Candidates

The Green Party of New Jersey
Updated November 5, 1999
1999 Electoral Candidates

As the Green Party has been gaining name recognition in New Jersey, our electoral results have been steadily improving. This year, Richard Marx, our candidate for Borough Council in Highland Park came very close to becoming the first NJ Green to achieve victory in a partisan race in November. Four candidates were vying for two open Council seats in that town. The two Democratic candidates received 1,564 and 1,462 votes respectively. In his first campaign for public office, the Green Party candidate, Richard Marx, received 1,354 votes, just 108 short of getting elected! The Republican candidate was a distant fourth with 344 votes. Voters were allowed to cast two votes because two seats were being contested. Over 40% of them cast one of their votes for Richard.

Also running for the first time this year were Jay Fox, for State Assembly in the 6th District (received 905 votes, 2%) and Thomas Gregg, for Essex County Freeholder (received 2,094 votes, 2.5%). Significantly, all Green Party candidates received the highest vote totals among the third party candidates running in their races.

In Mt. Holly, Greens were supporting John Lazzarotti, President of CWA Local 1034, who fell just 9% short of winning a seat on the Town Council.

Earlier this year, former GPNJ Chair Gary Novosielski was elected to the Rutherford Township School Board in a non-partisan race.

Please Note:

The following GPNJ members ran for office in 1999 and were endorsed by the GPNJ Green Council.

Richard Marx - Borough Council (Highland Park)

PUT THE "PARK" IN HIGHLAND PARK

Elect Richard Marx, Green Party candidate for Highland Park Borough Council on Tuesday, November 2

The Green Party is Highland Park's grassroots reform party. We're dedicated to clean, honest government that's accountable to the people of Highland Park and not to special interests from outside the borough. That's why we're quickly becoming the political home for reformers from all over the borough.

The Green Challenge!

Richard is running an honest, grassroots campaign free from the corrupting influence of money from special interests. He has made this pledge and challenges his opponents to do the same.

Richard E. Marx AICP, P.P., is married to Irene with one young son, Colin. He has been a Highland Park resident since 1988 and a property tax paying homeowner since 1991. Richard received his Master's Degree in Urban and Regional Planning and he is a licensed Professional Planner (P.P.) in the State of New Jersey and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). He is also a member of the New Jersey Association of Professional Soil Scientists and is a certified Professional Wetland Scientist and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineator. Richard also has obtained a New Jersey Real Estate Salesperson license. He has served on the Highland Park Environmental Commission and Zoning Board of Adjustment before H.J. Polos became Mayor. Richard has been quietly active in several municipal environmental issues to improve the quality of life in the town. He currently works as a lead environmental engineer for a New York City based international engineering firm.

Former experience includes:

Principal Environmental Scientist, national and international projects focusing on development suitability studies for the Dept. of Justice with an international planning and engineering firm.

Senior Environmental Planner, environmental studies with a local planning and environmental firm.

CDBG Representative with the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development in Newark.

Peace Corps, Forestry Advisor in The Gambia West Africa.

Interagency Forest Fire Fighter (Hot Shot), Wyoming.

Emergency Medical Technician (Virginia).

Nat'l Park and Forest Service work in Oregon and Yellowstone NP.

Assistant Scout Master, Troop 53 Jamesburg, NJ.

ENVIRONMENTAL/LAND USE PLATFORM ISSUES

GENERAL LAND USE ISSUES

Commitment to preserving the integrity of the Highland Park community environment.
Commitment to preserving municipal open space for recreation and conservation.
Commitment to limiting new residential development.
Commitment to improving existing housing stock for residents.
Commitment to revitalizing down town area and focus development there.
Commitment to maintaining and improving natural riverfront area.

SPECIFIC LAND USE ISSUES

Establish a Greenway Linking Johnson and Donaldson Parks.
Establish long promised conservation easement between Donaldson Park and Red's Marina adjacent to the Raritan River.
Develop a plan for recreation/conservation uses for Red's Marina.
Bring the zoning (townhouse) of the landfill site in conformance with the master plan (recreation/conservation).
Appropriate recreation development/use of landfill site (ball fields) including a bike/walkway above the base of the landfill.
Seek to preserve Buck's Woods for recreation/conservation use utilizing county/state/federal funds.
Explore alternatives for the appropriate location of proposed environmental education center.

GENERAL GOVERNMENTAL ISSUES

Open Economic Development Committee meetings to the public.
Place licensed planners on Planning and Zoning boards.
Re-establish independence of Environmental Commission, Shade Tree Committee, and other municipal agencies from political influence.

THIS NOVEMBER VOTE FOR

RICHARD MARX, AICP, P.P. GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE FOR HIGHLAND PARK BOROUGH COUNCIL to put the "Park" back in Highland Park.

Write letters to the editors of the H.P. HERALDIREVIEW, HOME NEWS AND STAR LEDGER monthly.

Call R. Marx at 572-7737 to support the campaign.

Jay Fox - State Assembly (Cherry Hill)

Petition drive launched to get a prospective Green Party State Assembly Candidate on the ballot!

During the month of May a petition drive will be conducted to get Green Party member Jay Fox of Cherry Hill onto the ballot as a State Assembly candidate. A minimum of 100 signatures must be submitted to the State Division of Elections by June 8. Let's show support for this prospective Green Party candidacy by gathering two or three times that many signatures!

Jay is a thirty-four year old civil litigation attorney, a lifelong native of Camden County. One of the goals of his campaign would be to build a local of the Green Party in his area. He will present his goals, strategies, and positions at the May 23 New Jersey Green Council meeting in hopes of having the statewide Green Party endorse his candidacy.

In the May GreenGram, Jay stated:

"I have lived these last ten years unlearning much of what was taught to me about our society and our world. I have watched protections for our environment, protections for our health, and protections for a minimum standard of living erode, while protections for polluters, protections for the insurers, and protections for the highest classes of society find their
way through our legislatures and courts.

"Green is the color of life. It is a political tree that I want to plant, feed, and help grow stronger and more successful. I want my four year old daughter's generation to have an alternative that represents a balance point, where money is simply a tool to further the ideals of harmony.

"I think that is a difficult dream. A professor of mine once said that social progressives are wonderful idealists, but terrible psychologists, because greed is such a powerful force. I respond that a majority can be very forceful in turning aside avarice.

"However, creating that majority takes a lot of hard work. And it begins with small steps. My candidacy could be such a step. It is my intention to support my candidacy with an active campaign. I know I can put up at least 100 signs on lawns of friends and windows of local businesses. I can put together a team to canvas 1000 homes or more. And if we reach even 1 out of 100 voters with our message about the Green Party, that is 1% more thought placed in our direction than before.

"Please feel free to email or call me regarding this proposed campaign -- because I need your support in what I intend to start in Camden County, as much as I need your confirmation of my plan to run for office."

Jay can be reached at (609) 609-424-2509 or megliman@aol.com.

Thomas Robert Gregg - Essex County Freeholder

973-673-7499 greggth@umdnj.edu
694 Springdale Ave, East Orange NJ 07017

B.A., Grinnell College (Iowa), Psychology, 1992
M.A., University of Delaware, 1996

Graduate student on a fellowship at Graduate School of the Biomedical Sciences, at University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ, Newark, NJ, Neurosciences Department

Research Interest: Neural basis of emotions

Hobbies: playing guitar, Internet, reading, discussions in Internet chatrooms, playing videogames

Experience in political office: None

Political groups: People's Organization for Progress, Newark, NJ, Green Party of New Jersey, Essex County Green Party

Political Interests (in no particular order): Racial justice, corporate control of society, disarmament, human rights, sweatshops, public transportation, political prisoners, prison reform, government secrecy,
education, pollution, wilderness preservation, bicyclist and pedestrian rights, overpopulation,
anti-war, pro-choice, anti-police-brutality, indigenous people's rights, international law

Other interests: skeptical analysis of claims of the paranormal, philosophy, WBAI radio, science