In the June 4 Democratic primary, I’m supporting Jill LaZare for NJ State Assembly and hope you will too.
This is a contested primary in the Assembly race: three Democrats are vying for two spots to run in the general election next November.
LaZare is clearly the strongest candidate. She is exceptionally qualified professionally and has a compelling personal story. After extricating herself from an abusive marriage, she put herself through Rutgers Law School and now has a law practice in Summit. She also works as a public defender in our district and has argued cases as high as the Second and Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
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Unfortunately, in 2012, she lost her daughter to a drug overdose. She signed on to help the Drug Policy Alliance, a group working to alleviate New Jersey’s opioid crisis. LaZare testified in Trenton on a related bill and recalls that her state legislator, Republican Nancy Munoz, was uninformed and indifferent about it. So LaZare decided to run for the office herself.
She ran for Assembly in 2013 and 2015 and for State Senate in 2017. Even though Democratic registration numbers in Legislative District 21 made winning unlikely, she knocked on doors and campaigned tirelessly. Since 2018, the numbers have gotten more favorable and now there’s a real chance that a Democrat could win.
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We need someone with Jill’s strong qualifications because our Republican opponents, Munoz and Minority Leader Jon Bramnick, have the advantage of incumbency and are well-funded.
On the primary ballot, Jill’s name will appear in Column 1 with the rest of the of the Democratic slate (including our outstanding Borough candidates Thad Kobylarz for Mayor and Irene Treloar, with Karen Koronkiewicz for Borough Council) listed below hers.
The ballot for NJ State Assembly will say “Vote for 2” and one of my choices will definitely be Jill. Only Chatham Borough, not Township, is in this legislative district. If you’re a registered Democrat in the Borough, please vote for Jill LaZare June 4.
Sincerely,
Ida Picker
Chatham Borough
