Attorney Bruce Afran accepts the Green Party nod to seek the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Frank Lautenberg.
By Jennifer Potash
A Princeton Township resident wants to show residents of New Jersey that it is easy to be green.
Bruce Afran, a resident of Cuyler Lane, has accepted the nomination by the Green Party of New Jersey to run for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Frank Lautenberg.
"If people work hard, if people stand for what we believe, if we have some flexibility of opinion and moderate our views as needed, we will show the people of this state that the Green Party can and should be a political party," Mr. Afran said Sunday at the Green Party of New Jersey convention held at the Labor Education Center of Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
Mr. Afran, an attorney, has handled cases for independent political candidates in New Jersey, including former Princeton Township Committee member Carl Mayer’s successful legal bid in 1998 to run as an independent candidate in the 6th Congressional District after losing the Democratic primary in the 12th Congressional District.
Mr. Afran’s next task is to col lect the required 800 signatures by June 6 to be placed on the ballot for the November general election.
"A good rule of thumb is to have double the required number, so I’ll need 1,600 to 1,700 signatures," Mr. Afran said.
The Green Party also announced it will run three candidates for Mercer County Freeholder — Susan Deckert, Paul Silverman and Dan Martin.
Ms. Deckert, a retired biologist from Hamilton Township, said she and her running mates are reviewing local issues and "seek to bring out those issues from our constituents.
"We plan on focusing on the issues, as opposed to political bickering," Ms. Deckert added.
The Green Party of New Jersey has candidates running for the U.S. Congress in the 4th, 6th, 8th, 11th and 13th congressional districts.
Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate and Princeton University alumnus, is the Green Party candidate for president.