'Unity' is Keyword of Young Candidate's Campaign

Modern-day politics might seem rife with divisiveness, but township committee candidate Matthew Paterno says the keyword of his campaign is unity.

Democrat Paterno will vie for Committeewoman Kathy Fitzpatrick’s open seat this fall, while Fitzpatrick will seek a third term on committee.

At just 25 years old, this is Paterno’s first bid for public office. He does, however, have a fairly extensive political background, including involvement in various campaigns—for example, Burlington City Mayor Jim Fazzone’s 2011 campaign—and is active in student government at Rutgers Camden, where he is currently attending.

Paterno—who is interning at Merrill Lynch and hopes to continue a career there after he graduates this year—was elected to the Burlington County Democratic Committee last June, and now serves as chair for Cinnaminson.

“I was a young person looking to get involved, who had spent time ... working on campaigns, learning the process, meeting with people,” he said. “Since that time, I’ve been spending quite a bit of time just building up my party.”

Paterno initially said his party was in need of revitalizing when he came on board, but then walked back that comment and suggested the Democratic Party is stronger than some might believe.

“The fact of the matter is there are hardy Democrats everywhere in Cinnaminson ... Despite the fact that we do live in a heavily Republican area,” he said.

But again, Paterno, a member of the Palmyra Riverton Cinnaminson Rotary, is hoping to move beyond the traditional Democrats vs. Republicans narrative in his campaign. Since moving to Cinnaminson a few years ago, he said he’s “come to love my town.”

So instead of red vs. blue, he said, the discourse should be about “all of us getting together and continuing to make Cinnaminson a great place to call home. The keyword here is unity ... There’s nothing I believe in more, especially as a young person who has become involved.”

As for the naysayers, the ones who think Paterno is too young or too inexperienced to hold office, well, he doesn’t see it the same way (obviously).

“The bottom line is, you can’t say to someone, just because you don’t have experience, or ample experience, right now, that you shouldn’t be given an opportunity,” he said. “Because without the opportunity, there is no experience. Fundamentally speaking, it doesn’t work.”

In the coming days, Paterno plans to release a statement clarifying his platform. He said he looks forward to election season and wished Fitzpatrick “the best of luck as we vie for this indispensable role in this great town.

“If come November’s election, the community selects me to serve as a member of township committee,” he added, “the best way I can put it is there’s nothing I look forward to more than collaborating with my future colleagues.”