(Somerville NJ) – Democrat Maria Rodriguez , a small business owner and long time community advocate has announced her candidacy for Somerville Borough Council. ” We need fresh ideas and a new perspective  on our Council. I am ready to be that voice that will usher in a new era in our local government” says Rodriguez. She will be running in this year’s Democratic primary election on June 8th with the hopes of winning and running in the general election this November.

Rodriguez is the founder of Care Counseling Center, a clinic which provides mental health counseling to children and families struggling emotionally and behaviorally . Dr. Rodriguez has a long resume of academic credentials including 18 years as a college professor in the field of psychology. She earned her PHD from Capella University and Masters Degree from William Paterson University. Some of her non-profit work in the community includes the New Jersey Latino Advisory Council and founder of Future Knowledge for Women, an organization dedicated to ensuring underprivileged girls are not overlooked in their quests. She was also a 2011 recipient of the Unsung Shero and Hero Award.

If elected, Rodriguez would be the first latina elected to town council. “This is important to me. We need more diversity and inclusion on our Borough Council. For too long it’s been the same people that look and think the same. By electing a latina and a woman, we would be sending a message that diversity counts.”

Currently the governing body, which includes Council and Mayor is 85% White / Caucasian and includes only 1 woman and 1 African American out of 7 positions.  Maria believes her election is sorely needed and would create the proper balance of representation on Council.

Her platform includes keeping property taxes stable, exploring shared service agreements with other towns and stabilizing small businesses. ” We need better transparency when it comes to our local government. We also need an all hands on deck approach to the COVID Pandemic, ensuring we are keeping borough employees and residents safe” says Rodriguez.