Court Decision

Sometimes things just fall into your lap. What a difference a day makes. The 3/23/15 Perth Amboy Caucus Meeting was pretty interesting and  I had an idea what story I was most likely going to put on the front page. But then a call came in tome in the afternoon of 3/25/15. The planned story was knocked off the front page and was replaced by a bombshell. The call was a ruling in the court case involving the Vote-By-Mail ballots involving the 11/4/14 Perth Amboy City Council Election.

Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Heidi Currier ruled in favor of the plaintiff Sergio Diaz that some of these ballots were not valid. On Monday, 3/23/15 Fernando Gonzalez was a sitting Councilman and at the 3/25/15 Council Meeting he was sitting in the audience.

Sergio Diaz issued a statement shortly after the decision was made and the Amboy Guardian reached out to Perth Amboy Democratic Chair Leslie Dominguez-Rodriguez, Mayor Wilda Diaz and Daniel Gonzalez who was the campaign manager for his father, Fernando. We asked if they were going to issue statements as to the Judge’s decision.

There are two points I’d like to make here: Personally I think if you are a chair of a political party you should be neutral and not endorse any particular slate. Even if your endorsement is as a private citizen and not as the chair of your party, to me, it’s nothing but getting yourself into a little bit of hot water. Yes, you have the right to endorse a slate as a private citizen, but your position as chair is going to supersede your right as an individual. You cannot separate the two. People have a hard  time separating the two, especially during elections.

If I was in charge of election protocol this is would be my rules: During election time, there is a designated office for the political party.  The chairs responsibility of each party should be to make sure everybody is in compliance with the rules. If an individual has questions relating to the elections, the chair is there to help out at the party headquarters. The necessary paperwork that people request should be available. Phones are hooked up and numbers are provided so people can call in with questions. That should be the extent.

BE IMPARTIAL and just back the party and not a slate. The candidates get their messages out in several different ways. They take out ads, have fundraisers, rallies and sometimes eople write letters of support. It is not unusual to see candidates walk the neighborhood, attend functions and participate in forums. Let the public decide who would be the best for the job.

Let’s now address the nursing home situation. My Dad had been in two different nursing homes in Perth Amboy for physical therapy after having surgery on his legs. There are patients in the nursing homes that are there for a short period of time for rehabilitation and have their full mental faculties. There are even patients who have been there long term. Although they may not be physically fit, they are still alert mentally. Unfortunately, I have seen a lot of residents who have been there a long time and you can tell that they have no idea where they are.

Those running for office wishes to speak at a nursing home or similar facility, they should get permission from the administrator of that facilities to speak to the residents as a whole or one-on-one. The people who are employed at these facilities are very well aware of which residents are alert enough to know what’s going on.

Volunteers could explain the ballots to the employees, relatives or close friends of the residents. They in turn should be the only ones allowed to help fill out the ballots. If you have any alternative ideas, let us know. C.M.