By Audrey Levine Staff Writer
In the wake of U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson’s, R-7th, announcement Monday that he will not seek re-election in 2008, Hillsborough resident Christopher Venis announced he’s running for the Republican nomination to fill the seat.
”I wouldn’t run against Congressman Ferguson, but unfortunately, we’re losing him,” said Mr. Venis, who was a member of Mr. Ferguson’s campaign team in 2000. “And I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge.”
The 7th Congressional District, which includes portions of Somerset, Hunterdon, Union and Middlesex counties, is one of the most competitive in the state. In the 2006 election, Mr. Ferguson narrowly defeated Democratic Assemblywoman Linda Stender, who intends to run for the seat again in 2008.
Mr. Venis, 42, of Updike Avenue, said that his experience working both in local and state politics has prepared him for the responsibilities of a representative in Congress.
In the mid-1990s, he was executive director of former Rep. Bob Franks’ campaign, before being elected himself to the Hillsborough Township Committee and serving as deputy mayor in the late 1990s.
”Doing what I could to help the town was a great experience,” Mr. Venis said, who served on the committee for more than a year.
Aside from his work in the township, Mr. Venis said he worked as chief of staff for the New Jersey Department of Corrections, after being appointed to the position by former acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco.
”This all led to my passion for politics,” he said. “I got a dose of what it takes to be part of the political process.”
Now, Mr. Venis said, he is looking to use all the knowledge he has gained and put it toward his campaign and possible election into office. In addition to looking at issues with education; health care; and global threats from Iraq and elsewhere, he is hoping to continue what Congressman Ferguson started with removing the mercury from the Defense Logistics Agency on Route 206 and increasing funding for flood prevention efforts.
”We can’t afford another Hurricane Floyd in Bound Brook, Manville and Hillsborough,” said Mr. Venis, explaining that he was among those out in boats during the flood in 1999, trying to rescue people who were forced to the roofs of their homes to avoid the rising waters. “It was a harrowing experience.”
Mr. Venis said that, if elected, he wants to work to increase funding to continue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Stony Brook Millstone River Basin project, which is looking at what can be constructed to protect residents from future floods. The study, which was started in 2002, still requires $2.4 million for completion.
”We have had enough of waiting on funding,” he said. “We need to take a good solid look at flood control.”
Mr. Venis who is employed by William McClintock Associates in Scotch Plains, a Republican-oriented campaign management company, and owns The Venis Group in Trenton and Washington D.C., which lobbies for organizations to get issues, like trade, heard by the state and federal governments said he has decided to enter a bid in an effort to try and make some changes, and do what he can to help residents in the district.
”What I see in Washington worries me,” he said, citing federal spending and continuously rising fuel costs as issues he would also like to address if elected. “It’s important to be active and (if you are a member of Congress), you better know what’s going on quickly. I am fortunate to have had both local and state government experience.”
A graduate of East Stroudsburg University, in Pennsylvania, Mr. Venis who lives with his wife, Lisa, and two children, Carson, 7, and Grace, 5 said he has received a great deal of support from his neighbors since he announced his bid for election.
”When word circulated, the phone started ringing like crazy,” he said. “Some neighbors came over with their fingers in a ‘v.’ They said it’s a ‘v’ for victory and a ‘v’ for Venis.”

