Bruce James:

bjames@passaiccountynj.org | Ph: 973.881.4402

Freeholder Bruce James was elected to the Board of Chosen Freeholders in November 2005. Freeholder James has dedicated much of his life to helping the residents of Passaic County as an employee of the Passaic County Board of Social Services. Before his recent retirement, Bruce worked as a caseworker and later as a unit supervisor.

Bruce was born to parents of both Irish and Italian descent; his grandfather was an Italian immigrant who came to New Jersey in 1913. Bruce has been a resident of Clifton for 17 years and lived in the Highlands area for 9 years.

Freeholder James understands the needs of Passaic County residents. He has also served as President of the Professional Workers Association for 27 years and until recently was the outreach supervisor for Sheriff Jerry Speziale's PRIDE program. Bruce attended William Paterson College majoring in Political Science and Philosophy. He was also named to the Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities and served as President of the Student Government. Freeholder James was a past member of the Board of Trustees of the Greater Paterson Opportunities Industrialization Center and served as Fundraising Chairman of St. Joseph's Hospital Early Intervention Program and the Passaic County Food Bank. He also served as Chairman of the Welfare to Work Committee for the Workforce Investment Board. Bruce James recognizes the importance of maintaining county roadways, preserving open space areas and providing a quality education at the county vocational high school and at Passaic County Community College.

Freeholder James is a hands-on Freeholder and has made it his priority to develop a comprehensive County energy plan that will help control costs and conserve energy in Passaic County. Freeholder James is the Chairman of the Energy and Sustainability Committee in 2011, as well as Chairman of the Planning Committee. He serves as a member of Law and Public Safety Committee and as a member of the Health, Education and Community Affairs Committee. He is a member of the Board of Manager of Preakness Healthcare Center and a member of the Board of Estimates for Passaic County Technical Institute and Passaic County Community College. He also serves as a liaison to the Human Services Advisory Council.

 

 

TJ Best: Website www.bestforfreeholder.com/index.html

Passaic County Freeholder Candidate Theodore "T.J." Best, Jr. was born and raised in Paterson, NJ where he learned firsthand how governmental policies impact everyday life. A lack of funding for recreation and after school programs motivated T.J. to get involved in student government at East Side High School and the city's NAACP youth division where he became President of both organizations. Best's civic engagement and leadership development followed him to Rutgers University where he served as Convener of the Dean's Diversity Advocacy Board, Chairperson of the President's Student Advisory Board, and headed the RU Voting Campaign which registered over 5,000 new voters at the University. Of his many accomplishments while at Rutgers his most impactful was planning The University wide "Rutgers Remembers 9/11" one year commemoration ceremony that involved over 300 student organizations and was attended by over 8,000 students, staff, and community members in honor of those who lost their lives in our nation's most horrific attack.

Upon graduation, Best secured a job as the Special Assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs at Rutgers University advising student groups and coordinating special events such as the University's first ever Student Organization Leadership Conference and Multicultural Freshmen Orientation. Building on his background in public policy, Best moved to Washington, D.C. and served as a staffer for NJ's 8th Congressional District Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr. While in D.C. Best was a member of the Congressional Black Associates and a founding member of "Draft Obama for President 08".

In 2008 Best returned to Paterson, NJ where he purchased a home on the same street he grew up on and ran for the Paterson Board of Education to "help make a difference in the lives of our young people", becoming the youngest Commissioner and then President ever elected on the Board. In addition to serving as a Commissioner on the Paterson Board of Education, the state's third largest school district with 31,000 students and a $520+ million budget, Best demonstrated his commitment to young people by taking a job with the New Jersey Development Corporation as Program Director of The Great Falls Youth Development Center and Advisor of for The Paterson Youth Council.

As President of the School Board, Best increased commutations with the public by reviving "The Graduate" Newsletter and directing Board Members to host monthly community forms around educational issues. Best also chaired the NJQSAC (New Jersey Single Quality Accountability Continuum) committee which evaluates the district's performance in 5 critical areas and under his guidance increased scores in every area including an 89 point jump in Board governance brining the process to bring Paterson back to local control after 20 years of state intervention. Additionally, in his term, test scores and graduation rates grew while dropout rates and incidents of violence decreased.

Best has also worked as Legislative Aid to NJ's 35th Legislative District Assemblywoman Elease Evans, Community Outreach Coordinator for the Community Charter School of Paterson, and currently as Project Coordinator for NJCDC. Best is an active board member of Paterson Habitat for Humanity, Paterson Team HOPE, Paterson NAACP, Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity, Inc., and the Passaic County Democratic Committee. Best is happily married to wife Kyona, a Teacher at Passaic County Tech and father to a beautiful newborn daughter, Riley Marie Best.

Passaic County Democratic Candidate

for Surrogate

Bernice Toledo: Website www.toledo4surrogate.com/

Bernice Toledo is “Prepared today to serve tomorrow”.

Toledo is the Democratic candidate campaigning for the Passaic County Surrogate's Seat in the November 2011 election.

Toledo’s credentials are unparalleled. She holds degrees in law, business administration and communication arts. “I am an attorney who has spent a significant portion of my legal career addressing complex and sensitive family issues”, champions Toledo. A principle earned in her time as a law clerk in the Family Division addressing issues regarding minors, custody, and delinquency. As a Deputy Attorney General, representing the State’s prestigious Division of Law, Toledo provided legal representation to identify and assist with child safety issues. Her collaboration with the Work First New Jersey Substance Abuse Initiative provided families with the tools necessary to present children with safe and permanent homes. Toledo even advanced litigation involving guardians ad litem and child adoptions which were ultimately finalized in the Surrogate’s office. She represented the Board of Elections, too. There, she promoted the quick and uniform resolution of litigation that arose at different elections. She assured that only those persons who where appropriately permitted to vote did, while being careful that no voter was unjustly disenfranchised.

Toledo currently works to recuperate funds owed to Passaic County and its residents via child support enforcement. The fruits of her legal counsel has recuperated funds that reduce Passaic County's costs for many community programs. Some of those programs include, protection of senior citizens, financial assistance to the needy, family planning, and early medical diagnosis programs.

She was born and raised in Paterson, and is the daughter of parents who are celebrated community leaders. Her parents, Gerardo and Sinda Toledo are the founders and executive board members of the Spanish-American Federal Credit Union, a savings and loan institution that ultimately merged into what is now known as the North Jersey Federal Credit Union, headquartered in Totowa.

She has a demonstrated committment to the local area. She graduated from St. Mary's grammar school in Paterson and then achieved her high school diploma from Passaic County Technical Institute. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the neighboring William Paterson University and became a sister of Lamda Tau Omega Sorority, Inc.'s Coral Class. She completed her education at Seton Hall University's School of law where she earned a Juris Doctorate with Cum Laude honors.

Toledo tackles problems creatively, using untapped resources to achieve her goals. For example, she subsidized her advanced education through various sources. She worked full-time days as a Trade Investments Representive for the Castrol's Corporate Headquarters, while studying nights. She took advantage of the company's tuition-reimbursement program so that she completed two of her advanced degrees without owing a single dollar in student loans. Toledo subsidized the cost of her law school education through scholarship awards. Among them, she received:

Bernice Toledo is an experienced bilingual attorney with a thorough understanding of the court system. She completed the Justice Robert L. Clifford Inns of Court instruction as a certified Mediator. This skill helps to ease the cost of litigation on the court, and on its litigants who are often wrought with worry at the thought of unresolved legal problems. She has participated in multiple mediations in landlord/tenant actions, small claims court, and the child protection docket. Toledo has proven sensitivity in working with family issues and invests time in the development of our community.

Toledo leads by example. She is a committee member and speaker for the Women’s Leadership Consortium. Toledo was a volunteer for high-risk youth in the United Passaic Organization’s (UPO’s), Sink or Swim Program. She is the recipient of the 35th District’s, New Jersey Assembly Resolution for Women’s Leadership in Business.

Each step of her life is a testament to her resourcefulness. Berrnice Toledo, a professional and qualified attorney with a full command of the legal system who continuously works for her changing community to lead them through life’s challenges.