How many people voted? Anyone know?

Stuff that bothers me about the school board candidate threads:

a) Few of the candidates seem to have children, let alone children in Jersey City schools.

b) Other than Hemingway, the candidates who, in theory, ought to be the cool, progressive candidates don't seem to know a whole lot about the Jersey City schools.

c) None of the candidates is talking about strategies for keeping middle-income downtown kids in the public schools.

In other words, is there something like Learning Community Charter School or Waterfront Montessori somewhere in the regular Jersey City school system? If not, why not?

Thank you for disclosing that Mr. Hemingway is an aide for Councilman Fulop. This is transparency. Sometimes I cannot fathom Councilman Fulop's efforts to hide things (even when it might be a positive). If you endorse the man, state your relationship to him if it exists. Fulop then admits Mr. Hemingway is a volunteer (simliar to his admission that Charles Torres was a volunteer after threatening an prominent citizen at City Hall.). It is these type of reoccuring incidents and behavior that have led me to believe that he could be hiding bigger things.

Back to Hudson DFA, yes, these efforts are sorely needed!

Also, please remember to attend our meetup this Wednesday, from 7-9 p.m. at Bar Majestic, across from City Hall. We'll be discussing other races we're involved in and prospective endorsements, and also hopefully celebrating Mahdi and Vernon's victories!

Thanks to mrrogers for your support. We are indeed trying to build a countywide presence with which we can function as a network between various grassroots organizations and hopefully take on the machine in an organized and effective way. It's a long-term project, but we're definitely in a much stronger position today than when we started two years ago, so things are coming along.

Please do remember to vote today for our outstanding school-board candidates, Mahdi Hemingway (line 12A on the ballot) and Vernon Richardson (6A). Polls are open from 2-9 p.m.

I can also personally say that I've heard very good things about Michael Esposito. While DFA endorsed only two candidates in the race -- Hemingway and Richardson -- there are three seats up today, and I personally recommend casting the third vote for Esposito, in line 9A.

I have brought this post back because i think the DFA is the right group to get behind downtown.As opposed to all the different and diverse groups that we have downtown, each with its own agenda,the DFA is a political org. with a political philosophy that actually encompasses all the ideas of most downtown organizations.
We should organize a DFA chapter downtown as a means of forming a voting block that can compete with the city hall machine.
With that said i am voting for the DFA backed candidates in the tues. school board election.I urge everyone to do the same and pick the third candidate of their own choosing.
A thousand downtown votes would rock City Hall on its heels.

NEWS RELEASE

Hudson County DFA
An affiliate of Democracy for America and New Jersey for Democracy

Release Date: March 15, 2006
Media Contact: Jake Stuiver / jstuiver@gmail.com
201-978-8977

HUDSON COUNTY DFA ENDORSES MAHDI HEMINGWAY AND VERNON RICHARDSON FOR JERSEY CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION

The two members of Hudson County DFA who are running for Jersey City Board of Education -- Mahdi Hemingway and Vernon Richardson -- have received the group?s endorsement.
Hudson DFA, the local affiliate of Democracy for America and New Jersey for Democracy, voted at its montly meetup on March 8 to formally back the two candidates. The decision creates a unique situation, because while Hemingway and Richardson are both active, highly regarded members of the group, and good friends with one another, they are not running on the same ticket. However, given that there are three seats up in the April 18 election, a motion was made to express support for both candidates, and the vote carried. No endorsement was made for the third available seat, and the endorsements of Hemingway and Richardson should not be taken as a statement against either of their running mates. Rather, it is an expression of support for two members of the local DFA group who have demonstrated through their actions and their participation in our grassroots work that they share our values.
The vote puts the strength of the 150-plus members of the rapidly growing DFA chapter behind Hemingway and Richardson?s grassroots campaigns. While the election is nonpartisan, Hudson DFA, an organization that promotes progressive Democrats, determined that Hemingway and Richardson fit with its mission to boost socially progressive, fiscally responsible candidates who are out to create a more inclusive politicical environment, stand up for their principles and focus hard on dealing with the problems of our communities.
Hudson DFA does not endorse candidates in every race in the county. Rather, it selectively backs specific candidates who fit the ?Dean Democrat? mold of running grassroots campaigns aimed at engaging the community and building a base beyond the usual suspects of insider politics.
Both candidates are lifelong Jersey City residents who came up through the Jersey City public-school system and are intimately familiar with its strengths and weaknesses. Hemingway is coordinator of the Booker T. Washington After-School program, where he works as a tutor and mentor. He is a certified substitute teacher and an intern at a day reporting center for New Jersey State Parolees. He is also a full-time student at Bloomfield College, set to graduate this spring; an aide to Jersey City Councilman Steven Fulop; and a member of the Jersey City Branch of the NAACP. He is running on a platform of school safety, after-school programs, arts awareness and reducing class size.
Richardson has spent the past 15 years working on educational issues at every level of government, including jobs with New York City Hall; the Congressional Black Caucus; and U.S. Sens. Tom Daschle, John D. Rockefeller, Byron Dorgan and John Kerry, as well as former Vice President Al Gore. He is particularly concerned about the rate of failure, dropouts and violence in Jersey City schools, especially given the amount of taxpayer money poured into them. He aims to focus on improving schools? performance through increased accountability and to expand after-school programming.

What is Democracy for America?
Inspired by the presidential campaign of Howard Dean, Democracy for America (DFA) is a political action committee dedicated to supporting fiscally responsible, socially progressive candidates at all levels of government?from school board to the presidency. DFA fights against the influence of the far right-wing and their radical, divisive policies and the selfish special interests that for too long have dominated our politics, including within our own party.
DFA?s long-term goal is to rebuild the Democratic Party from the bottom up. It will take time, but we must start building a base now for the future. Dean, who is now chairman of the Democratic National Committee, founded DFA with the goal of supporting Democratic candidates running for every level of office. DFA uses its resources to target, train and support candidates who align with Dean's platform of social progressivism and fiscal responsibility.

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