Categorized | Carousel, News

Middlesex County Federation of Democratic Women Fundraiser

South Amboy Council Candidates Zusette Dato and Christine Noble were among those honored by the Middlesex County Federation of Democratic Women. *Photo by Jennifer Lilonsky

By Jennifer Lilonsky—

SOUTH AMBOY  —  South Amboy Council candidates Zusette Dato and Councilwoman Christine Noble were honored at a fundraiser sponsored by the Middlesex County Federation of Democratic Women on Wednesday, Oct. 3, which featured a keynote address from Assemblyman and New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chairman John S. Wisniewski.

Noble and Dato were two of 12 female candidates throughout the county that were introduced at the organization’s event, including 11 city council candidates and one assembly candidate.

The nonprofit group is part of a national organization, National Federation of Democratic Women, whose main focus is to support female representation in the Democratic Party, according to the group’s recording secretary Marion Costanza.

“We support the woman that are running for office because we think it’s important,” she said. “We want to encourage women to run for office in Middlesex County.”

Membership in the group costs 15 dollars per year and aside from hosting fundraisers, the organization also supports female candidates by sending out letters of recommendation to the voting public and endorses them, according to Costanza.

Noble is just one member who is benefitting from the efforts of the federation. She has been representing the 2nd Ward on the South Amboy Council since April after replacing her cousin, Mark Noble, who resigned to focus on his family. But now she is running for a four-year term for the first time and says that she is impressed by the Middlesex County Federation of Democratic Women and that it has been a helpful tool in the campaign process.

“I just joined recently and attended a meeting which I thought was very informative because they talk about the issues with current events,” she said. “Everybody is allowed to give their opinions, I ask questions to things that I’m curious about for running and things I should know and talk about.”

Wisniewski conveyed his support for the organization in his address to attendees and said that it is important to encourage women to run for political positions so they can be fairly represented.

“We have so much more we need to do. We need to be opening doors and encouraging women to run,” he said. “We need to be raising the money and making the awareness so that the people understand the opportunities.”

Wisniewski also said that the future of the state chair is being more inclusive by welcoming more women in the process.

And it’s women like Dato, South Amboy Council 3rd Ward candidate, who take issue with the fact that the female population is not equally reflected in all levels of government.

“I think women are great multitaskers and we’re good at this and maybe even better than men,” she said. “I also think that women are under represented and if we’re 50 percent of the population shouldn’t we be 50 percent of the representatives?”

Dato also believes that including more women in government would provide a stronger and more comprehensive view on issues that may differ between genders and in turn create a more fair and balanced political atmosphere.

Campaign headquarters for both Dato and Noble are scheduled to officially open on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Browse Current Issue - Click Here

Safety Announcement

We are taking safety precautions in the City of Perth Amboy, and emphasize that it is important: IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING!!
Report Suspicious Activity – Be Vigilant – STAY ALERT! Do not think that any call or report is too small. Don’t allow the actions of a few dictate your quality of life.
FOR ALL EMERGENCIES, DIAL: 9-1-1
FOR ALL NON-EMERGENCIES, DIAL: 732-442-4400