Ciatarelli to Replace Coyle on Ballot for 16th District Assembly

A move to the newly configured 16th legislative district has become unfeasible for current Assemblywoman Denise Coyle, meaning she will not run for her post in this year’s election.

“I am announcing today that I have withdrawn my candidacy for re-election to the New Jersey Assembly.  I will leave the Legislature upon completing my current term in December,”

“The new redistricting map created a great deal of uncharted territory and I initially believed I could relocate into the newly drawn 16th Assembly District. However, after reviewing the logistics and the realities of the current housing market, it is clear that a move is not feasible for me and my family.

Instead, current Somerset County Freeholder and Hillsborough resident Jack Ciatarelli will replace Assmeblywoman Coyle on the District 16 election ballot.  He’ll join Assemblyman Pete Biondi, of Hillsborough, and Senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman, of Branchburg.

“I’ve made a habit to not ever get ahead of myself in politics because you’re not going to pay attention to the job at hand,” Ciatarelli said.  “This opportunity came our of nowhere as a result of the redistricting map.”

Despite receiving the nomination from the Somerset County Republican Organization, Ciatarelli describes his reaction as one of tentative enthusiasm.  The trepidation comes from acknowledging that longtime representative will not return, he said.

“It comes at the expense of Denise Coyle,” he said.  “This was terribly unfair to her.  She’s served her local, county and state government with dignity and integrity.”

 In the race for District 16 Assembly, Ciatarelli and Biondi will be opposed by Democratic South Brunswick Councilman Joseph Camarota, of Kendall Park, and Marie Corfield, of Flemington.  Hillsborough Democrat Maureen Vella will challenge Republican incumbent Bateman.

Ciatarelli, a Hillsborough resident since 1998, grew up in Raritan borough and had his introduction to politics as a member of the Raritan Borough Council, he said.

His next foray into politics came in 2006, when then-freeholder and former Hillsborough Mayor Ken Scherer announced he would not run for his seat again.

“I decided to get back into politics at that time because of the role county government can play in the property tax crisis,” Ciatarelli said.

The opportunity to work with the state legislature furthers that sentiment.

“I’m excited about the notion of going to Trenton and being a passionate advocate for reform,” he said.  “There are a number of things that need to be changed in order for municipal and county government to operate effectively.”

“Hopefully, if I’m elected to serve, I can be effective in bringing about those kinds of changes,” he added.

Though the district now includes portions of Somerset, Mercer, Middlesex and Hunterdon Counties—including the left-leaning Princeton Township and Borough and South Brunswick—Ciatarelli did not felt the configuration would have minimal impact representation or campaigning.

“The newly configured 16th district, is, in my opinion, fairly homogenous,” he said.  “Geographically speaking, it shouldn’t be all that challenging to represent from a time and territory management standpoint.”

The competition in the district, which is now split between Democratic and Republican leaning towns, is a welcome challenge for the campaign trail, Ciatarelli said.

“The whole purpose of the redistricting map was to make races more competitive, which I believe is a good thing,” he said.  “So I look forward to campaigning in a district that is more equally balanced amongst affiliated voters.”

He expects the campaign strategy to remain constant as well, likening it to a local campaign.

“We’ll look to treat these municipalities no different than any other in the district in respect to our door-to-door campaign and our personal phone calls and with our direct mail,” Ciatarelli said.  “I see this as a local campaign which means we are going to work very hard to allow people to get to know us personally.  My experience has been that once that happens, we tend to focus more on the person as oppose to the party.”

The new configuration should not affect the district operations either, though Ciatarelli noted representatives would need to communicate with each portion of the district.  The issues for any municipality include property tax relief and reduced costs, he said.

“I don’t think people will focus on the new configuration so long as elected officials are fair, are responsive with their representation,” he said.  “I can tell you that Senator Bateman, Assemblyman Biondi and I are committed to representing people as they deserve and, given the challenges of the day, as they rightly expect.”