From left, Orange South Ward challenger Brandon Matthews and Councilwoman Jamie Summers-Johnson stand outside the Orange Public Library on Monday, April 16, following the debate, sponsored by the Orange Peer Youth Council, ahead of the city election on Tuesday, May 8.
ORANGE, NJ — Incumbent South Ward Councilwoman Jamie Summers-Johnson and challenger Brandon Mathews were featured on Monday, April 16, at the Orange Public Library on Main Street, in the second installment of the four-part debate series organized for the nine official council candidates listed on the municipal election ballot on Tuesday, May 8.
The novelty of this debate was that both candidates attended it. Only incumbent North Ward Councilwoman Tency Eason showed up for the first installment on Monday, April 9, in which she was schedule to talk issues with opponent, veteran campaigner and youth basketball coach Sharief Williams, who opted out for undisclosed reasons.
Summers-Johnson and Mathews both showed up at this week’s forum, organized by Louis Copeland and the Orange Peer Youth Council.
“We had a debate. This is the first time, actually, that I remember that we had ward debates,” said Summers-Johnson on Monday, April 16. “For me, we were given the questions in advance, so, basically, the kids wanted to do it.”
Summers-Johnson went on to say she was glad to have participated in the debate with Matthews, saying it proves the adage that “the South Ward sets the tone” for the rest of Orange.
“These kids got to see two council people go at it in a constructive way, but they got to see a room filled and that’s their dream and it came true,” Summers-Johnson said. “A lot of the other debates, the other person didn’t come, so with ours, it’s like the South Ward again set the tone that you show up and you talk about you differences, because if only one person shows up, to me, that’s just a waste of time.”
Matthews agreed with Summers-Johnson that the civics lesson the debates represent are important.
“I feel the same way,” said Matthews on Monday, April 16. “But even from the beginning, I was a little disappointed with the candidates boycotting it and saying they wouldn’t be involved, because it does no good for anyone. It doesn’t do any service for anyone and, for me, it was insulting to the youth. I was in Debate Club and Youth in Government Club when I was a kid and that was the stuff that I was passionate about, so I could tell that it was a group of kids that I wanted to meet and say, ‘I was just like you when I was in high school.’ ”
According to Orange City Clerk Joyce Lanier, the nine candidates running for the four ward seats in the election on Tuesday, May 8, and their positions on the official ballot are: Michael Scott, 1-A, incumbent Councilman Harold L. Johnson, 2-A, and former Councilman Hassan Abdul-Rasheed, 3-A, in the West Ward; Brandon Matthews, 1-A, and incumbent Councilwoman Jamie Summers-Johnson, 2-A, in the South Ward; incumbent Councilwoman Tency Eason, 1-A, and challenger Sharief Williams, 2-A, in the North Ward; and incumbent Councilman and council President Kerry Coley, 1-A, and challenger Dawan Alford, 2-A, in the East Ward.
The remaining Warren and OPYC ward debates will be held in the Orange Public Library on Monday, April 23, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., for the East Ward; and Monday, April 30, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., for the West Ward.
A second debate series has also been organized. Summers-Johnson and Matthews will also square off again for the Independent Citizen-Sponsored Debate Series on Sunday, April 22, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., at Seventh Day Adventist Church, 270 Reynolds Terrace, Orange.
And another installment of the Citizen-Sponsored Debate Series takes place Sunday, April 29, at 4:30 p.m., for South Ward candidates.
“I think it’s encouraging and really exciting to run against someone that is as professional and is as bright as Jamie and that respects me in the same way that I respect her, and agrees that we all have a voice and we all have an opinion and sometimes we’re going to agree and whoever’s even on the council is going to disagree,” said Matthews.
“It’s about the way you come at it and being able to listen and to hear the other people’s ideas and even this debate tonight helped me a lot with hearing a little more about what she’s about. We don’t talk often, but we have had many good conversations and we do respect each other and I think it’s important,” the candidate added.
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