As voters prepare to go to the polls in less than two months in the Garden State, a group of local Democratic municipal officials across the state have been working to build a political group that ensures the local voice is amplified in national politics, Democratic Municipal Officials (DMO), New Jersey. Democrats kicked-off the Democratic National Convention and National DMO announced East Orange Council Member Chris James was elected as Chair of the DMO New Jersey (DMO NJ) State Chapter.

James leads DMO NJ and joins a group of influential Democratic leaders from around the country. There are over 20 state chapters across the nation and DMOs in each state and territory of the United States. DMO is the largest association of elected officials within the Democratic National Committee (DNC). This year DMO celebrates ten years as an organization.

“There is so much work to be done. We are close to 60 days until the Presidential election and local elected officials are going to play a huge role in educating voters not only about who to vote for up-and-down the ticket for but how to vote in these unprecedented times. We will also have to explore ways to deal with the issues our cities face with even fewer resources than usual, explained Chair James.

“We saw a need to revive the NJ state chapter that has been dormant for a few years. DMO NJ helps me reach out to colleagues in other cities so I can share best practices, talk through what works in other communities and see what is out there so I can bring that back to my hometown. This is especially important as local leaders are not only dealing with COVID and racial justice issues, but city budgets slashed by a stymied by a   listless revenue stream” said DMO Vice Chair and Red Bank Council Member Ed Zipprich.

Other DMO NJ leaders include:

Trenton Council Member Jerell Blakeley – Labor Chair

Clinton Council Member Michael Humphreys – Communications Chair

Detroit Council Member Scott Benson currently serves as the National DMO President. He heads the DMO Board made up of Mayors and City Council Members from all over the United States and he holds a voting seat on the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

DMO is an affiliate of the DNC. They represent municipal elected officials who personally identify as members of the Democratic Party even if they hold non-partisan seats. They hold three seats on the DNC and its leaders advocate for the thousands of local elected Democrats across the United States. Their mission is to bring a local voice to national political issues and a national voice to local political issues.

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Democratic Municipal Officials is the largest network of elected officials within the Democratic Party. The organization is an association of the Democratic National Committee, and advocates for the nation’s 40,000 mayors, city council members, and other elected leaders serving our municipalities.