Dottie G. reports on Death Penalty repeal

From Blue Jersey video posted to YouTube.

Plainfielders who have followed and/or participated in the death sentence repeal campaign in New Jersey know that Plainfield's own Dottie and Joe Gutenkauf have played an important role in marshaling citizen support and input in the long-drawn-out process. Dottie reported on the final vote with an email which is reprinted in full below --

It is my great joy to report that the NJ State Assembly passed the death penalty abolition bill yesterday. The vote was 44 to 36. On Monday, the State Senate passed it by a vote of 21 to 16, and Governor Corzine is expected to sign it very soon. This makes New Jersey the first state to abolish the death penalty through legislation. A broad coalition of citizens and organizations has spent many years working toward this goal, under the leadership of New Jerseyans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, and Joe and I are proud to have been involved in their efforts.

You can see a clip from the post-vote press conference [on YouTube here].

Our 22nd Legislative District Assembly representatives, Jerry Green and Linda Stender, supported abolition. We were especially proud of Assemblyman Green, who spoke eloquently in favor of the bill and who chaired part of the Assembly session while Speaker Joe Roberts addressed the body about the importance of the legislation. Outgoing Democratic Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo, who cosponsored the bill with Republican Kip Bateman, has earned our everlasting gratitude and leaves a magnificent legacy. In the Senate, Ray Lesniak (D) and Robert Martin (R) led the repeal effort. The legislation could not have passed without bipartisan support.

It saddens me to have to add that our 22nd District State Senator, Democrat Nick Scutari, voted against the bill, as did former Plainfield City Councilman, Republican Jon Bramnick, now an Assemblyman from Westfield. Given the fact that Plainfielder Byron Halsey, convicted of the brutal murder of two Plainfield children, was recently exonerated after spending nearly twenty years in prison, I had hoped that those two legislators would have been particularly sensitive to the problems inherent in capital punishment and the possibility of executing innocent people. Fortunately for all of us, one courageous juror in Mr. Halsey's case refused to agree to the death penalty--and we are grateful to him for preventing the execution of an innocent man.

I can't adequately express our thanks to all of you who helped in this effort throughout this long and arduous process. Joe and I were proud to represent Plainfield in the legislative chambers as this historic legislation was passed by the State Senate and the Assembly. Our thanks to you for your continued support, encouragement, and action--this is one more example of the importance of citizen involvement in the making of public policy.

Dottie Gutenkauf

Well done, Dottie and Joe!

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-- Dan Damon

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