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Meet the Progressive Team for Legislative District 20
Jason Krychiw was born here in Union County. His family has been here for three generations, and Jason attended public schools growing up. Jason’s family taught him the importance of hard work and always helping others in our community.
Jason went to Rutgers and fulfilled his dream of becoming a scientist. He worked in a virology lab for over six years classifying new types of viruses in order to better understand how to cure them. Now he’s a lecturer at Kean University, teaching hundreds of students about science and biology every day.
Jason decided to run for State Senate because our community needs action, and staying on the sidelines isn’t what Jason does. We need to put science first and build trust in vaccines and public health. We need urgent, bold coronavirus relief that puts money in working families’ pockets. And we need to fight for healthcare for all. These are difficult times, and change can’t wait any longer.
The Cryan political machine has failed Union County. At a time when working families in Union County are facing a historic crisis, Joe Cryan is playing the same old political game. He’s holding down a political patronage job in an entirely different county while raking in tens of thousands of dollars to his campaign from corporate PACs and private prisons. After 20 years in elected office, Cryan has lost touch. He’s only focused on his own power.
On June 8th, 2021, voters here in Union will have a choice between corruption and integrity. Between stagnation and progress. Between the past and the future.
Jason went to Rutgers and fulfilled his dream of becoming a scientist. He worked in a virology lab for over six years classifying new types of viruses in order to better understand how to cure them. Now he’s a lecturer at Kean University, teaching hundreds of students about science and biology every day.
Jason decided to run for State Senate because our community needs action, and staying on the sidelines isn’t what Jason does. We need to put science first and build trust in vaccines and public health. We need urgent, bold coronavirus relief that puts money in working families’ pockets. And we need to fight for healthcare for all. These are difficult times, and change can’t wait any longer.
The Cryan political machine has failed Union County. At a time when working families in Union County are facing a historic crisis, Joe Cryan is playing the same old political game. He’s holding down a political patronage job in an entirely different county while raking in tens of thousands of dollars to his campaign from corporate PACs and private prisons. After 20 years in elected office, Cryan has lost touch. He’s only focused on his own power.
On June 8th, 2021, voters here in Union will have a choice between corruption and integrity. Between stagnation and progress. Between the past and the future.
Aissa Catherine Heath was born and raised in Union County. She was raised by her mom and grew up in a working-class home, where working hard while fighting for others was a key value instilled in her from an early age. Aissa’s been working since she was 16 years old, doing everything from working as a maintenance worker at a senior citizen building, to working in retail, to working as a programmer for a social research non-profit.
Aissa went to Union County College and then Rutgers University-Newark, where she received her degree in Economics, with a minor in Physics. She spent a lot of her time in college taking math and computer science classes, allowing her to switch into a data science career. When she isn’t using her technical skills to help support community organizing efforts, she is often working on mutual aid and political education events.
Aissa doesn’t look or act like your typical politician and has a no-nonsense attitude about doing what’s right. She’s not supported by millionaires and has no interest in hoarding power. That’s exactly why when asked to run, she decided to take up the challenge of fighting against corrupt politicians. We need someone who doesn’t sell out for personal gain. We need someone who knows what it’s like to work over 40 hours a week just trying to get by. We can’t wait for minor incremental change; we need someone to make a stand today.
Our political machine is just that; politicians who turn the wheels of the corruption and nepotism that has failed Union County. Union County doesn’t just need people who look like us, we need people who act like us, who live like us, who care like us. That's why Aissa is stepping up to run for Assembly here in LD20.
Aissa went to Union County College and then Rutgers University-Newark, where she received her degree in Economics, with a minor in Physics. She spent a lot of her time in college taking math and computer science classes, allowing her to switch into a data science career. When she isn’t using her technical skills to help support community organizing efforts, she is often working on mutual aid and political education events.
Aissa doesn’t look or act like your typical politician and has a no-nonsense attitude about doing what’s right. She’s not supported by millionaires and has no interest in hoarding power. That’s exactly why when asked to run, she decided to take up the challenge of fighting against corrupt politicians. We need someone who doesn’t sell out for personal gain. We need someone who knows what it’s like to work over 40 hours a week just trying to get by. We can’t wait for minor incremental change; we need someone to make a stand today.
Our political machine is just that; politicians who turn the wheels of the corruption and nepotism that has failed Union County. Union County doesn’t just need people who look like us, we need people who act like us, who live like us, who care like us. That's why Aissa is stepping up to run for Assembly here in LD20.
Born in Newark, Ricky Castaneda has lived in Elizabeth since the second grade. Ever since he was a kid, Ricky has carried himself with the utmost authenticity, and every interaction he has with the people around him is nothing short of that. All thanks go to his loving and inspiring parents, who made sure their son puts honesty and integrity above all.
In 2016, Castaneda enrolled in Rutgers University-Newark, majoring in Political Science and Sociology. Ricky is known for excelling in and out of the classroom. His involvement on Campus ranges from representing students in the University Senate to co-founding a student organization. His experience as a Student Leader has taught him the importance of activism and helped him develop a deeper understanding of what community means.
Now, in the midst of a devastating pandemic and political turmoil, Ricky is running for State Assembly to represent those that are frustrated with the out of touch politicians who currently represent them. New Jersey needs someone who will fight for a higher minimum wage, tuition-free public college and universities, and guaranteeing healthcare to all New Jerseyans, regardless of immigration status.
As a child of Ecuadorian immigrants, Ricky understands the unique financial and social struggles of building a life in a new country. Ricky is running for Assembly to make certain these struggles are understood and dealt with through comprehensive legislation.
In 2016, Castaneda enrolled in Rutgers University-Newark, majoring in Political Science and Sociology. Ricky is known for excelling in and out of the classroom. His involvement on Campus ranges from representing students in the University Senate to co-founding a student organization. His experience as a Student Leader has taught him the importance of activism and helped him develop a deeper understanding of what community means.
Now, in the midst of a devastating pandemic and political turmoil, Ricky is running for State Assembly to represent those that are frustrated with the out of touch politicians who currently represent them. New Jersey needs someone who will fight for a higher minimum wage, tuition-free public college and universities, and guaranteeing healthcare to all New Jerseyans, regardless of immigration status.
As a child of Ecuadorian immigrants, Ricky understands the unique financial and social struggles of building a life in a new country. Ricky is running for Assembly to make certain these struggles are understood and dealt with through comprehensive legislation.
Jason, Aissa, and Ricky are proudly endorsed by:
Issues
COVID-19
Cannabis
Education
Environment
Immigration Justice
Public Transportation & Infrastructure
Racial Justice
Workers' Rights
COVID-19
The Coronavirus Pandemic is a national crisis, and it’s shown how working people in Union County get left behind by our failed political leadership. We all need to be pitching in, joining in mutual aid efforts, and standing up for direct cash payments for working people, yet our elected leaders are absent when we need them most.
Worst of all, one of the LD-20 incumbents backed by the political machine has cast doubt on vaccines at a time when our leaders must build confidence in proven public health solutions. It’s offensive, and it reflects the overwhelming failure of leadership by the corrupt Union political machine. We need leaders with backgrounds in science, and we must immediately step in to protect small businesses, expand unemployment benefits, help people struggling with rent, and end evictions.
Worst of all, one of the LD-20 incumbents backed by the political machine has cast doubt on vaccines at a time when our leaders must build confidence in proven public health solutions. It’s offensive, and it reflects the overwhelming failure of leadership by the corrupt Union political machine. We need leaders with backgrounds in science, and we must immediately step in to protect small businesses, expand unemployment benefits, help people struggling with rent, and end evictions.
Cannabis
In the 2020 election, NJ voters overwhelmingly decided to legalize recreational cannabis. However, a lot of work still needs to be done to guarantee that this opportunity uplifts all members of our community — not just a few wealthy interests.
We need to make sure that legalization also includes programs to help those most affected by the war on drugs, forgive past unjust non-violent cannabis convictions, and release everyone currently being held in prison on non-violent cannabis offenses. We must also promise to invest in programs that allow Black and communities of color to reap the benefits of legal cannabis instead of being further excluded from the industry.
We need to make sure that legalization also includes programs to help those most affected by the war on drugs, forgive past unjust non-violent cannabis convictions, and release everyone currently being held in prison on non-violent cannabis offenses. We must also promise to invest in programs that allow Black and communities of color to reap the benefits of legal cannabis instead of being further excluded from the industry.
Education
A good education is a fundamental human right. Today, many in our district and state find themselves placed in school districts without enough nurses, counselors, and teachers. We can and must change this. By reinvesting in our school districts and working with — not against — teachers unions, we can make sure that all children are guaranteed a good pre-college education.
However, the problems in our unequal education system don’t stop there. For too many of our neighbors, college is a choice between their education or burdening themselves with thousands in student debt. We should make sure that cost is no barrier to education at any level by making all NJ public colleges tuition-free.
However, the problems in our unequal education system don’t stop there. For too many of our neighbors, college is a choice between their education or burdening themselves with thousands in student debt. We should make sure that cost is no barrier to education at any level by making all NJ public colleges tuition-free.
Environment
New Jersey is the Garden State. But the inaction of our political leaders has also made us deeply vulnerable to climate change. We must act quickly and decisively to meet this issue head-on by working towards a Green New Deal for New Jersey. We can create tens of thousands of good union jobs by investing in expanding green infrastructure and public transportation.
Rising sea levels and increased risk of flooding threatens our economy and puts our district at the center of the struggle against the adverse effects of climate change. So we must future-proof our cities, expand environmental protections, and do our part to fight climate change by transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Rising sea levels and increased risk of flooding threatens our economy and puts our district at the center of the struggle against the adverse effects of climate change. So we must future-proof our cities, expand environmental protections, and do our part to fight climate change by transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Immigration Justice
Our political leaders continue to allow ICE and the Trump administration to split up families, terrorize immigrants, and disrupt our neighborhoods. We must end ICE’s reign of terror in New Jersey while demanding that officials end their “jail for pay” detention contracts.
Public Transportation & Infrastructure
LD-20 has some of the highest rail ridership in the country and several critical pieces of infrastructure like Goethals Bridge and the Port of Elizabeth. Investing in and expanding our transportation network is crucial for providing economic opportunity to our communities. We must also work to future-proof bus and rail service by expanding green transportation powered by renewable energy. Public transportation is a lifeline for tens of thousands of workers in Union County, and we owe it to ourselves to make public transportation accessible, reliable, and free.
Racial Justice
We are in the middle of a historic moment of reckoning in American history. The Black Lives Matter movement and protests against police brutality have proven our community wants leaders who will hold law enforcement accountable, reject campaign contributions from police unions and private prisons, and fight for racial justice.
The incumbents have failed to uphold our values, which is why we need change in LD-20. We'll be committed to listening, learning, and leading as we work to address and rectify New Jersey’s history of segregation and racism through police reform, demilitarization, and more.
The incumbents have failed to uphold our values, which is why we need change in LD-20. We'll be committed to listening, learning, and leading as we work to address and rectify New Jersey’s history of segregation and racism through police reform, demilitarization, and more.
Workers' Rights
We must reverse the gutting of our middle class. The fastest way to do that is by protecting and expanding workers’ rights. From safety to union protections, workers have seen their power undermined by politicians bought out by big corporations. We can no longer accept this. Everyone deserves a good job that will pay them a living wage, and to do that we must expand union membership across the board.