Businesswoman Linda T. Barba of Fort Lee today announced her candidacy for Bergen County executive. “I want to restore Bergen County to a place where our residents feel safe in all areas of their lives – physically, mentally, and economically,” said Barba, a 40-year-resident of the county, and a Republican. “We have seen our elected officials from Trenton to Washington to Hackensack, year after year, fail our families. It’s time for new people and new ideas to shake up One Bergen County Plaza and start to help businesses and families recover from the pandemic and protect our residents.”

Public safety is always on the minds of residents across Bergen County. Barba commented, “All
you need to do is read the news to see we are facing many issues with public safety. From pedestrian safety to crime, I am committed to working with and supporting our hard-working men and women in law enforcement to ensure that our county is a place where we can all feel safe.”

Barba has a passion for supporting nonprofits helping an array of causes ranging including cancer research, children’s health, medical centers, religious affiliation, local communities, family services, mental health, and women’s organizations. Barba stated, “I am proud to have helped raise more than $2 million to support these causes. I know the impact that nonprofits can have in their communities. I want to take that passion and knowledge to ensure Bergen County is doing everything it can to support those that need an extra hand.”

Barba, whose diverse background of running, managing, and supporting small businesses has given her insight on the real struggles of running a local business added, “From large corporations like Mondelez (Nabisco) fleeing towns like Fair Lawn, to mom-and-pop shops closing on main streets, we see daily the failed policies of those… in the County Executive’s Office and a lack of will to defend Bergen against the even worse policies of Trenton!”

Working in real estate, Barba has seen first-hand one of the key issues impacting New Jersey and especially Bergen County, lack of affordability. “Our families can no longer afford to stay here in Bergen County. From our kids returning home from college to our seniors in their golden age, staying in Bergen County is becoming an impossible dream and we are losing talent. I am committed to work with every tool at my disposal but more importantly, holding accountable every elected official from Trenton to Washington in pushing policies that benefit our families and end this cycle of taxation and inflation.”

There are other Republican candidates in the contest to unseat incumbent Democratic Bergen Jim Tedesco, including Todd Caliguire, Paul Duggan, and Tim Walsh.