Bayonne candidate for Mayor, Jason O’Donnell, today announced community advocate Melissa Enriquez-Rada as the latest candidate to join his ticket. She joins Dan Ward and Kevin Kuhl on O’Donnell’s ticket for the May election and will be running as an at-large candidate.

Enriquez-Rada has served as the President of the Rotary Club of Bayonne since 2016, she is an assistant teacher for The Artists Avenue organization and promoter for High Tech High School’s Performing Arts programs.  Previously, she served as John M. Bailey’s PTA President and is a former member of the Bayonne Women’s club.  She is a two-time recipient of the Bayonne Board of Education’s Sharing is Caring Award and received the Rotary International Walter D. Head Award this year. 

“I’m blessed to work with so many throughout Bayonne whose sole focus is on improving our city and I’m thankful to have the opportunity to serve both my local and international communities,” said Enriquez-Rada.  “I’m proud to stand with Jason O’Donnell and the rest of our team because I know our only goal is to fight for Bayonne taxpayers and to make a better future for all of our residents.  I have seen so many people in my travels who do not have the ability to be a voice in their own community and I am looking forward to the opportunity to work towards a better future for our city and everyone who lives here.” 

Enriquez-Rada would be the first to say that her life revolves around her strong faith in Jesus Christ. She loves to serve both in local and international communities with her church, Global Harvest Fellowship.  Since 2007, her ongoing international project has been The Blessed to Bless medical and infrastructure missions in the Philippines.  Most recently, the Blessed to Bless team traveled to break ground and start the building process for an orphanage.

“Melissa Enriquez-Rada is a tremendous addition to our team,” said Jason O’Donnell.  “Melissa understands better than most that public service is sacrifice for the good of community and her work as an advocate is indicative of that sacrifice.  I am looking forward to working with her to get our message of character and commitment to our city out to voters in advance of Election Day so we can establish a path in Bayonne that doesn’t include huge tax breaks for rich developers that mortgage our kid’s futures.”   

Enriquez-Rada works as a realtor, massage therapist and insurance agent and she and her husband, Adel Rada, have four beautiful children, Ariel, Mikaela, Zachary and Katrina.