IRVINGTON — A meeting with candidates for the state Assembly was held Wednesday night in the basement of a township church but much of the attention was focused on actions by the Trump Administration in Washington.
The New Point Missionary Baptist Church on Paine Avenue hosted the three Democratic Party candidates seeking the two open seats in the Assembly for the 28th Legislative District: Incumbents Garnet R. Hall, Cleopatra G. Tucker and newcomer Chigozie Onyema.
The three candidates are on the ballot in the June 10 primary. Hall, a Maplewood resident, lost the Essex County Democratic convention in March, in favor of Onyema, a Newark resident, and nine-term incumbent Cleopatra Tucker, also of Newark, so Onyema and Tucker have the party’s endorsement. Hall, who initially said she would not run, will appear on the ballot as a Democrats for Change candidate.
No Republican candidates have successfully filed to run for the seats in the overwhelmingly Democratic district.
The 28th district includes Irvington, Maplewood, South Orange, part of Newark and Hillside in Union County.
Hall, a deputy county clerk in Essex, won her seat after the retirement of long-time incumbent Mila Jasey of South Orange in 2023. She took office in January of 2024.
The event last week was sponsored by the Irvington chapter of the NAACP and was attended by about 35 people. The candidates each introduced themselves at the start of the event.
Hall talked about her experiences in the Assembly over the past 18 months, including her committee work, bills she sponsored and she invited people to visit her in Trenton for tours of the state house.
“I want to hear from you what my next steps should be,” Hall said. “We are in a pickle. We have a very difficult task ahead of us. We have to be a safety net for our community.”
Onyema said he was running because he was concerned that “we are facing some really dark times.”
“We have a president who is kidnapping and disappearing people,” he said.
Tucker spoke about her lengthy experience in the Assembly, citing her committee assignments and particular concerns about veterans and children.
“My main goal is to service the people,” she said. “I will stand up for all our women and men who served in the military and all the people in our district.”
Tucker said her experience gives her an edge because she knows how to get things done.
“You can be polite but sometimes you have to be uppity,” she said. “If we have a good bill and it deserves to pass, I’m going to stand up for it.”
Host Kathleen Witcher asked questions of the candidates though some of the questions came from audience members. The first question she asked was “are you strong enough to fight against the federal cuts and what can people do?”
Onyema said the federal budget cuts, combined with the Covid relief funds running out, put New Jersey in a tight spot but that state should not tighten its belt on the backs of the most needy. He suggested the state tap into its more than $6 billion reserve fund. He also said he was in favor of progressive revenue generators including a millionaire’s tax.
“We have to be as creative as possible in this moment,” Onyema said.
He also said the state attorney general needs to be aggressive in its fight against actions by the Trump administration and its dictates.
Hall said she is part of the legislative black caucus and they have held meetings about the best way to deal with actions by the Trump administration that could impact New Jersey. She encouraged people to turn out in force at protests and demonstrations against actions they oppose.
“Hope is a strategy,” she said. “Come out in numbers.”
Tucker said this is a time for people of like minds to stick together.
”We have to put the right person in the right place,” she said, adding that she was supporting Newark Mayor Ras Baraka in the Democratic primary for governor.
“We have to let people know you can’t run over us. New Jersey is going to take a stand.”
Hall said “we have been through worse” and that it looks bad but it’s not going to be. She cited her experience in sales, saying it would be helpful.
“I know when they say no, that’s when the selling starts,” she said.
In response to a question from the audience about the facility in Newark that is being used as a detention center by a private contractor hired by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, Onyema said that the Trump administration is “violating all kinds of laws.”
He said the state has a law against a private company operating a prison in the state but the operator of the Newark facility, The Geo Group, sued and the issue remains in court.
“We need to make sure we keep those laws on the books,” he said.
Hall advised the audience that the best thing they could do was “wait for instruction” on where, when and how protest groups were organizing.
Tucker said the state should stand up for the immigrants who have the proper paperwork and see that no one is treated poorly.
“You can’t treat them like dogs and animals, that’s not the way it’s done,” she said.
Another question from the audience was about the Immigration Trust Act, a law proposed last year in New Jersey that would establish protections for immigrants interacting with government agencies.
Hall said she was in favor of the bill and had worked to help it pass.
Tucker said she was also in favor and that people should call the governor and members of the legislature to encourage them to support it.
“Come to Trenton, get busloads, come out in force and let the governor know you support it,” Tucker said.
Onyema said pressure needed to be put on the leaders of the state Assembly and Senate to further the bill.
“We have to do a power map,” Onyema said. “Map who has the power so we can put pressure on them.”
In response to a question about getting young people involved in the democratic process, Onyema cited his own experience, running for school board at 18 in the South Orange and Maplewood district, and said education in school was crucial.
Tucker said she had helped 16 year olds get the right to vote in school board elections in Newark and that civics education should be taught in schools.
Hall said that more young people are getting involved because they do care.
In closing statements, Onyema said that the representatives of the district, which is one of the most progressive in the state, need to be leaders in the fight that is coming.
“Though it is dark, it is not midnight,” he said. “A new day is coming.”
Hall said that she was challenged for the right to keep her seat in the Assembly but she is still fighting.
“I’m not here because of the Trump problem,” she said. “I’m here for you. I don’t tell you what to do. I ask you what I should do.”
Tucker said she was concerned about the future, particularly for veterans and children. She said legislators need to work with the cities and counties to accomplish their goals. “I’ve experienced it for the last 16 years,” Tucker said. “I’ve been there long enough to know how to play the game.”
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