A school commissioner, a teacher who recently completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology, and a Baptist minister who is a retired law enforcement officer are joining forces to give voters a choice for change in the June 6 Democratic primary election.
Angela Alvey-Wimbush is running for state Senator in the 20th legislative district, which includes Elizabeth, Union, Kenilworth and Roselle, calling for courageous leadership that achieves police reform, improved education and greater prosperity for working people.
“For years, I commuted between two New Jerseys: one for the rich and wealthy few, and one for working middle-class families like mine,” said Alvey-Wimbush. “Every instinct for me has been to even out the disparities that make so much of life unfair. As an American, I have always believed in striving for equality and justice for all but too many people in our broken political system have sought to exploit these injustices for their own benefit, double-dipping for themselves or packing family members into government jobs and contracts.”
Marie DuPont and Rev. Charles Mitchell will be candidates for the New Jersey General Assembly on the primary election slate headed by Alvey-Wimbush.
Mitchell nearly toppled Union County Sheriff Ralph Froehlich in 2010, with a stunning campaign that came 1,347 votes away from unseating the area’s most popular Democratic elected official. Reynolds led the Democrats for Change freeholder slate in balloting during the 2010 campaign.
Although he retired from the Essex County Sheriff’s office after 25 years of service in 2020, Mitchell remains active as senior pastor of Project Redirect Ministries Outreach in Roselle.
DuPont, a teacher at Abraham Clark High School, recently completed work on a doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
“I believe that a better future is not only possible, but one is worth fighting for,” said DuPont. “Our representatives in Trenton are putting the profits of billionaires, landlords and power plant owners head of the lives of our families and our futures. These are real problems that indicate a giant disconnect between our people and the political establishment that has relied on corporate contributions that finance killers and thieves who run their campaigns.”
Alvey-Wimbush, a 3-term commissioner on the Roselle Board of Education who has worked as a teacher for the past 28 years, says that incumbent Senator Joseph Cryan has utterly failed to address the unconstitutional problem of racial segregation that plagues New Jersey schools.
Alvey-Wimbush intends to push for “swift and systemic change” in response to protesters’ calls for law enforcement reform.
“The vast majority of crimes reported to police go unsolved despite the incredible amount of money taxpayers spend on security, law enforcement, and police firepower,” said Alvey-Wimbush. “It is time to make smart investments in crime prevention and actual justice for all, rather than the tough-talking political rhetoric that distracts Americans from the wholesale robbery being committed by politicians who allow corporations to engage in legalized bribery.”
“Congress failed to enact the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, legislation that aims to combat police misconduct, excessive force, and racial bias in law enforcement,” said DuPont. “That should have inspired New Jersey Democrats—who control all of state government—to advance meaningful laws to fulfill America’s promise of justice for all. But instead, we are asking why Paterson police shot Najee Seabrooks, who worked as a violence intervention specialist, instead of having mental health professionals deal with his call for help.”
“New Jersey’s crooked political establishment failed to legalize marijuana after two-thirds of voters approved a landmark ballot question in 2020,” said Alvey-Wimbush. “Voters in New Jersey wanted to legalize marijuana, but our political establishment let corporations exploit the cannabis market while subjecting our families to 20-year prison sentences for marijuana possession. The people who created an opioid epidemic are free to grow marijuana, but if we do that it could mean decades behind bars because politicians are not listening to the people.”
Alvey-Wimbush, Mitchell and DuPont will also confront those institutions that tolerate white supremacists, right-wing nationalists and other MAGA Republican extremists.
“When Fox News and conservative dark money groups introduce bizarre conspiracy theories, hateful rhetoric and manufactured crises into our public forums, you deserve a senator who will tell the truth and expose the lies instead of one who lets people be moved by fear, hate, and bigotry,” said Alvey-Wimbush. “As an educator, I believe in lifelong learning, and being able to distinguish lies from truth is a necessary lesson for Americans who have an obligation to responsible citizenship. I will not allow our communities to become victims of lies.”
Alvey-Wimbush said too many voters have been influenced by false stories about teachers grooming children for sexual exploitation, lies about critical race theory that suggests children are being exposed to radical indoctrination, and other conspiracy theories that have successfully resulted in the election of book-burning radicals who have gone on to pervert the teaching of American history and biology.
“Puritanical politicians might be uncomfortable talking about sex or slavery, but that is no excuse for lying to our children,” said Alvey-Wimbush. “Our children should always be told the truth by the education system that your tax dollars pay for. It is unconscionable that our political establishment has ignored the threats of racists who want to whitewash history or religious extremists who would leave young people vulnerable to unwanted pregnancy, being bullied, or sexually transmitted diseases. Their silence on issues of social justice speaks loudly about the cowardice of politicians who populate too many government offices.”
“Elizabeth, Union, Kenilworth, and Roselle deserve a senator who is known for more than being a prolific fundraiser who collects money from the NRA, tobacco companies, corporate polluters, and other villains,” said Mitchell. “Our communities deserve representatives who endure the same struggles as you, who speak the same language as you, face the same challenges as you, and live in the same tax bracket as you.”
Alvey-Wimbush also said voters must understand that they are victims of a ‘broken political system’ that has been piling problems on top of one another and making excuses for inaction.
“We must demand systemic change to tackle the interconnected crises of climate, cost of living, and our broken political system,” said Alvey-Wimbush. “We’re made to believe that our struggles are independent of one another and that each emergency needs to be addressed before we can solve another. But these are not separate struggles or independent crises. Those who profit from destroying our world want us to believe that, but the truth is that we have limited time to fix the climate before more people start dying from disasters and starvation caused by those who have been manipulating government power with their money, social division, and distractions.”
Alvey-Wimbush, DuPont, and Mitchell say that they support former Roselle Mayor Jamel Holley, Third Ward Councilwoman Cynthia Johnson, and Stan Cunningham, the president of the local Pop Warner Football Program who is seeking election to First Ward council seat.
Cunningham is a professional mental health manager for a state nonprofit agency.
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