INDIVISIBLE Lambertville NJ / New Hope PA

Author: Indivisible Lambertville / New Hope

  • Make a Run for It! Resources and What You Need to Know (WYNTK)

    Contributed by Amara Willey. 

    Running for office in Hunterdon County – WYNTK: County Clerk Mary Melfi is your go-to resource. Here’s a link to a page with tons of helpful information. Mary has a very extensive packet of information at her office for political hopefuls. She is also willing to sit down with a potential candidate and go over what needs to happen to get on the ballot. She would like to see more women take on governing roles. “Women bring a totally different dynamic to politics. I think women are more analytical, solution-oriented, and think outside of box,” she says.

    • Important date! Monday, April 1st — deadline for all Partisan Candidates to File Petitions for the June Primary. State Candidates file with the State Division of Elections, County Candidates with the County Clerk’s office and Local Candidates with their Municipal Clerk. (N.J.S.A.19:23-14)

    Running for office in Pennsylvania – WYNTK: The Pennsylvania Department of State provides a wealth of information on this site: Running For Office

    • Important dates:
      • February 19 — First day to circulate and file nomination petitions
      • March 12 — Last day to circulate and file nomination petitions

    Candidate training resources

    General

    • Emerge is a candidate training program for Democratic women:
    • Moms Running is a coaching business run by Clinton Councilwoman Rielly Karsh and others to help mothers who want to get into politics
    • National Democratic Training Committee runs a self-study program https://www.traindemocrats.org/home/
    • Rutgers’ Center for American Women and Politics has their nonpartisan candidate training program, Ready to Run scheduled for March 15-16
    • She Should Run offers free online courses and an incubator for women considering a run for office. Have a younger woman interested? They even offer a parents or mentor’s program for activities to do with them. https://www.sheshouldrun.org/incubator

    Pennsylvania

    • Bucks County Dems will be having a forum at their next meeting on how to complete the petition to become a candidate. http://bucksdemocrats.org/. Working Families Party will be sponsoring training on March 30 for Democratic candidates that have submitted petitions (Deadline: March 12). http://workingfamilies.org/
    • Training is planned but not yet scheduled for using Votebuilder and specific topics like how to present a stump speech (Sign up for email lists with Solebury Democrats, Bucks County Democrats and check Helen Tai’s Facebook and website for these upcoming topics).

    New Jersey

    • In conjunction with the National Democratic training, New Jersey Democrats are planning candidate trainings on March 23rd and 24th. The 23rd is in Morris County and the 24th is in Bergen. The location has not been confirmed yet. https://njdems.org/our-events/
  • ILNH FYI – Your Activists in Action

    ILNH FYI – Your Activists in Action

    Environment Action Group: ILNH joined several other environmental groups to sign a letter to the governors of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania calling for stringent review of the PennEast Pipeline project, saying that the application for PennEast to the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) do not demonstrate that the pipeline meets the requirements of law. Subsequently, Governor Phil Murphy announced his support for a full fracking ban in the Delaware River Basin and issued a letter to the DRBC expressing his position that proposed rules should be amended to ban all fracking activity, including the import, treatment, and discharge of fracking wastewater.

    “The ILNH Environment Team has always supported a complete fracking ban in the Delaware River Basin and will continue to work alongside activists, NGO’s and our state to ensure our river basin is untouched by the environmental and public health dangers of fracking,” said Liz Peer, ILNH Environment team lead. “We thank Governor Murphy for his leadership on this important matter.”

    During our first Facebook Live meeting back in January we talked about the new SpringBoard Meetings that are being planned for deeper dive education and activism on specific topics. We’re looking forward to the first of the series with Civil Rights taking the lead on Mass Incarceration. Look for more information about the expert, date and location on the ILNH Facebook page. And BTW, if you’re interested in being a Coordinator or Activator for a particular topic, see Sarah Gold or Maddy Berlin.

    Meet the ILNH Board: Did you know that Indivisible Lambertville/New Hope has a Board in addition to our Operating Team? The Board oversees the ILNH activities to ensure that they fall within our vision, mission and values. Less sexy, but more importantly, the board is accountable for making sure that activities stay within the scope of a 501(c)(4) organization so that we maintain our non-profit status. In addition, the board is responsible for certain state and federal filings, and carefully tracks finances, etc. They also work with professionals to ensure accountability for legal requirements and responsibilities pertaining to our non-profit status.  Current Board members include Susan Shapiro, Mark Zenkus, Elaine Clisham, Elycia Lerman, Karen Mitchell and Cindi Sternfeld. Positions on the Board are held for two years, and can be served in succession

    Census 2020: Ensuring accuracy – The Complete Count Commission will hold the second Public Meeting of the Census 2020 New Jersey on Wednesday, February 20th at the Passaic County Community College’s Main Campus Auditorium in Paterson. The goal of the Complete Count Commission is to encourage full participation in the census to ensure an accurate and complete count of New Jersey’s population. An accurate count is critical to how we are represented in government and is directly related to the amount of federal funding that will flow into New Jersey annually. We want to make sure that we receive our fair share.

    An important core component of this process will involve the organizing and asking the help of advocacy groups and everyday people a sustained campaign within our communities aimed at attaining the highest possible Census response rate. This is an All New Jersey project and its success will very much be determined by on the ground community advocacy and participation.

    If you plan to attend, are interested in attending, or would like to provide testimony, please respond at this link: https://www.state.nj.us/state/njcounts-meeting-rsvp.shtml

  • Say this/Not that

    Contributed by Liza Watson.

    Don’t argue. Arguing will only reinforce “their” position and set up defensiveness. Instead, use a personal experience that diffuses the fire.

    Someone says, “Evolution is just a theory.”

    Say This:  I loved watching the super blood wolf moon eclipse in January.  I was glad that theory let astronomers predict it, so I could go out on that cold night to witness it.

    Not this: Evolution is not just a theory.  It is a concept with probability on its side.

    Someone says, “Government should get out of our lives.”

    Say This: The National Weather Service forecasts saved my family members from California mudslides and Houston hurricanes.

    Not This:  If you think government should get out of our lives, then you should believe it should bug off about my reproductive rights.

    Someone says, “Don’t take away my guns.  I have a right to them.”

    Say this: I watched an old western about Tombstone AZ – Marshall Earp required visitors to disarm when they came into town.  It was the town law.

    Not this: More people with guns makes me less safe, not more safe.

  • Just the Facts

    Contributed by Olga Vanucci.

    • 86% of us think America’s democracy is broken.
    • There are 500,000 elected offices in the U.S.  Less than one-third are held by women. An organization called She Should Run has set a goal of 250,000 women in elected office by 2030.  She Should Run’s Incubator program supports 14,000 women in finding their unique path to elected office. Over 130 Incubator members were on the ballot in 2018.
    • The current Congress is the most diverse in our history.  The House has 102 women, a record, yet still only 23% of the voting members. The Senate has 25 women, a record, yet still only 25% of the total. This Congress also has the largest number of Blacks (55), Hispanics/Latin Americans (44), Asians/Pacific Islanders (15), and Native Americans (4), making up 22% of Congress. The 116th Congress also has 10 members who openly identify as LGBTQ.
    • Search over 142,286 elected offices across the U.S. to find the ones you’re eligible to run for based on where you live:  https://www.runforoffice.org/

    Sources:  

    https://wholeads.us/electedofficials/

    https://www.sheshouldrun.org/outcomes-impact/

    https://ballotpedia.org/116th_United_States_Congress

  • Your State Legislature and Judiciary

    New Jersey

    The NJ Legislative branch is comprised of the Senate and General Assembly. The Senate has 40 members, and the General Assembly has 80 members. One senator and two assembly members are elected from each of the 40 districts of New Jersey. The Senate and General Assembly meet for about 40 sessions a year on Mondays and Thursdays.

    Senators face election every four years, with the next election coming in Nov. 2021. Democrats currently control the NJ Senate, led by Senate President Stephen Sweeney. Loretta Weinberg is the Majority Leader; Thomas Kean Jr. is the Minority Leader. Assembly members face election every two years. In November 2019, the entire NJ Assembly is up for election. Democrats also control the Assembly, led by Craig Coughlin; Louis Greenwald is the Majority Leader, and Jon M. Branmick is the Minority Leader.  Senators and Assembly members are paid $49,000/yr for their work in the legislature.

    Committees from each party draft and review proposed legislation, along with several other bipartisan and non-partisan entities. (Learn more about the role of committees and the process of making a law in “How a Bill Becomes a Law”. In addition, the Office of Legislative Services (OLS), a non-partisan agency, provides legal advice and research support to both houses. OLS staff also drafts the bills and resolutions. For a map of NJ’s state legislative districts, please go here.

    In NJ, Congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by two distinct politician commissions. The congressional redistricting commission comprises the following 13 members:

    • The majority and minority leaders of each chamber of the New Jersey State Legislature appoint two commissioners a piece (for a total of eight members).
    • The chairs of the state’s two major political parties each appoint two members to the commission (for a total of four members). Commissioners appointed by the political parties cannot be members of Congress or congressional employees.
    • The first 12 commissioners appoint the last member. This member cannot have held public office in the state within the previous five-year period. If the first 12 commissioners cannot agree on an appointment, they must submit two names to the New Jersey Supreme Court. The court must then appoint the final commissioner.

    If the congressional redistricting commission fails to reach an agreement about a redistricting plan, it must submit two plans to the state Supreme Court, which must in turn select from those two plans a final map.

    The state legislative redistricting commission comprises 10 members. The chairs of the state’s two major political parties each appoint five members to the commission. In the event that this commission is unable to reach an agreement about a redistricting plan, the state Supreme Court may appoint a tie-breaking member.

    The NJ Judiciary decides how state laws should be applied. Judges are appointed and serve seven-year terms, but after they have been re-appointed once, they can serve until they are 70.

    The highest court in the Judiciary branch is the state Supreme Court, which consists of a chief justice and six associate justices, who hear cases related to the NJ Constitution and other major issues. The state Superior Court is where most trials take place and is divided into the Appellate, Law, and Chancery divisions. The Appellate Division hears appeals of decisions from lower courts and state agencies. Law hears cases in its Criminal Division and Civil Division. Chancery consists of a General Equity Division and Family Division. General Equity cases involve matters such as contracts. The Family Division deals with family and children’s legal matters.

    Pennsylvania

    The Pennsylvania Legislative branch includes the Senate with 50 members and the House of Representatives with 203 members. The President of the Senate is the Lieutenant Governor, currently Jon Fetterman (D), who only votes in the case of a tie. Pennsylvania state senators serve staggered, four-year terms and half of the Senate is up for election every two years. In 2018, 25 PA Senators were elected, with Republicans maintaining majority control of the Senate, but losing some seats to Democrats. Jake Corman is Senate Majority Leader; Jay Costa is Senate Minority Leader.

    The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is up for election every two years, with 2020 as the next election year for the House. In 2018, the chamber’s Republican majority decreased from 120-79 (with four vacancies) to 110-93. House Speaker is Mike Turzai, Majority Leader is Bryan Cutler, and Minority Leader is Frank Dermody.

    In Pennsylvania, the statutory authority to draw congressional district boundaries is vested with the Pennsylvania General Assembly. These lines are subject to gubernatorial veto.[34]

    State legislative district lines are drawn by a politician commission. Established in 1968, the commission comprises five members: The Majority and Minority Leaders of both Houses each appoint one member, and the four appointees then appoint a fifth member to serve as the commission’s chair.

    Pennsylvania has 60 Judicial districts,  most of which (except Philadelphia) have Magisterial District Judges, who preside mainly over minor criminal offenses and small civil claims. Magisterial District Judges also preside over preliminary hearings in all misdemeanor and felony criminal cases. Most criminal and civil cases originate in the Courts of Common Pleas, which also serve as appellate courts to the district judges and for local agency decisions.

    The Superior Court hears all appeals from the Courts of Common Pleas not expressly designated to the Commonwealth Court or Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth Court is limited to appeals from final orders of certain state agencies and certain designated cases from the Courts of Common Pleas. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the final appellate court. All judges in Pennsylvania are elected; the chief justice is determined by seniority.

    In total, 439 judges preside over the Court of Common Pleas, 9 judges preside over the Commonwealth Court, 15 judges preside over the Superior Court, and 7 justices preside over the Supreme Court. Elected judges run in 10 year terms, at which point they are required to run in a non-partisan retention election if they wish to continue to serve.