DELLA VOLLE & WHEELER LAUNCH 10th DISTRICT ASSEMBLY CHALLENGE WITH FIRST LADY TAMMY MURPHY
DELLAVOLLE & WHEELER LAUNCH 10th DISTRICT ASSEMBLY CHALLENGE WITH FIRST LADY TAMMY MURPHY
Democrats Vow to Fight for Ocean County’s Fair Share in Trenton
BRICK, NJ (June 24, 2018)—Eileen DellaVolle and Erin Wheeler, the Democratic candidates running to represent New Jersey 10th Legislative district in the New Jersey State General Assembly, officially launched their campaign Wednesday night with a fundraiser headlined by New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy at a private residence in Brick.
The First Lady pledged support for the campaign on behalf of herself and Gov. Phil Murphy, and commended Della Volle and Wheeler for the experience and qualifications they will bring to state government, and for taking on the challenge to improve Ocean County’s representation in Trenton.
“We are extremely honored and grateful to have the support of First Lady Tammy Murphy and the Gov. Murphy,” the candidates said. “Tammy Murphy’s leadership on environmental issues sets an example for the commitment and leadership we need in Ocean County to protect and preserve Barnegat Bay.”
DellaVolle, a Vice President of Business Development in the construction and engineering industry, and Wheeler, a public high school chemistry teacher and president of her local teachers’ union, are both residents of Brick Township. Brick is one of ten Ocean County communities that comprises the 10th District, where lack of leadership at the state level has resulted in devastating cuts in state school funding and a a local economy based on low-wage seasonal and service jobs that force residents to make long commutes to work for higher paying jobs. It has also resulted in failure to maintain the health of Barnegat Bay.
DellaVolle and Wheeler are running to fight for Ocean County’s fair share of funding from Trenton, to bring economic development and good paying jobs to the district, to restore the millions of dollars in state school funding Trenton slashed from the district, and to ensure the health and sustainability of Barnegat Bay.
“We are the forgotten people of New Jersey. When Trenton is fighting about millions of dollars of tax incentives for Camden or is pulling out all the stops to lure Amazon to Newark, who is fighting to bring economic opportunity, employment and redevelopment to Ocean County? We’re not even part of the conversation,” DellaVolle said. “Why are we not trying to attract a corporation to the district? Our residents spend many hours of their days commuting. We pay more than our fair share of the gas tax. We need our state to invest in our district. We need economic development, infrastructure investment and good local paying jobs,” DellaVolle said.
“Trenton slashed tens of millions of dollars in state school aid from our district based on an unfair formula that failed to factor in our disproportionately high special education costs and that we never recovered our tax base destroyed by Super Storm Sandy,” Wheeler said. “Our legislators should have been standing up for us. These cuts are going to result in severe reductions in staffing, resources and programming in our schools, but the reality is that our schools can’t absorb this. The taxpayers are going to be forced to pick up the tab to offset these losses. We don’t have anyone advocating for us in Trenton, and it hurts everybody,” Wheeler said.
DellaVolle and Wheeler have already knocked on hundreds of doors throughout the district and held the first of what will be an on-going series of Town Halls, from now until November, to meet with voters, hear their concerns and answer their questions. Information about attending the campaign kick-off event in Toms River and the fundraiser with First Lady Tammy Murphy in Brick can be found on the campaign Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dellavolleandwheelerforNJAssembly/
ABOUT New Jersey’s 10th Legislative District
New Jersey’s 10th Legislative District sits entirely within Ocean County. It is comprised of the municipalities of Brick, Bay Head, Island Heights, Lakehurst, Lavallette, Manchester, Mantoloking, Point Pleasant Beach, Seaside Heights and Toms River.
About Eileen DellaVolle & Erin Wheeler
Eileen Della Volle is a business development executive in the engineering and construction industry. She is widely recognized for her expertise in building small businesses into larger firms and advocating for improvements in state contracting processes to support small business, women and minority owned businesses. She has formed coalitions across vast sectors of business, government and community stakeholders, fostering community relations and advocating for diversity representation. This has made her one of the most respected and renowned professionals in her field. Eileen is a sought- after expert in public policy development and a leader for women in the construction and engineering industry.
Eileen is a Fellow of LEAD NJ and has served on the boards of the Southern Jersey Development Council, Women Build Council, Women Transportation Seminar, and is a member of the Society of Marketing Professionals. She was named one of the “Top 50 Women in Business” by NJBIZ Magazine and was the recipient of its “40 Under 40” award; earned the SMPS New York City Chapter Marketing Achievement Award; was named “Outstanding Woman” by the Women’s Building Council; and received an “Award in Excellence” in recognition of her commitment to maximizing contracting opportunities for woman and minority owned firms.
Eileen spent much of her life in Brick Township, where she currently resides. Her father was a disabled veteran who died when Eileen was young, and her family struggled with poverty and homelessness. Government and community programs allowed Eileen to obtain employment as a youth, earn a college degree, and overcome the disadvantages of her childhood. These experiences provided Eileen with deep insight into the crucial role of community and government in providing people with the support, opportunity and encouragement they need to strive for their own independence, success and security. They also motivated Eileen to a lifetime of political activism and to be a voice for the disenfranchised and under-represented. Eileen serves on the board of the Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey, on the Brick Planning Board, and is a former member of the Brick Board of Adjustment. She has a Bachelor’s degree in public administration from Kean University.
Erin Wheeler is a career educator who has taught high school chemistry and physics for 14 years. She currently teaches at the Monmouth County Vocational School District, where she is the president of the Monmouth County Vocational Education Association, her local teacher’s union. She is the chairperson of the NJEA Vocational Career and Technical Education Committee and is a member of the New Jersey Science Teachers Association and the Association of Chemistry Teachers. Erin has a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of New Jersey and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Georgian Court University.
Erin grew up in Hamilton, NJ and is the proud product of New Jersey public schools and a family with deep ties to the labor movement. Her mother is a retired teacher, her father was a union carpenter, and she grew up in an extended family that achieved middle class security through employment with unions and organized labor. As the president of her local, Erin represents teachers on issues ranging from disciplinary matters and health care concerns to contract negotiations, arbitration hearings and Donaldson hearings.
In addition to be an advocate for teachers, Erin is extremely active in advocating for vocational and technical education that offers students alternative career opportunities than college, promoting science education, and helping students navigate the current campaign of fake news undermining science. She also advocates for encouraging students to take an interest in government.
Erin has been interested in public service since high school, when she was enrolled in an elective honors level class that required students to volunteer for local candidates and host a mayoral debate. This class also included a trip to Washington, D.C. Later, she did a portion of her student teaching in Puerto Rico. She has worked to support Democratic candidates by organizing phone banks, canvasses and rallies. She is a member of Clean Ocean Action and currently serves as secretary of the Democratic Club of Brick.
