To the Editor:

Rush Holt’s unique brand of representation will be missed by all of us and I’m sure you, like I, hope that his retirement from Congress is a new beginning and look forward to his continued service in our community.

On June 3, Democrats will select a candidate to stand for election in November in the 12th Congressional District. I am pleased to have won the endorsement of the Mercer County Democratic Organization, and I hope to earn your support in the primary election as well.

If you give me the opportunity to be your next representative in Congress, I will work with you and for you; I will advocate tirelessly on your behalf. I will make constituent services a priority and I will be in Princeton to listen to your ideas.

It was my distinct honor to represent Princeton as your assemblywoman in Trenton for 14 years through 2011 when the district lines were changed. My leadership credentials in New Jersey are strong. During the time I represented Princeton in Trenton, I was chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee for four years and then I was Majority Leader of the General Assembly for four years.

I represented you in Trenton by fighting for fairness, compassion, and equal opportunity. In my first term,
I took on the big banks by sponsoring and getting legislation passed to limit the amount they could charge seniors to cash Social Security checks and during the recession I passed bills that made it difficult for banks to foreclose and made the process fairer for homeowners. More than a decade ago, I was the first to sponsor and pass legislation establishing minimum energy efficiency standards for household appliances.

Before Columbine and Sandy Hook, I understood the devastation guns and crime can have on a community. That is why I continue to lead the fight to get guns off our streets. But I also know the devastation and economic drain mass incarceration of non-violent offenders puts on us and our communities. I have led the effort in New Jersey to make our justice system fairer, creating drug courts to deal more effectively with non-violent first offenders and give those that have served their time an opportunity to become productive members of our society.

While others were afraid of the political implications, I was one of the first to stand up to many in my community and to some in our party to grant equality for all New Jersey couples.

There are many challenges that our country is going to face in the coming years and our representatives in Congress are going to need courage and fortitude to make tough decisions and put aside personal political aspirations to do what is right for our country.

This is how I have represented you in Trenton. These are real progressive results. And this is how I would represent you in Washington. It would be an honor to serve you as your next representative in Congress.

Bonnie Watson Coleman

Ms. Coleman represents New Jersey’s 15th Legislative District in the General Assembly