Banker Reborn As Activist In NJ-11, Takes On GOP Congressman

WEST CALDWELL, NJ — For some people, the only reasonable option after being singled out by one of the state’s most powerful lawmakers as a rabble-rousing progressive “ringleader” would be simple: go home and crawl under the bed.

But instead, Saily Avelenda, a West Caldwell resident and voter in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District, chose to fight back. And her persistence may have been a huge factor in the stunning retirement of U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, who has faced so little challenge for his seat that filmmaker Michael Moore once campaigned to replace him with a ficus plant.

Avelenda – who resigned from her job as a senior vice president at Lakeland Bank after Frelinghuysen allegedly sent a controversial campaign fundraiser to the board – recently spoke to WNYC about the now-infamous letter, as well as the impact that it’s had on her life. (Listen to the full interview here)

The saga goes back to May of 2017, when Frelinghuysen, the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations, allegedly wrote a fundraising letter to the bank's executive's board of directors as he geared up for a reelection bid in November 2018.

According to WNYC, which first reported the story:

“The form letter, on campaign stationery, asks Frelinghuysen’s supporters to donate two years ahead of his next election because he is under attack. ‘But let’s be clear that there are organized forces — both national and local — who are already hard at work to put a stop to an agenda of limited government, economic growth, stronger national security,’ the letter says. Above the word local, there’s a hand-written asterisk in the same blue ink as Frelinghuysen’s signature. At the bottom of the letter, scrawled with a pen, is the corresponding footnote: “P.S. One of the ringleaders works in your bank!”

While the names of the “organized forces” weren’t mentioned in the letter, it wasn’t a stretch to assume that one of them included the grassroots activist group, NJ 11th For Change, which had been a vocal critic of Frelinghuysen.

Following Avelenda's allegations, the nonprofit watchdog group Campaign for Accountability requested an official inquiry into Frelinghuysen's alleged actions with the Office of Congressional Ethics.

• See related article: Frelinghuysen Faces Probe After Allegedly Targeting Activist

Frelinghuysen's campaign office provided WNYC with the following statement about the letter:

"The congressman wrote a brief and innocuous note at the bottom of a personal letter in regard to information that had been reported in the media. He was in no way involved in any of the bank's business and is unaware of any of the particulars about this employee's status with the bank."

• See related article: Frelinghuysen Lawyers Up For Ethics Probe, Allegedly Targeted Activist
• See related article: West Caldwell Banker Quits Job After Frelinghuysen Sends Letter To Her Employer

‘HAULED IN ON THE CARPET’

The blowback from the letter was severe, according to Avelenda.

She told WNYC that she got “hauled in on the carpet” in front of the board, where she was grilled about her political activity, including questions about whether it would harm the bank or its business. She was later asked to write a letter to the bank’s CEO about her personal political beliefs. Eventually things got so awkward and tense at work that she resigned. Now, as might be expected, no bank will hire her.

“He used his name and his position to try and punish me,” Avelenda told WNYC.

But instead of packing it in and admitting defeat, the University of Pennsylvania Law School graduate decided to embrace her new role as a progressive “ringleader”… she’s now the executive director of NJ 11th for Change.

• See related article: This Lawyer Used To Deport Immigrants; Now She Defends Them

Along the way, Avelenda continued to speak out against the congressman's alleged attempt to sabotage her livelihood, becoming a familiar face on social media as NJ 11th For Change continued to add members and attract attention from local progressives.

Meanwhile, Frelinghuysen faced a barrage of accusations from other fronts, including his continued refusal to hold a public town hall and his alleged ownership of at least $2.2 million in healthcare stocks as he voted in favor of the revamped American Health Care Act (AHCA).

In January, the veteran lawmaker announced that he plans to retire at the end of the current session of Congress.

• See related article: Frelinghuysen Had Millions In Health Care Stocks; Voted For Trumpcare, Report Says
• See related article: Frelinghuysen Criticized At Essex County Town Hall

WNYC’s interview with Avelenda was conducted as part of the third season of its podcast, “The United States of Anxiety.” Listen to the full interview below.

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Photo: NJ 11th For Change / YouTube