 Assemlywoman Linda Stender |  State Senator Ray Lesniak |
Assemblywoman Linda Stender won no friends in Plainfield by failing to speak out or attend rallies during the Muhlenberg Hospital closure process.
Now she may have lost her friends in the Union County Dem organization, too.
Particularly, Sen. Ray Lesniak.
PolitickerNJ reports that yesterday Lesniak was effusive in his praise of Congressman-elect Leonard Lance, who defeated Stender in the 7th Congressional District race in November (see here).
Does this mean he may not give her the nod in the 2009 Assembly races?
Stender seems to think all is well, though, as she announced her run for the Assembly seat and said --
...I have great support from the state chair, my county chair, and I’ve got very good working relationships with my delegation membersAsked about his praise of Lance and whether he supports Stender's candidacy, Lesniak told PolitickerNJ --
“I have a long personal friendship and admiration of Senator Lance and it had nothing to do with Assemblywoman Stender. ... If she wants to run for re-election she has my support.”Still, insiders have reported that the buzz was she would be dumped if she did not win the Congressional race.
(For an analysis by PolitickerNJ of that race and Stender's loss, see here.)
For Plainfielders, the more interesting question may be whether Assemblyman Jerry Green, who turns 70 in April, will be saying sayonara.
There are whispers the Democratic organization would like to see someone younger, less querulous, and more in touch with the Plainfield electorate -- especially younger voters -- in the seat, and Union County Freeholder (and former City Councilor) Rayland Van Blake's name keeps popping up.
In addition, Green has greatly angered those in Plainfield and the surrounding communities who feel he was ineffective in the effort to keep Muhlenberg Hospital open.
What with offices from Governor and the Legislature all the way down to Mayor and Democratic city committee seats up for grabs in 2009, it is shaping up to be an interesting year.
How interesting we will have to see.
PolitickerNJ:
-- Dan Damon
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6 comments:
Dan,
It's about time for dumping Stender. She has never bothered about Plainfield and she does not deserve our votes. She is a two-time loser for higher elective office. Jerry Green has to go as well. He is an embarrassment and its not likely that he will suddenly become effective. He doesn't care about any of the other towns in his district, but he seems to have an obsession about Plainfield. I don't know that the replacements will be any better, but there's no way they can be worse.
Dan,
Rayland WHO ? Does he even live in town. He is a no show and was horrible on the council, but then again that is what the County is looking for. Someone else to do their bidding. As for Stender she needs to go I am quite sure she will be moving to a higher paying position with in one of the counties agencies.
Maybe they are planning on moving her Linda Stender into the county chair position. VanBlake I can see the county pushing him on us. But what will happen to Sharon Robinson-Briggs ? was she not being groomed by Jerry to take over his seat.
Plainfielders need to keep an eye on Lesniak and what strings he is trying to pull in Plainfield, less us not forget who our neighbor is on Prospect and those connections to the county and Lesniak.
Van Blake would also be a questionable choice for Plainfield. How about trying something new - how about electing people who care about Plainfield and surrounding cities? How about selecting people whose brains are not where they sit, and their income does not come from the county. How about showing respect for the electorate - those people that pay the taxes. Some of these ideas seem like new ideas, but it is still basic stuff. Respect for the communitity, a real belief in the future of our cities and a determination to be the best representative, indeed a model of how communities shoud be managed. It can be done.
Dan,
Lets be serious.. Jerry as a Legislator has been doing just as good as his current legislative counterparts. Plainfield's local govt is separate from his State agenda. On the state level, Jerry will win his district again no question.
Stender, I agree, may have her hands full, but again, she has relationships.. and that my friend, is the end-all-be-all word of the day.. R-E-L-A-T-I-O-N-S-H-I-P-S
LT
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