A group of concerned Weehawken residents has formed a political ticket that will take on Mayor Richard Turner and his slate of council members in the upcoming municipal election May 14.
It will mark the first time in his 12-year term that Turner will have opposition on Election Day.
The four members of the ticket, running under the campaign banner of WIN (Weehawken Initiative Now), officially announced their candidacy at a kickoff campaign breakfast last Sunday at the Sheraton Suites.
The members of the ticket include Ben Goldman, who will run as a councilman-at-large. Goldman is an active member and spokesman for the Friends of the Weehawken Waterfront, which has opposed the scale of the Port Imperial South development on the waterfront. Others on the ticket include John Hubbard (3rd Ward), Karen Brady (2nd Ward), and former acting township clerk Arielly Laszlo (council-at-large).
The group is considering a candidate to run in the 1st Ward, but Goldman insists that it is not vital to have a full ticket for the group to be successful.
“A four-member team is sufficient,” said Goldman, who has a doctorate in public policy and has served on national environmental committees. “We’re more interested in having new faces in office. It’s not essential to have a full ticket. And we will win.”
Goldman said he felt it was “his duty” as a citizen to get on the ticket and run for public office. “I’ve put the time in to learn what the issues are in this town,” Goldman said. “With my background, it’s the least I can do. I think it would be a waste if I didn’t try to do this. I want to represent my neighbors. It’s in my blood.”
Goldman said his mother was involved in politics in Philadelphia when he was a child. “She was a ward leader and she ran for City Council,” said Goldman, who is also an accomplished artist. “Politics have been flowing through my veins since the day I was born.”
Although the 40-year-old Goldman said his association with the FWW is different and separate from his political candidacy, he believes the Roseland Properties’ Port Imperial South development is the biggest issue in the upcoming campaign.
“I am completely proud of all the work I’ve done with the FWW,” Goldman said. “But the FWW didn’t and still does not have a political agenda. The message of WIN covers all aspects of politics. It’s a political organization that will address a broader plan. I just feel that it’s time for a change, that the current administration is too large and exclusionary.”
Laszlo, 50, served as the acting Township Clerk for 18 months before resigning last year. She said she became disenchanted with the way the town was operating during her tenure.
“I’d like to see a balance restored between the council and the mayor,” said Laszlo, who is now a real estate agent in Jersey City. “I felt that everyone wasn’t included in what was going on. I felt a need for open dialogue. I think my knowledge of what goes on in the town will be a big help.”
Goldman and Laszlo will face Turner and current Council-at-large James Terlizzi in the election.
Brady, 46, will face incumbent Rosemary Lavagnino in the 2nd Ward. Brady, a 20-year resident of Weehawken and a medical educator, also believes it is time for a change in the town’s government. “It’s time for some new voices,” she said. “That’s why I got involved. I had to find out what was going on and attended a few meetings to find that there are major issues in the town. My father was born in Weehawken in 1918, so this was like coming back home for me.”
Hubbard, 31, is a mechanical design engineer who has lived in Weehawken for two years. A native of Bayville, N.J., Hubbard is concerned about the quality of life in the 3rd Ward, where he will face incumbent Robert Sosa.
“I worry about traffic and development and I felt that the only way I could change things would be to get involved,” Hubbard said. “I want to be able to do something to preserve the small town feeling. It’s going to be a huge challenge, but I’m looking forward to it. I think the town’s long-term interests have to be addressed.”
Goldman believes the WIN ticket gives the township a viable alternative. “The ticket is terrific,” Goldman said. “We come from all different backgrounds and careers. We have strengths. We have fresh ideas and fresh faces. The next few months should be very interesting.”
Sean Baldwin will serve as the ticket’s campaign manager.