Election Profile: Matthew Filosa For NJ 30 General Assembly

HOWELL, NJ — Come Nov. 2 Howell residents will get to cast their votes for two candidates to fill the legislative district 30 General Assembly seats.

Incumbent Republicans Sean Kean and Edward Thomson will be challenged by Democrats Stephen Dobbins and Matthew Filosa.

Filosa, 21, is a college student, graduating in the fall semester of 2021 with a bachelor's degree in political science, minoring in homeland security.

He is also State Council Chair of the NJ College Democrats and was appointed in January to the Howell Township Farmer’s Advisory Committee.

Filosa writes a political column for the Monmouth University newspaper, The Outlook, and is a member of Monmouth University's policy debate team.

Are you running for local office in 2021? Contact Catarina Moura at catarina.moura@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Patch.

READ MORE: Howell 2021 Election: Who's Running, All The Ways To Vote

Why are you running for office?

I am running because we need new leaders who work to actually represent the constituents of LD 30. The people deserve to know who their representatives are. If a voter cannot name their state representatives it is not their fault but rather a failure of incumbent leaders who have chosen to be absent. As an Eagle Scout, I learned what the rigors of leadership entail and will harness those skills in being an advocate for building a better community and elevating those around us to live their best lives. Leadership is not about titles and power but a duty to your people, and that is where I shall dedicate my energy. Also, it is important to give a voice to the hard-working folks of our area. We do need to shake things up a bit regardless of who controls power and show that ordinary people are not to be taken for granted. The people deserve to have a representative who will listen to them, inform them, and represent them.

What are some of the important issues you are running on?

Our platform is to bring blue-collar jobs back to LD 30. By making infrastructure investments such as in solar and wind energy right here in our district we will employ thousands in trade jobs to work on them. We are here to preserve our open space and farmland by utilizing them for solar fields to prevent overdevelopment, support our local farmers and preserve the natural beauty of the area. All of this will bolster our economy because with new employment residents will be spending in the local economy. We also want to address the issue of education. This area is a working-class area, not everyone needs to go to college. Trade jobs are crucial to our future and making the investment in vocational and trade education will open up more opportunities for our students to jump right into employment in these new fields. And lastly, we must address the issue of property taxes. New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the country and it is a concern for everyone. While property tax rates are determined by local governing bodies, in the legislature we will work to cut red tape and bureaucracy so taxpayers can realize some savings.

What is the most important issue facing your constituency and how do you plan to deal with it?

The most important issues are the ones raised in our platform. People care about having good paying jobs, strong infrastructure, quality education for their kids, a vibrant local economy and relief in their property taxes. Our platform connects each of these together. By addressing any one of these issues, the other issues are being addressed as well. Again, by investing in vocational education and infrastructure projects, we will have a workforce that is boosting our economy. Local businesses are being supported and by reducing red tape we can help taxpayers.

Why should you be elected over other candidates?

Voters should vote for me because leadership matters. For years people have been voting for the same incumbents and nothing is changing. It is business as usual, and nothing is getting done. This is beyond party politics, this is about having leaders who are engaged in the community and active in seeking to make it better. If voters cannot name their representatives, then what are the representatives doing? We offer a different path, one that is built on dialogue and dedication. We do not have to agree on every issue but we sure will agree that good leadership matters at the end of the day. I am here to be there for the constituents of this district to listen to them and represent them. People want something different but are getting the same business as usual results. We are better than this. We are faced with a choice to either go for leaders who are stuck in the past or new ideas and new people that will bring us to the future.