FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 16, 2022

DOVER BOARD OF EDUCATION VICE PRESIDENT KAROL RUIZ AND FORMER ALDERMAN MARCOS TAPIA LAUNCH PRIMARY CHALLENGE TO DEMOCRAT INCUMBENTS

DOVER, N.J. – In what is expected to be the first heated primary race in Morris County after redistricting, Karol Ruiz and Marcos Tapia kick-off the campaign season at Laura’s Coffee & Restaurant, a Latina-owned business in Dover’s downtown. Ruiz and Tapia are running for the 3rd Ward and 4th Ward Board of Aldermen seats, respectively.

“Dover is the only majority Democrat town in Morris County. We remain in the 25th District after the legislative apportionment process. After redistricting, Morris County is more competitive now than it has been in decades. Marcos and I are excited to get out the vote not just for the Board of Aldermen but for all positions, especially now that we have been redistricted back into the 11th Congressional District.” said Ruiz. The redistricting process almost excluded Ruiz from the race, as the Dover Municipal Clerk presented a ward map that moved Ruiz and other candidates out of their respective wards. After an outcry from several Dover residents, a map with minimal changes was adopted, leaving Ruiz in the 3rd Ward.

Ruiz has lived in Dover for the majority of her life. She is an immigrant from Colombia and a CWA union member. Dover is a working-class community that heavily supports union labor.

Similarly, Tapia is an immigrant from Mexico who raised his three sons in Dover and is a 32BJ union member. “As a union member, my concerns are the payments to contractors, lawyers, and consultants that overshadow the unionized workforce in our town,” said Tapia. In one of his last votes as an Aldermen, Tapia voted against a proposal for luxury apartments in Dover.

Ruiz and Tapia are running on a platform of responsible redevelopment in a time of new construction in Dover.

“Dover is at a Crossroads,” said Campaign Co-Manager Fernando Barrios, “The municipal clerk tried to drastically redistrict our community, the County Commissioners failed to approve the purchase of voting machines in time, and we will have new locations for voting polls. Both the former town administration and the new town administration have proposed new apartment complexes without community input or support. This campaign will have to be won by Vote By Mail ballots, all the way from the Congresswoman, to new Commissioners, to Ruiz and Tapia for Dover’s Board of Aldermen.”