Six candidates are running for the Democratic nomination for New Jersey Governor in the June primary election: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller, and former NJ State Senator Steve Sweeney. Follow Village Green election coverage here.
The following endorsement is from former Maplewood Mayor Frank McGehee:
Dear SOMA,
I first met Mayor Steven Fulop two years ago when I was running for New Jersey State Assembly off the county line. My colleague and long time friend, South Orange Mayor, Sheena Collum made the introduction. Mayor Fulop had learned about my campaign and immediately wanted to help because he saw what I saw – that our political system in NJ was broken and needed to change.
From our first meeting at Village Coffee in Maplewood, I knew that Mayor Fulop was the real deal. We spoke at length about the issues that matter to you including affordable housing, education and transportation to name a few. We also discussed the importance of public service and the role of being a Mayor – a role that I was very familiar with having led Maplewood as Mayor in 2020 and 2021 at the onset of the COVID pandemic while also navigating several other issues in our community.
Frank McGehee, Sheena Collum and Steven Fulop
Throughout our extensive conversation, Steven shared his strategic vision for New Jersey and how he planned to address the longstanding systemic challenges in Trenton which have negatively impacted municipalities across our state.
After our initial meeting, Mayor Fulop and I continued to meet several more times and each time I was increasingly impressed not only by his commitment, passion and dedication but more importantly his ability to connect with people, understand their concerns and come up with policies and solutions that addressed their needs. He has had a long track record of doing so in Jersey City.
So let me be clear, I have met and worked closely with many politicians at all levels of government across our state and Mayor Fulop is not an empty suit. He gets sh– done and he will do that for you.
And speaking of getting stuff done, you don’t have to look any further than Sheena Collum whom Mayor Fulop has already named as his choice for Lieutenant Governor if elected in the general election in November. Sheena’s positive impact is not only evident on our beloved South Orange-Maplewood Community but also across our state. For example, Sheena and I worked together on the Maplewood South Orange Fire Department merger, a historic public safety milestone for New Jersey.
Mayor Fulop and Mayor Collum are transformational leaders – and together, they will be unstoppable for New Jersey. The first step to making this a reality is to ensure that Steven Fulop wins the New Jersey Primary election for Governor on Tuesday, June 10.
Of course, I appreciate anyone who puts their hat in the ring to serve, including the slate of candidates in this gubernatorial race, but what sets Mayor Fulop apart is that he is not running with a safety net or back up plan. Fulop is not trying to play both sides of the fence for his personal and political gain. Mayor Fulop is all in for us!
No other candidate in this gubernatorial race has outlined their policies as extensively for when they take office on January 1st more than Mayor Fulop. I strongly encourage everyone to visit his website stevenfulop.com to learn more about his vision for:
- Public Safety and Criminal Justice
- Transportation and Infrastructure
- Housing
- Health and Human Services
- Education
- Sustainability and Affordability and
- Meaningful Government Reform
You will quickly see what many across our state already know, which is that with Mayor Steven Fulop, we have a real opportunity to elect an experienced leader and change maker who will lead New Jersey in the right direction.
Mayor Steven Fulop has my vote and I hope he will have yours too. Vote 2A for Mayor Steven FULOP for Governor.
With Gratitude,
Mayor Frank
