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Published by Mayfirst.org.
Democrats for Change, a coalition of moderate, progressive, and revolutionary democrats inspired by Obama's campaign, shocked the political establishment in New Jersey's recent primary election winning twenty-five out of fifty-six Democratic Party committee seats against New Brunswick's entrenched Daleyesque political machine.
The election marks the first time New Brunswick's conservative Democratic Party machine suffered a defeat at the polls. "For far too long the administration has heard only the voices of commercial developers and business," said life-long New Brunswick resident Charlie Renda, "Yesterday's vote signals the beginning of a renewal of democracy in New Brunswick" he added.
For many organizers this is the beginning of a larger political project. "It is time for progressives and radicals to get out of protest mode and to start taking power at the local level. It can be done. We are proving it," said Keith Joseph a campaign organizer, "we hope to start uniting with progressives who are struggling for political power in other cities" he added.
New Brunswick's Mayor Cahill and party incumbents tried to play the game of divide and conquer by casting Democrats for Change as a movement dominated by Rutgers students. But like the movement that elected Barack Obama President, Democrats for Change was a diverse coalition uniting all of New Brunswick's residents. "This is a city movement," said Ginile Weeks newly elected committeewoman, "a city moving forward to change."
The slate won seats all over the city, including a sweep of New Brunswick's fourth ward a Black and Latino working class stronghold far from Rutgers University. Rutgers students, of course, played pivotal roles initiating and leading the campaign. "Yesterday Rutgers University students made it clear with their record turnouts that they wanted to be represented by committeemen and -women that truly understood their needs. In the districts that are made up primarily of students in the sixth ward, Democrats for Change candidates won in landslides" said Mike Shanahan the new 6-4 committeeman. "In all of them" continued Shanahan, "students sent a clear message to the city that they wanted change."
Democrats for Change emerged out of a campaign to change New Brunswick's government from an at-large system to a ward based system. Yesterday's unprecedented victory at the polls vindicated the argument that a ward based system is more democratic, representative, and desired by the majority of city residents.
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