Rockaway Borough Chair Julia Gillies Endorses Dawkins for State Senate

ROCKAWAY, NJ — Rockaway Borough Municipal Chairwoman Julia Gillies has endorsed Cliff Dawkins for State Senate. Gillies, who has had two adult children in mental health facilities over forty times in the past twelve years, has been a mental health advocate in New Jersey for over a decade. She released the following statement:

“After careful consideration and speaking with all the candidates for State Senate, I have chosen to stand behind Cliff Dawkins.

There is a major problem in our state’s mental health facilities. I have spoken with Cliff and learned that over the course of his life, Cliff has lost over a dozen friends, relatives, and classmates to suicide. He also has professional experience with Trauma-Informed Care. Because of this combination of his lived and professional experience, I know that Cliff will advocate hard for reform in New Jersey’s mental healthcare laws. Cliff has the passion and drive to bring unity to our community and help us make the necessary changes.

Mental health advocacy has been the passion of my life for the better part of a decade, but I can’t continue in this fight alone. I and families like mine need a strong advocate in Trenton who will use all the skills at their disposal to deliver results on this issue.

Right now, there are bipartisan bills that have lain dormant in our state legislature for over ten years – bills that could reform our mental healthcare facilities and help those suffering from mental illness lead full and productive lives. We’ve seen egregious cases of violence and vital medication mismanagement at state facilities like Greystone.

We need to address the mental healthcare crisis now. That’s why I’m supporting Cliff Dawkins. I know that he is exactly the advocate that families like mine need in Trenton.”

Cliff Dawkins is a Democratic Candidate for State Senate in the LD25 Special Election. Dawkins is an attorney specializing in Labor and Employment law. He also serves on several professional organization and nonprofit boards, including the Urban League of Morris County, the Garden State Bar Association-Young Lawyers Division, the National Bar Association-Young Lawyers Division, and the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Civil Practice.

Cliff Dawkins resides in Rockaway Borough with his wife and their two children.

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