Amalia Duarte, Mendham Township Committee Member and Morris County Democratic Committee (MCDC) Chair, Amalia Duarte, today announced her candidacy for Chair of the MCDC. If elected, Amalia would become the first woman and first Latina to serve as president of Morris County.

“The future is bright for Democrats in Morris County. We must come together to bring together the strongest county organization possible – one that leverages our strengths, builds on the successes of the past few years, and pushes the MCDC at the Higher Level. The stakes couldn’t be higher in Morris County. For years now, Morris Democrats, especially women, have been doing the work to bring about positive change in their communities, engaging our neighbors, register voters and reverse seats. I represent that spirit of activism that has led to successes in Morris County. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead a team that will take Morris County Democrats to the next level. superior.

“I am grateful to President Chip Robinson, Vice President Robin Gurin and the entire Board of Directors for all of their hard work. I will work hard to win the support of my fellow Democrats in Morris County as I set out a series of goals to grow the party, support and train local candidates, increase fundraising and execute a strategic plan for the MCDC which will take us to 2022, 2023, and beyond. I am grateful for the support I have already received and will continue to speak with our committee members, elected officials, volunteers and grassroots organizations about my track record and vision for MCDC which reflects the energy and diversity of Morris County.

The list of supporters who supported Amalia includes:

Tim Dougherty, Mayor of Morristown

Sandi Mayer, Vice-Chair of the Board, Morristown

Toshiba Foster, Advisor, Morristown

Tawana Cotton, Councillor, Morristown

Mark Gyorfy, Mayor, Township of Morris

Cathy Wilson, Deputy Mayor, Township of Morris

Jason Karr, Mayor, Morris Plains

Nancy Verga, Advisor, Morris Plains

Tom Menard, Mayor, Mountain Lakes

Jonathan Sackett, Vice-Chairman and City Chairman, Township of Rockaway

Patrick Antonetti, Council Member and City Chairman, Lincoln Park

Stacey Ewald, Committee Member, Township of Chatham

Celeste Fondaco, Committee Member, Township of Chatham

John Hoover, Alderman, Madison

Lindsey Weisman, Municipal President, Boonton

Leo Boerstoel, Municipal Chairman, Township of Boonton

Phil Ankel, City Chairman, Township of Chatham

Greg Wright, City Chairman, Township of Chester

Mark Magyar, City Chairman, Harding

Christine Clarke, City Chairperson, Township of Jefferson

Nancy Hellriegel, Municipal President, Borough of Mendham

Susan Luciano, Municipal Chairperson, Township of Mendham

Sheryl Coe, Municipal President, Mount Arlington

Andy Meissner, City Chairman, Mount Olive

John Holt, City Chairman, Township of Washington

Cara Parmigiani, MCDC LGBTQ+ Caucus

Lew Candura, former MCDC President

Lisa Bhimani, former LD-25 candidate and former MCDC Vice President

The full Letter of Intent Amalia submitted to the Morris County Executive Council can be found attached or below:

Dear Morris County Democratic Committee Executive:

This letter is to declare my intention to run for Chair of the Morris County Democratic Committee (MCDC). I am delighted to make history by becoming the first woman and the first Latin president of the MCDC. I would like to thank President Robinson and his team for their leadership and for all they have done to develop the MCDC.

I’m excited to bring to the county my experience of winning elections in a Republican-dominated city; constitute and chair the caucus of elected officials of the MCDC; and build strong relationships throughout Morris County with city committee chairs and district leaders, caucus leaders, candidates and local organizations.

As President, I will set a vision and plan for MCDC, working towards short and long term strategic goals. With more Democrats moving into Morris County, there is great potential to win more races. We need to create a strong infrastructure across the county to retain our congressional seats and win locally in 2022 and prepare to win key races in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

I have worked hard since 2017 in my community and throughout Morris County to support Democratic candidates and elected officials and to raise the profile of MCDC.

Most recently, I hosted the first-ever county-wide ongoing campaign coach training program to help local candidates and campaigns win in the 2022 election cycle. early in the cycle, then candidates and campaigns were left to fend for themselves. This program will continue until election day.

Another core responsibility of the president is to build the party from the ground up and generate positive press, visibility and momentum. I’ve done it before in Morris County and I’m excited to keep it going, if elected president.

In August 2020, I led the planning and co-hosted a celebration of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage. I organized and led a major Morris County vigil on January 6, 2022 to mark the horrific uprising and breach of the US Capitol. I organized a group to speak at a recent county commissioner’s meeting in support of women’s right to choose.

All of these actions received positive press and traction on social media platforms. Equally important, they created a sense of community and common purpose for Democrats in Morris County communities.

As Chair of the MCDC Elected Caucus, I created a forum to share best practices and ideas and to offer support to public servants who felt isolated within a GOP-dominated governing body. Our caucus meets regularly and shared information on resolutions/proclamations to celebrate Pride Month, Black History Month and Women’s History Month and to condemn the January 6 insurgency.

I helped show that Democratic leaders know how to govern. We have shared information on passing local ordinances regarding development and environmental protection. After Tropical Storm Isaias, we organized to push for greater accountability from JCP&L. And, I encourage elected officials to attend Morris County League of Municipalities meetings and other county events.

As President, I will ensure that our elected Democrats have the support and resources of the MCDC to help them seek re-election.

Finally, the chair is also responsible for fundraising. I bring my experience, skills and track record of successful fundraising. I work for a nonprofit organization and serve on state and local nonprofit boards. So I know how to fundraise for projects and causes.

In my community, I have been a leader in two high-profile and very successful fundraising efforts. In 2017, I co-chaired a fundraising campaign to rebuild a playground that raised nearly $100,000 in just six months. Likewise, I served on a fundraising committee with my church that raised nearly $150,000 in just a few months for emergency facility upgrades. Professionally, I have successfully won $115,000 scholarships in several years of writing scholarships.

As President, I will develop a strategic fundraising plan that will meet the needs of MCDC as well as those of our candidates. I will work with the New Jersey Democratic State Committee and other presidents with common interests to ensure that our congressional and statewide candidates receive the support and resources of the MCDC. I will also ensure that the MCDC can fund innovative initiatives focused on voting, messaging and voter registration.

In conclusion, I appreciate the foundation that has been built by President Robinson, the Board of Directors and all those who have volunteered with MCDC in leadership roles over the past years.

I also want to thank the backbone of the MCDC – the many volunteers, donors and grassroots organizations who have worked tirelessly to win elections and topple local councils and seats in Congress. I look forward to continuing to partner with them as President and support their efforts.

It’s time to take Morris County Democrats to the next level. It is time to strengthen our municipal committees. It’s time to recruit candidates to compete in each city. It’s time to ramp up the excitement and fundraising to lay the foundation for future success!

Sincerely,

Amalia Duarte

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