a new window Neptune City Borough, opens in a new window Neptune Township, opens in a new window Ocean Township, opens in a new window Red Bank Borough, opens in a new window Shrewsbury Borough, opens in a new window Shrewsbury Township, opens in a new window Tinton Falls Borough and opens in a new window West Long Branch Borough
Score based on: record as a state Assemblyman and completed questionnaire
LD 11 Senate Race
Senator Gopal is strongly aligned with NJOP.
We appreciate Senator Gopal and his staff’s accessibility and availability. They respond to meeting requests and questions and get on the phone with us and allies when we ask for a meeting. Over the years we have collaborated, Senator Gopal has voted with us on all key pieces of legislation. We appreciate his work to strategize and elevate clawback forgiveness at the state level. In addition, we appreciate his leadership on multiple solutions to end the overdose crisis, including going after body brokers (people who get kickbacks to lure people to bad rehabs), which he detailed in his questionnaire response.
SLD 11 covers the opens in a new window Monmouth County municipalities of opens in a new window Allenhurst Borough, opens in a new window Asbury Park City, opens in a new window Colts Neck Township, opens in a new window Deal Borough, opens in a new window Eatontown Borough, opens in a new window Freehold Borough, opens in a new window Freehold Township, opens in a new window Interlaken Borough, opens in a new window Loch Arbour Village, opens in a new window Long Branch City, opens in a new window Neptune City Borough, opens in a new window Neptune Township, opens in a new window Ocean Township, opens in a new window Red Bank Borough, opens in a new window Shrewsbury Borough, opens in a new window Shrewsbury Township, opens in a new window Tinton Falls Borough and opens in a new window West Long Branch Borough
Score based on: record as State Senator and completed questionnaire
And last, an explanation of scoring! We measured candidates’ alignment with NJOP, which helped us decide: are they with us? To do this, we looked at three key areas we work on and evaluated two things:
- The records of the candidates if they are already in office, did they work with us? Did they do what we asked them to do? Are they accessible?
- Their questionnaire responses.
Here’s the catch (and you will see this in the details below if you’re tracking the math): If we are missing a track record or a questionnaire, we weren’t able to give full marks. So, there may be places where it looks like the average should be higher based on the section scores, but if we were missing either of those key pieces (again, those being a track record or a questionnaire), then the overall score could not be above a 3.
