NJ: Buono Running Mate Not Garnering Raves

Off To A Bad Start

In Milly Silva’s First Week On The Campaign, Barbara Buono’s Choice For Lieutenant Governor Is Raising A Growing Number Of Troubling Issues

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NJ TV’s Mike Schneider: “It was supposed to be a fresh start, the kind of announcement that could jump start the gubernatorial campaign of Senator Barbara Buono. But it seems that her decision to run with Milly Silva has become a central issue in and of itself.” (NJ TV’s “NJ Today,” 8/1/13)

ALLEGATIONS OF “RETALIATORY AND DISCRIMINATORY ACTIONS”

In A Lawsuit Filed In Essex County, Silva Is Accused Of Having An Employee Of 1199 SEIU Fired After Challenging Silva In An Election For Her Leadership Position. “A lawsuit filed this year in Essex County offers another perspective on Silva's role as a leader. Odette Machado, a former staff member for New Jersey Service Employees International Union Local 1199, which Silva leads, claims that Silva defeated her in a contentious union election and then, in retaliation, fired her the next day. … “After Machado lost the election, she claimed the ‘voting process appeared suspicious’ and appealed to a union board. The board split its vote about whether the election should be overturned, handing the election to Silva, the suit says. … The next day, June 30, 2006, Machado was fired and denied two weeks of pay. Machado filed suit, and in a partial settlement won back her severance.” (Matt Katz, “Views emerge on Buono running mate Milly Silva,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/1/13)
     · “Machado alleges that in 2006, Silva took ‘a series of retaliatory and discriminatory actions’ after it became clear that she planned to challenge Silva for the presidency. Machado claims she was demoted without warning and given impractical assignments in the existing administrative position she held. "In short,’ the suit alleges, ‘Silva made it impossible for the plaintiff to complete her job and campaign effectively.’”

LACK OF EXPERIENCE

The Star-Ledger’s Tom Moran: “It was [Barbara Buono’s] first big decision, and it was a clunker.” (Tom Moran, “Milly Silva is a grand pick, but not for this job,” Star-Ledger, 7/30/13)
     · “We can turn later to the horrendously bad judgment Sen. Barbara Buono showed by picking her as a running mate.”
     · “View this choice through a narrow political lens, and it makes sense. Buono has almost no money, and has generated no excitement.”
     · “So what’s wrong with this choice? The answer is that Silva is not remotely qualified to be governor of New Jersey.  She has never held public office -- not as a legislator, not as a school board member, not even as an appointed advisor.”
South Jersey Times: “Thoroughly baffling Milly is Barbara Buono's choice” (Editorial, “Thoroughly baffling Milly is Barbara Buono's choice,” South Jersey Times , 7/30/13)
NJ TV’s Michael Aron: “Buono might have scored more points with this selection if it had been somebody of more stature in state politics. … A mayor … might have moved the meter a little bit more than ‘Milly Who’.” (NJ TV’s “Reporters Roundtable,” 7/27/13)

FAILURE TO VOTE

PolitickerNJ: “Buono's LG Votes Sporadically, According To Records” (Matthew Arco, “Buono's LG Votes Sporadically, According To Records,”PolitickerNJ,8/1/13)
     · Silva Failed To Vote In Either The Primary Or General Election In 2009. (Essex County Clerk’s Office, Election Record Information, Accessed: 7/29/13)
     · Silva Also Failed To Vote In The 2007 & 2011 General Elections. (Essex County Clerk’s Office, Election Record Information, Accessed: 7/29/13)
“Silva Was Not Even A Registered Democrat Until 2012 When She Switched From Unaffiliated To The Democratic Party.” (Matthew Arco, “Buono's LG Votes Sporadically, According To Records,”PolitickerNJ, 8/1/13)
     · The Buono Campaign Defended Silva By Arguing She Was Unaware Of Her Registration Status. “Silva, according to the Buono campaign, says her previous unaffiliated status was an error. ‘It was brought to her attention at the convention that they didn’t have her as a Democrat,’ said Buono spokesman David Turner, referring to Silva being a New Jersey delegate at the 2012 Democratic National Committee.”

OPEN HOSTILITY TO SMALL BUSINESS

The New Jersey Chapter Of The National Federation Of Independent Business “This is an unmistakable message to small business in New Jersey that big labor is going to have the run of the Statehouse …” (Tom Zanki, “Business Groups Wary Of Buono's Expected Running Mate,” NJBIZ, 7/27/13)
     · “Silva is a longtime union organizer and president of the SEIU Local 1199 — the organization is one of the most ideological political forces within the union movement, and has led fights in every state and in Washington, D.C., for policies that concern small-business owners."
     · “This is [Senator Buono’s] first important decision as a candidate for Governor and it very clearly signals that she has already taken sides in future debates in which small business owners will have an interest … It’s very troubling and I think unfortunate for the business community in New Jersey.” (National Federation of Independent Business, “Small Business Worries about Labor Organizer on Gubernatorial Ticket,” Press Release, 7/29/13)
The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce: "We have concerns about the lieutenant governor candidate in tandem with the governor. The track record doesn't leave a positive feeling.” (Tom Zanki, “Business Groups Wary Of Buono's Expected Running Mate,” NJBIZ, 7/27/13)