Craig Cayetano Calling on Ward 3 to  Sign Candidate Petition for November’s Special Election

Craig Cayetano, 2019’s Independent Green Party Candidate for Hawthorne’s Ward 3, announced on social media a few months ago that he intended to run again for Town Council in this fall’s Special Election. Sadly, this seat in Ward 3 opened up due to the untimely passing of Garret Sinning after the election last fall. The seat is being filled temporarily by Michael Sciarra.

Cayetano was waiting for the 2020 petitions and the number of signatures required to be released. Then on April 8th, due to circumstances surrounding Covid-19, learned that Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 120 changed the primary and due date for Independent Candidate petitions. That date was pushed back to Tuesday, July 7th at 4:00pm. Unlike Hawthorne’s Democratic and Republican Parties, who are allowed to appoint a candidate to the Special Election, Cayetano was informed that he would need to collect signatures to appear on the ballot in November, another hurdle he faces due to filing as an independent candidate.

Normally, door to door collecting wouldn’t be an issue, but because of the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 and ongoing sensitive times, Cayetano will be forced to utilize an online petition link to attain the required numbers. His campaign will also utilize a QR code to allow for door to door contact-less collection and finally, for those comfortable with it, a traditional paper petition. Cayetano said, “We ran an amazing campaign last year! It brought our town together to embrace and include everyone on local issues. I have maintained that energy and continue to be out in our community during Covid-19. I attend Hawthorne council meetings online and have been providing mutual aid support to people in town and across Passaic County. So, in this last month, I will need all of our supporters in Ward 3 to help to secure enough signatures so I can be on the ballot this fall.”

Governor Murphy allowed candidates to utilize an emailed petition link to secure the signatures for this year’s elections and the New Jersey Green Party candidates for Town Council, US Senate and President/Vice President are all working hard to reach their objectives. Signing on a petition does not mandate a vote for them. The process is secure. A signature is solely designed to ensure that a candidate’s name will appear on the ballot on November 3rd.

Here are the links to Craig Cayetano’s petition, as well as the other Green Party candidates petitions in New Jersey:

Cayetano4council-https://www.cayetano4council.com/candidate_petition

Hoffman For Senate 2020-https://www.hoffmanforsenate.com/petition

Howie Hawkins/Angela Walker For President & Vice President- http://hawkins20.us/NJPetition

Finally, all petition signatures must be submitted to the Passaic County Clerk’s office by Tuesday, July 7th at 4:00pm. “It is inspiring to see our community supporting each other, our elderly, those immunocompromised and our local businesses, during the COVID crisis. I am glad that everyone is coming together to stay positive and safe. I thank you all for supporting our race last year and look forward to working together to win in 2020! I am committed to our town and will run next year for an At-Large seat, if need be,” said Cayetano.

You can check out more about the campaign at its website: Cayetano4council.com, Facebook: Cayetano4council, Instagram: @Cayetano4council and Twitter: @Green4Ward3