Trump’s Firing of State Department Inspector General prompts Democratic candidate to call for greater dialog in New Jersey’s 4th district

RED BANK Congressional hopeful David Applefield launched today his vision for promoting greater dialog and conversation on urgent issues of both local and national importance. Claiming that the Trump firing on Friday of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, who has been investigating claims of Secretary Mike Pompeo’s aleged abuse of power, triggered an idea that has been brewing for awhile,” Applefield said. ”

“Let’s invite Steve Linick to come talk to us in New Jersey as part of a robust and ongoing series of live, open discussions with topical leaders in government, business, civic society, and the arts,” candidate Applefield suggested. His platform includes launching and funding an idea called the NJ4 Public Ideas Forum which will host open dialog encounters in selected public venues across his district in central New Jersey. The Forum is part of a larger plan for increasing participatory democracy, stimulating public awareness of important issues in both local and national life, and vitalizing a part of central New Jersey that he says has been “deprived of fresh thinking and innovative energy” for a long time. This is a direct reference to the “culture of absence” surrounding incumbent Rep. Chris Smith, a Republican, who has represented NJ4 since 1981, and who has often been tagged for his notoriously sparse presence in his district. Smith lives in Virginia but maintains a property in Hamilton Township.

“This camel has a very strong back,” Applefield remarked, referred to the accumulation of offensive and morally questionable acts committed by the president. “The Trump firing of a career State Department inspector tasked to keep accountable the workplace controlled by the president’s zealot Mike Pompeo, goes too far,” Applefield added. Beyond the political objections being voiced by Nancy Pelosi and others, I think that we need to help our citizens take back a loud and vigilent voice. A responsible electorate must be both informed and vocal, and by creating the NJ4 Public Ideas Forum as a high-visibility venue for pubic discourse we’ll be making a great contribution to the strengthening our system via the part of democracy that is supposed to be the most sacred: the participation of concerned citizens. We need to bring topical leaders to our district to talk to us, to share best practices, and to answer questions,” says Applefield. “NJ4 will lead by example.”

One event planner commented that the Ideas Forum could be housed in rotating settlings around the district and possibly include the renowned Two Rivers Theater in Monmouth County’s Red Bank, the historic Grafton House in Hamilton Township in Mercer County, and the Strand Theater in Lakewood in Ocean County. The forum would be part of a package of ideas designed to stimulate both the mind and the entrepreneurial spirit of central New Jersey.

The highly vocal Democrat from Red Bank, Applefield, a journalist and publisher, believes he can win the Primary on July 7 although he does not hold the coveted “on the line” slots of the ballot. “In NJ4 we will elevate discussion to new levels here, and we will actively include students and senior citizens,” The NJ4 Public Idea Forum, Applefield said, is just one of many innovations to stimulate both cultural life and the local economy. “There is a lot of creativity ‘off the line’, and the NJ4 Public Ideas Forum is just the beginning.

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