NJRC MEETS WITH US SENATOR ROBERT MENENDEZ
Leaders of the New Jersey Regional Coalition and Building One NJ including Assemblywoman Mila Jasey, Mayor Jerry Fried of Montclair, Council President Sal Anderton of West Orange, Councilman Victor Cirilo of West Orange, and Roselle School Board Member Archange Antoine (pictured above) met with US Senator Robert Menendez at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in West Orange on November 4, 2011, to present details of NJRC's federal policy priorities. (Photo by Jewel Scott Jones).
NJRC will honor Senator Menendez at our Building One NJ 2011 Banquet on Thursday, November 17, for his support of our campaign to win in-state tuition for undocumented students in our 2009-10 campaign. Senator Menendez is Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development, and is a member of the Senate Finance Committee.
At the November 4 meeting, NJ Assemblywoman Mila Jasey updated the Senator on our work with older suburbs across the state, particularly our co-sponsorship of the historic "White House Forum on First Suburbs, Inclusion, Sustainability and Economic Growth" of July 2011. The national forum brought together 170 local elected officials, business, labor and civic leaders, including a delegation of 20 from New Jersey. NJRC followed up its success in Washington DC, with regional policy briefings with elected officials and leaders in the Fair Lawn and Hamilton areas.
Mayor Jerry Fried of Montclair presented Senator Menendez with our federal policy priorities and asked him to work with us toward our goals. These are: to secure federal assistance for our older, diverse suburbs in the areas of stronger fair housing policy, infrastructure investment and jobs, and federal transportation reauthorization. Most importantly we introduced the senator to our Municipal Opportunity Index (MOI), a tool to ensure the fair distribution of regional resources. The MOI is a formula that rewards communities for economic diversity.
In response to the NJRC presentations, Senator Menendez pledged to help our older, diverse suburbs and promote inclusive communities by agreeing to work with us on the federal level in the areas of stronger fair housing policy, infrastructure investment and jobs, and on Federal Transportation Reauthorization. He noted that he sees the best opportunity for success in the reauthorization and reform of Section 8 housing policy and the Livable Communities Act. The Senator also confirmed his attendance at the NJRC annual banquet on November 17.
Also participating in the meeting with Senator Menendez were: Deacon Paul Bellan-Boyer, St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Jersey City (ELCA); Rev. David Ford, St. Matthew Baptist Church, Roselle; Father Jack Martin of St. Mary's of the Ascension Catholic Church, Elizabeth; NJRC Leader and freeholder candidate Machell Still-Pettis of Burlington County; Deputy Mayor Jacqueline Jennings of Willingboro; Rev. Ramon Collazo of Santa Isabel Lutheran Church in Elizabeth; Cynthia Cumming of the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in West Orange; and Nicole Plett, Vice President of New Jersey Regional Coalition and Trustee of the League of Women Voters of Lawrence Township who chaired the meeting.
NJRC looks forward to working with Senator Menendez and his staff this month and in the future.
