Atlantic County Our Revolution has voted to endorse Celeste Fernandez and Caren Fitzpatrick for Atlantic County Freeholder At-Large.

“Atlantic County Our Revolution is excited to announce its first endorsements of the 2020 election season for Celeste and Caren,” noted Mico Lucide, Chair of Atlantic County Our Revolution. “We took our time and considered carefully our first round of endorsements. We have no intention of offering endorsement to any candidate just because they are on the left; our goal and our responsibility is to endorse those that prove to be progressive champions in our community. We are pleased to support Celeste and Caren, and look forward to working with them to enact the progressive change that the people of our county need.”

Caren Fitzpatrick has an existing record of pushing progressive ideals in her current role as Freeholder At-Large. As a supporter of green energy, she has used her voice to call for phasing out gas-powered county vehicles in favor of green energy vehicles. As a supporter of immigrants and the latinx community, she has pushed back against conservative attempts to deepen the involvement of ICE in our county’s handling of undocumented residents. As an advocate for participation in our democracy, she has successfully encouraged the Freeholder Board to host some of their regular meetings at 6 pm, instead of at 4 pm, which many working class people have difficulty attending.

“I believe that all people should have the basic necessities of life,” said Freeholder Fitzpatrick, “medical care, economic, racial and educational equality, and a decent place to live.”

After coming close to unseating Frank Formica in 2018, Celeste Fernandez is on the ballot this year challenging John Risley for Freeholder At-Large. Having been a part of UNITE HERE, and currently a small business owner and community activist, Fernandez has demonstrated her commitment to bringing the voice of the working class and under-served communities to the Freeholder Board. She has been deeply involved in the Latinx community in Atlantic County. She was active in efforts in Atlantic City to have more representative police department leadership, and she organized against a Freeholder resolution regarding ICE’s involvement in the county — a resolution which caused confusion and fear in the immigrant community. She recognizes the need to balance sustainable economic development with enriching workers to keep the working class from being pushed out of their communities as risks of gentrification rise. An important part of her campaign for Freeholder is connecting the community with our government.

“I don’t just want to be a candidate,” said Fernandez, “I want to continue being a leader that fights for social justice. As Progressives, we get things done. We go above and beyond to see equality in our county. Taking care of everyone in our county must be our priority.”

Atlantic County Our Revolution’s endorsement process includes an application, candidate interview, committee recommendation, and general membership vote before any endorsement is finalized. A decision on whether to endorse in the NJ CD-2 race, or who to endorse in that race, is expected to be decided at the next general membership meeting.

Atlantic County Our Revolution (ACOR) is a grassroots movement that exists to create positive change and foster progressive values throughout Atlantic County by educating & engaging communities; to seek out and uplift progressive candidates at every level who are committed to ending inequality and injustice; and to develop local progressive priorities and direct actions to continue the push for a just society. It is a local chapter of Our Revolution, a national organization devoted to electing progressive champions, transforming the Democratic party, and winning issue-oriented fights.