Three candidates are vying for two nominations in 28th NJ Assembly Democratic Primary this year: Incumbents Garnet Hall (D-Maplewood) and Cleopatra Tucker (D-Newark) and challenger Chigozie Onyema (Newark). Follow Village Green election coverage here. Find out about Village Green’s endorsement and statement of support standards for the 2025 primary election here.
The following endorsement is from Maplewood Mayor Nancy Adams:
Letter to the Editor:
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I am honored to endorse my friend and our neighbor, Garnet Hall, for reelection to the New Jersey State Assembly!
Garnet is not only a powerful advocate for progressive values—she’s one of us. As a proud Maplewood resident, Garnet brings a lived understanding of our town’s priorities, our challenges, and our vision for a more just and sustainable future. And that matters. It matters deeply who represents us.
Having someone from Maplewood in the State Assembly ensures that our community has a seat at the table—someone who speaks from experience, who knows our streets, our schools, and our shared aspirations. Garnet doesn’t just visit our neighborhoods for a photo op—she walks them all the time. She’s embedded in our civic life, and that proximity makes her not only more accountable, but also more effective as a policymaker.
Nowhere is Garnet’s leadership more evident than in her work on the environment, a priority we both share. In the Assembly, she has fought for climate justice, clean energy investment, and green infrastructure—always centering equity and community resilience. Garnet understands that environmental policy isn’t just about the planet—it’s about protecting our homes from flooding, our children from pollution, and our communities from being left behind in the transition to a clean-energy future.
She’s been a fierce advocate for legislation that holds polluters accountable, expands public transit options, and directs state funding to towns like ours for sustainable upgrades and resiliency planning. And she’s done it not just as a legislator, but as a neighbor who understands exactly what’s at stake.
Garnet also continues to lead on issues that define who we are as a community—fighting for public education, reproductive rights, affordable housing, and economic fairness. Her values align with ours, and her track record proves she can get things done.
Reelecting Garnet Hall means keeping Maplewood’s voice strong in Trenton. It means standing up for the environment, for equity, and for effective, local-minded leadership.
Please join me in voting for Garnet Hall for the New Jersey State Assembly. Let’s send her back to Trenton to keep doing the work—our work.
Nancy J Adams, Mayor, Township of Maplewood
