My Central Jersey - Buono Has Taken On - And Defeated - Goliaths Before

News Article

By Charyl Makin

Don't tell Barbara Buono she may not win the gubernatorial race in November. This Jersey Girl will look you in the eye with a steely glint and confidently tell you just how wrong you are. This will be done firmly yet politely. Buono is a lady.

A Jersey Girl is a tough cookie. She works hard to get what she wants and does not back down from a difficult situation.

And keep in mind, for the most part, the Jersey boys backed away from this fight.

Though she has been likened to David facing Goliath, Buono is not fond of that reference, saying it is overused. But the diminutive Democrat has taken on today's political Goliath -- Gov. Chris Christie.

Perhaps The Little Engine That Could fits Buono better. Like the classic children's tale, this pearl-wearing mother of six always heads up the biggest mountain sure she can conquer it. And as her past reflects, she does.

When asked "Why now? Why this election?" the 59-year-old Buono simply says "How could I not?"

"Look at the state our state is in.," she said. "It's not about me. It's about the state of New Jersey. It's about the people. We have high unemployment, the middle class is hurting, the working poor's numbers are increasing. Circumstance dictates my choice to run."

Before she officially takes on the current governor, she first must win Tuesday's primary. There is one other Democratic entry into the gubernatorial primary race: East Orange's Troy Webster announced his decision to run in late March. Currently an aide to East Orange Mayor Robert L. Bowser, Webster is a George Washington University graduate with a bachelor's degree in communications and a minor in business. He is a graduate of Clifford J. Scott High School in East Orange and has raised two children in the city's public schools. Before his current job, he held various positions in East Orange government. He is running on a platform of jobs, environment, violence prevention and equality for all citizens.

But as the television commercials already attest, November is shaping up to be a contest between Buono and Christie.

Political career

Buono already has faced rivals considered too big to conquer.

A state senator representing the 18th District since 2002, Buono got her political start running for the Borough Council in Metuchen in 1992. She threw her hat in the ring, she said, simply because "somebody asked." She won. In 1994, after just one year in politics, she ran against incumbent Republican Assemblywoman Joanna Gregory-Scocchi. She won, with 53.74 percent of the vote.

"They always underestimate me. Always. In 1994, I took on the bosses. I took on John Lynch," Buono said, referring to the former state senator and New Brunswick mayor. "He did not want me to run. I was told I could never win. I did. I took them on again and again, I was told I couldn't win. I did. I'll do it again."

Lynch, who later went to prison on corruption charges, was only the first "boss" Buono faced who just didn't know what they were up against.

Serving in the Assembly from 1994 to 2002, Buono was the minority parliamentarian from 1996 to 1998. She was the ranking Democrat on the Assembly Budget Committee and Democratic Conference Chair from 2004 to 2007.

After seven years as an assemblywoman, Buono was elected as senator, again taking on the "bosses" and beating a party-backed candidate in the primary to earn her spot. In the Senate, she served as chair on the Budget and Appropriations Committee, the Intergovernmental Relations Commission and the Joint Budget Oversight Committee. Buono was the first woman to serve as chair of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and in 2010 became the first woman to be elected majority leader. Again, she said, against the odds.

Currently, Buono is vice chair of the Senate Legislative Oversight Committee and a member of the Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, and the State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee.

Personal life

Buono was born in Newark and raised in nearby Nutley. She is the third daughter of an Italian immigrant father, James, who dropped out of high school to work as a butcher, and mother Marie, who worked in an office and as a substitute teacher. Buono said she was not raised with a silver spoon. Rather, hers was wooden and stirred a sauce that convinced her that she could do anything. She attended public schools in her hometown, graduating in 1971 from Nutley High School.

"I may not have had all that I wanted, but I had all that I needed," Buono said. "My parents taught me that hard work, discipline and education can transform a young person's life."

Her father died at age 51 when she was 19. . Buono relied on his veteran benefits and Social Security death benefits to continue her education. She was a work-study student. In 1975, Buono received a bachelor's degree. from Montclair State College (now University) with a major in political science.

No one handed her tuition and rent money. Buono knows and understands what it is like to be in need.

"I was on my own, sink or swim. I lived on food stamps for a while and applied for welfare benefits, but I didn't go through with the appointment," Buono recalled. "A friend lent me $500 so I could get a bank loan from Hudson Savings Bank to go back to school."

She worked three jobs trying to make ends meet and went on to earn her law degree in 1979 from the Rutgers School of Law -- Camden.

"I went back to school purely for financial reasons," she said. "I wasn't looking to be a lawyer, but I was confident I would be good at it."

After receiving her law degree, Buono served as a judicial law clerk and public defender for the state Department of the Public advocate before entering private practice.

Pocketbook issues

Buono runs her campaign on what she calls the "pocketbook issues." These include taxes, particularly property taxes, the jobs crisis, state budget, loss of businesses and foreclosures. She also has firm stances on gun violence, the environment and equal pay issues.

"These are the issues pertinent to New Jersey and New Jerseyans are savvy. Pocketbook issues determine the future of their families. This governor has particularly hurt the middle class and the working class," she said. "The people in New Jersey need to know I will go to bat for them. I do know what it is like to not have a job and have to make that call. My challenge is to get him to focus on the issues."

The rise in property taxes under Christie is "unacceptable," Christie said.

"Property taxes are at a record high. Some are up 20 percent higher since he took office," she said. "We gave out more property tax relief in 2008 and 2009 than he did in the last four years. His philosophy is just different when it comes to taxes. It is not based on the ability to pay. He vetoed the millionaire's tax. That everyone should pay their fair share is not a priority for him."

Buono said foreclosures have increased, the state has the highest rate of unemployment in the region, the minimum wage and cost of living have remained stagnant and New Jersey, previously known as a friendly state for pharmaceutical companies, is losing businesses and jobs to other states, including higher-tax states.
She also criticized the governor's record on education.

"He has cut state aid for higher education. He reduced aid even for community colleges." she said. "We need to invest more in higher education, so the burden does not fall on the schools to raise tuition. We need an educated workforce. As governor, this is a priority for me."

Buono said she understands the trepidation and employment hardships of recent college graduates.

"I speak with students and they tell me they are afraid to graduate," she said. "They don't have a job. This is one of the reasons that drives me. I've had opportunities growing up that don't exist anymore. Higher education was affordable. I had 2 percent National Defense loans. There were jobs to pay off these loans. I had hope and opportunity. I have no illusion that if I was born today, I would not be sitting here telling you that I am running for governor."

Plans

Buono"s answer to these problems? Change them.

Among her plans, some she already introduced as senator: reinstating the Earned Income Tax Credit, holding down property taxes by asking the wealthiest to pay their fair share, and cutting taxes for small businesses to spur new hiring. She said she also will continue to protect collective bargaining rights for teachers, firefighters and police officers and support family leave legislation.

Buono penned the state's anti-bullying legislation, and backed the expansion of other anti-discriminatory laws. She was the prime sponsor of consumer protection measures restricting telemarketing by creating the strictest "Do Not Call" database legislation in the nation. Buono also was the prime sponsor of the law prohibiting the practice of predatory mortgage lending. In her tenure, she launched the Young Women's Leadership Program, which encourages high school juniors and seniors to become involved in the political process.

She supports growing New Jersey's clean energy economy, such as encouraging wind and solar energy projects, and reducing pollution, which, she said has been jeopardized by the Christie administration's use of waivers that allow air and water to be polluted and jeopardize public health.

She said she would restore funding for women's health needs and work to lower the cost of insurance and expand coverage. She has always been an advocate for increasing health care for low income citizens. A supporter of the canceled ARC tunnel project between North Jersey and New York City, Buono said she will use transportation funds to reduce congestion and improve commuter rail.

She has introduced a gun violence prevention plan that includes universal background checks, smaller magazine capacities and face-to-face sale of ammunition. Buono is also a proponent of gay rights and supports marriage equality, legislation she sponsored in 2010.

As a mother of six, four biological children from her first marriage and two step children from her second marriage to Martin Gizzi, Buono says she would not be able to do this gubernatorial run with out her family's support. Or their current ages.

"I would have never done this had any one of them still been in high school," said Buono, whose oldest child is 30 and whose youngest recently completed her freshman year in college. "Balance in life is very important for me. They do need you. They will always need you. But, it's not the same demands as when my children were teenagers "

On the campaign trail

Past campaigns kept her in the 18th District, which Buono, who has converted to Judaism, affectionately called the "Chai district" at a "Super Sunday" fundraiser for the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County in January just before she formally announced her run for governor. In Hebrew, Chai stands for the number 18 and also means "life." This campaign has taken her up and down the coast, back and forth to the vastly different North and South Jerseys, and stops in between.

When asked how she is coping, Buono admitted to not being sure of the day sometimes, but reveling in the experience.

A recent Friday had her starting the day on radio station WCTC, and then going to the Spotswood Diner before putting hours in at her Metuchen office. After that, she went back out to meet with a few reporters for individual interviews at the New Brunswick Starbucks and ended the day at a rally for Democratic state Sen. Raymond Lesniak in Roselle.

And she ran five miles that day; Buono said running that distance a day keeps her in top shape and enbles her to meet the needs of her schedule.

"I never needed a lot of sleep," she laughed. "But, physical exercise is really important. I've been a runner since law school. It keeps me focused and in control. It gives me energy. My lifestyle is conducive to running for office."

Buono noted that a campaign can get nasty and said her opponent has already gone that route. She also understands that much of the public does not appreciate the negativity.

While trying to focus on a variety of bipartisan issues, Buono said Christie is running on superstorm Sandy. He is making stops in places besides the shore, but the topic is Sandy and "what plays on the national stage," she said.

"He is running for president," Buono said, stressing that she is running for New Jersey. "Every decision of his is calibrated for how it will play out nationally. I believe his numbers are artificially inflated because of Sandy. The rebuilding after Sandy is of course a priority now. It has to be, but he is making nothing else relevant. The other New Jersey that had burdens before the storm still has these burdens. Economic growth before Sandy had slowed. Kids were shut out of colleges because of high tuition before the storm."

"The good news is that something can be done about it," she added. "I'm a policy person. That's what drove me to politics. That can affect change."

"I'm a Jersey Girl at heart, born and raised," Buono said with a smile.

Source