Wednesday, June 04, 2003

BY DUNSTAN McNICHOL
Star-Ledger Staff

Thirty-nine Green Party members were among 63 people to file as independent candidates for November's Legislative elections by yesterday's deadline.

The independents were required to turn in nominating petitions with at least 100 names by 4 p.m. to secure their places on the Nov. 4 ballot.

All told, voters in 26 of the state's 40 legislative districts will find at least one independent candidate on the ballot when they go to the polls this fall.

One of them, Green candidate Matt Ahearn of Bergen County, is an incumbent who abandoned the Democratic Party earlier this year.

Though independent candidates traditionally finish far out of the running in New Jersey, Ahearn said voter sentiment this year is likely to serve independent candidates well.

"Several of my colleagues in the Legislature have commented to me that the Greens were a dying party," said Ahearn, who left the Democratic Party in January. "But they are clueless to the rising sentiments against the machine-type politics that dominate most New Jersey communities."

Other independent candidates have filed to run under party labels that convey political messages.

For instance, voters in the 36th Legislative District in Bergen, Essex and Passaic counties will be able to choose from 14 Senate and Assembly candidates for three seats, including two representatives of a party called TaxTheRichSaveSchools; three candidates from the Real Pro-Choice Party; three members of the Conservative Pro-Life Party; and three each from the Republican and Democratic parties.

Other parties weighing in with candidates for the legislative elections include the Socialist Worker's Party, the Libertarian Party and more message-oriented organizations such as Labor's Voice; English Language Only; HealthCare For All; and the Eliminate Primary Elections Party.

A full list of the independent candidates, as compiled by the state's Division of Elections:

1st District

Senate: Steven F. Fenichel, HealthCare For All

George Cecola, English Language Only

Assembly: Constantino Rozzo, Socialist Party USA

Mary A. Snyder, Green Party

Carly R. Massey, Green Party

2nd District

Senate: Robert G. Gabrielsky, Green Party

Assembly: Ray Higbee Jr., Green Party

Meredith Slotoroff, Green Party

Joseph T. Hicks, People's People

3rd District

Assembly: Peggy Murphy, Green Party

Charles Woodrow, Green Party

6th District

Assembly: Martin Nolan, Green Party

Kevin Madden, Green Party

10th District

Assembly: Elizabeth Arnone, Green Party

11th District

Senate: Brian Unger, Green Party

Emerson Ellett, Libertarian Party

Assembly: Thomas Auletta, Green Party

Lynn Surgalla, Green Party

12th District

Senate: Earl Gray, Green Party

13th District

Senate: Greg Orr, Green Party

Mac Dara F. Layden, N.J. Conservative Party

Assembly: Mike W. Hall, Green Party

Jaime Donnelly, Green Party

14th District

Senate: Ray Cragle, Libertarian Party

15th District

Assembly: Jill Penn, Green Party

Russell Cullen, Green Party

16th District

Assembly: Jane Hunter, Green Party

17th District

Assembly: Josephine M. Giaimo, Green Party

19th District

Assembly: Kenneth Goley, Labor's Voice

21st District

Senate: Shawn P. Gianella, independent

Teresa Migliori-DiMatteo, Green Party

Assembly: Ryan Reyes, Green Party

George DeCarlo, Green Party

Joshua Jacobs, the Unemployed Party

22nd District

Assembly: Rosalie Donatelli, Green Party

Harold Relkin, Green Party

27th District

Assembly: Jany Sabins, Libertarian Party

28th District

Senate: Beresford Jones, Green Party

29th District

Senate: Abigail D. Tilsner, Socialist Worker's Party

Toy-Ling Washington, Green Party

31st District

Senate: Eric Olsen, Green Party

Assembly: Jonathon J. Oriole, Green Party

Pamela Olsen, Green Party

32nd District

Senate: Louis Vernotico, Eliminate Primary Elections

Dewis Jaslow, Time For Change

Assembly: Eric Dixon, Time For Change

Eugene McCrohan, Time For Change

33rd District

Assembly: Maria M. Rios, Green Party

34th District

Assembly: Timothy A. Gaylord Jr., Green Party

Thomas R. Gregg, Green Party

36th District

Senate: Maximo Moscoso, Real Pro-Choice

John J. Tanella, Conservative Pro-Life

Assembly: Rafael Sanchez, TaxTheRichSaveSchools

Crystal Delarosa, TaxTheRichSaveSchools

Geovanni Regalado, Real Pro-Choice

John Zazanis, Real Pro-Choice

Thomas M. Ciliento, Conservative Pro-Life

Russel Realbuto, Conservative Pro-Life

37th District

Assembly: Patricia Alessandrini, Green Party

Ruth B. Neustadter, Green Party

38th District

Senate: Peter Tworkowski, Conservative Pro-Life

Assembly: Matt Ahearn, Green Party

40th District

Assembly: Philip Passantino, Green Party