Sierra Club Endorses Mahmoud and Quesada for State Assembly in the 32nd District

The New Jersey Sierra Club today is announcing their endorsement of Mahmoud Mahmoud and Roger Quesada for State Assembly in New Jersey’s 32nd Legislative District. Their mission is that the people of New Jersey need working-class champions of environmental, social and racial justice in order to thrive.

“We support and strongly endorse Roger Quesada and Mahmoud Mahmoud for state assembly because they are a green team who support a strong environmental agenda. We need leadership in Trenton when it comes to dealing with climate change, dealing with toxic sites, and getting lead out of water. This district has succumbed to harmful air quality and environmental justice issues that need to be taken care of. There is a laundry list of environmental issues that need to be fixed and we believe both candidates are up for the task,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

Roger Quesada was born in North Bergen. His lifelong burden with allergies and asthma is one of the main reasons Roger decided to become so passionate about the environment and climate change.Roger has been a champion of a range of progressive issues like climate change, social/racial justice, immigrant/human dignity and LGBTQI policies.

“I have been a dedicated activist my entire adult life focused on environmental and social justice issues,” said Roger Quesada. “With the help of Sierra Club and others I look forward to bringing people together on the most pressing issues – like climate change – to find real solutions.”

Mahomoud Mahmoud grew up in Parsippany, New Jersey. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from William Patterson University and a Master’s degrees in Public Policy/Public Service from Arkansas University. Mahmoud worked for the UN in Cairo and then became the director of an immigrant and refugee program based in Jersey City.

“I have been an outspoken critic of the North Bergen Power Plant at many meetings, and have also been involved with the protests pertaining to the Keegan Landfill,” said Mahomoud Mahmoud. “I have also brought awareness to impacts in low income neighborhoods pertaining to environmental justice as my time as an organizer in Jersey City. I am proud to have the Sierra Club’s endorsement, and look forward to work with Sierra Club and others to provide a healthy environment for everyone in this district and throughout the state.”

New Jersey’s 32nd Legislative District is one of 40 districts that make up the map for the New Jersey Legislature. It encompasses the Bergen County boroughs of Edgewater and Fairview and the Hudson County municipalities of East Newark, Guttenberg, Harrison, Kearny, North Bergen, Secaucus, and West New York. The 32nd New Jersey legislative district is where the Kearny Landfill, Gateway Tunnel, the Edgewater Superfund site.

“Quesada and Mahmoud are staunch supporters of environmental justice and the implications of NJ State Executive Order 23, especially as it pertains to the proposed North Bergen Power Plant which falls in their district. They are keen on an informed local community and transparent implications of air and water pollution that will impact the health and wellbeing of many residents that live and work in the area,” said Pramod Raju, Hudson County Sierra Group. “They strongly advocate hiring environmental directors in each municipality and/or state investment into municipal environmental programs.”

The district is represented for the 2018–2019 Legislative Session in the State Senate by Nicholas Sacco and in the General Assembly by Angelica M. Jimenez and Pedro Mejia.

“The Sierra Club strongly supports Roger Quesada Mahomoud Mahmoud because they will stand up for their constituents, their families, and their future,” said Richard Isaac, Chapter Chair of the New Jersey Sierra Club. We look forward to working with both of them on the proposed Meadowlands Powerplant and other environmental justice issues to help their constituents have clean air and water, and to help all of us fight climate change.”

The proposed Meadowlands Powerplant would be located in the 32nd district. Bergen and Hudson Counties already have an F rating by the American Lung Association for ozone pollution. Additional NOx from this plant will make this situation worse. Ozone levels are so high that it may put sensitive individuals at risk, including such as children, the elderly and people suffering from asthma, heart disease and other lung ailments.

“Assemblywoman Jimenez and Assemblyman Mejia have been inactive when it comes to standing up to polluters like the Meadowlands power plant. Unlike their incumbents who are our of step with their district, we know Roger and Mahmoud will support legislation that will protect our clean air, clean drinking water, and open space. The 32ndDistrict does not need climate deniers, they need legislators like Roger Quesada and Mahmoud Mahmoud who will vote in the best interest of the people and the environment,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “The Sierra Club supports Roger Quesada and Mahmoud Mahmoud for New Jersey State Assembly. We need to elect these candidates so they can represent and protect the environment and the people of their District and of New Jersey.”

The Sierra Club is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization with over 1,000,000 members nationwide. The Sierra Club traces its roots to 1892, when noted conservationist John Muir founded the organization. Muir is widely credited with influencing President Theodore Roosevelt to create the nation’s first national parks. The Sierra Club boasts an estimated 20,000 members in New Jersey, the tenth largest of the organization’s 65 chapters.

The Sierra Club is not only the nation’s oldest and largest environmental group, but one of the most influential when it comes to making political endorsements. As Jeff Tittel describes it, “The Sierra Club endorsement is the green version of the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.”