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Issues divide the candidates
(by Cindy Forrest - April 09, 2008)
On the heels of the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War Tom Wyka, a Democratic Congressional hopeful, has made a strategy for exiting the conflict in the Middle East a campaign issue here in New Jersey.
Wyka, a Parsippany resident, is one of three Democrats on the ballot for the June 3 primary. Harry Hager of Chester and Ellen Greenberg of Mendham Township also are vying for an opportunity to challenge Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, who recently announced his plan to seek an eighth term as the representative for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional district.
Four years ago, as a newcomer to the political arena, the Democratic candidate tried unsuccessfully to unseat Frelinghuysen. Of the 56 municipalities in the district, Wyka garnered support in traditionally Democratic pockets of Morris County - Dover, Victory Gardens and Morristown. He also won a narrow victory in the Essex County town of Livingston.
Now, once again, Wyka is seeking a chance to beat the incumbent Republican in the November general election.
Taking a stand on the war
The ongoing war is an issue that sharply divides the two parties nationally and the two candidates locally. And it is where Wyka is making his stand by joining 19 other candidates nationwide in calling for sweeping reforms in the way the federal government is executing its foreign policy in the Middle East.
“Nearly 4,000 Americans and countless Iraqis have lost their lives since the beginning of this misguided war. In-stead of focusing on simple-minded rhetoric,” Wyka said, “it is time that we find real solutions to end the conflict and bring our troops home.”
The seven-point plan that he is endorsing primarily proposes to end U.S. military action in Iraq and to replace military presence with a strong diplomacy. It also calls for placing a stronger focus on addressing human rights; restoring domestic rights eroded by the current administration; restoring our military by removing contract employ-ees; restoring independence to the media; and creating a new, U.S.-focused energy policy that begins to wean us off foreign oil.
In addition the plan calls for the restoration of benefits to service personnel, ensuring that servicemen and women benefit from the G.I. Bill, and from a reformed Veterans Administration.
Frelinghuysen said that he had not seen the plan Wyka is endorsing so he couldn’t comment on it but he did offer his perspective.
“Every American wants our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to be as safe as possible. I work towards that goal every day,” he said, “however, I remain equally as focused on ensuring the success of our mission.”
The congressman said that what he believes the people in his district really want to hear about is the economy. “People are concerned about their mortgages going up and the rising prices of gas and food. That’s the issue we need to be talking about.”
Wyka agrees that there are other issues that have to be addressed. The housing crisis is a concern,” he said. “It’s atrocious what was lent to people who couldn’t afford it. I’d rather see some type of moratorium to help homeown-ers than a rush to bailout a big Wall Street company like Bear Stearns.”
Wyka also has some strong opinions about the medical industry.
“Healthcare is a huge issue,” he said. “The costs are getting out of control and a lot of people are coming to the realization that we need to fix the system. One thing that can't be denied is that the U.S. spends nearly twice as much as any other industrialized nation, and gets worse results, with regard to its availability and affordability. Case in point, bankruptcy due to healthcare expenses is practically unheard of in other countries.”
The local candidate will try again.
A native of Clifton, Wyka, his wife and two children moved to the Troy Hills section of Parsippany 15 years ago. A graduate of Bucknell University, he went on to receive an MBA from Seton Hall University. Wyka works as a project manager for a banking software company in Springfield.
The last time he ran for Congress, Wyka had a very limited budget so he called on Frelinghuysen to cap his spending based, “on principle.” This time around, Wyka hopes that he will be able to raise campaign contributions in the six-figure range.
In the same style as presidential candidate Barack Obama, Wyka is reaching out to young voters via such Internet sites as You Tube and Facebook.
On the Republican side, Frelinghuysen, a resident of Harding, is a member of a family long prominent in New Jersey politics. He is the son of Peter Hood Ballantine Frelinghuysen Jr., great-great grandson of Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, and great-great-great nephew of Theodore Frelinghuysen, who each represented New Jersey in Congress.
He graduated from Hobart College in 1969, enlisted in the Army and served with the 93rd Engineer Battalion in the Vietnam. After his military service, Frelinghuysen worked for the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders until 1974 when he was elected as a freeholder.
In 1983, he was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly from the 26th district until he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994.
As a member of the 110th Congress, he serves as New Jersey's senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and on two appropriations subcommittees: Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, of which he is the ranking member, and Defense. He is also a member of the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel.
Cindy Forrest can be contacted at: forrestc@northjersey.com.
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