I have gotten great feedback from so many who read this column but people should know I’m not the first — there have been others before me who have accepted the challenge of juggling young children and elected office. They gave me the strength and courage to try and I, in turn, have tried to amplify that message in my life and in this column.
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of endorsing one such woman. I first met Liz Muoio when she was a Freeholder. I was working for Congressman Holt and we were at press conference. While I may have forgotten the topic of the press conference, I can still vividly see Liz just off to the side trying to entertain/distract her youngest who was a toddler at the time. Young me couldn’t help but wonder how she did it.
About 10 years later, she was the first person I turned to as I decided if running for council with a baby on the way was a good idea. As the Democratic County Chair, she could have painted a rosy picture to make it seem easy, but she instead painted a real picture — the good and the bad. Liz is the type of woman we want in politics. She raised her family while shaping her community. She didn’t wait for it to be easier or for an invitation. She stepped up because she had something to say.
I will be forever grateful for her advice and for paving the way. I was proud to support her nomination for Assembly. And, earlier this year, I was fortunate to be on the floor of the Assembly as she was sworn in as Assemblywoman to fulfill the remainder of Congresswoman Watson Coleman’s term. I asked her to share her remarks from that day with my readers: