Letter to the district

NJ Assembly Candidate Jeff Gates Responds to Lies and Misdirection

What Barlas and DePhillips don't want you to know

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October 31, 2025

To Residents of Legislative District 40 (Caldwell, North Caldwell, West Caldwell, Fairfield, Essex Fells, Verona, Cedar Grove, Little Falls, Woodland Park, Totowa, Wayne, Hawthorne, Franklin Lakes, Ridgewood, and Wyckoff)

    Recently, some residents in District 40 received a mailer paid for by Choice for Change, an account of the NJ Republican State Committee. The mailer claims I supported overdevelopment when I was on the Caldwell Council, with pictures of 2 development projects on it. It should come as no surprise that the local Republican party is following the Donald Trump playbook and spreading lies about me– just as they are spreading lies about Democrats running for council in North Caldwell and Woodland Park. All these lies are just a distraction because of the things they don’t want us talking about, which include:

• Al Barlas accepted a $10,000 campaign donation from Skender Mekka, the builder of the Lane Ave project that was pictured on the mailer. Go to NJ ELEC and confirm it for yourself. That’s right… the largest individual donor to Mr. Barlas campaign is a builder who actually built the high-density housing they accuse me of supporting. This is hypocrisy at its finest.
• When I was elected to the Caldwell Council in 2019, there were 6 properties already part of builders remedy lawsuits (including the 2 pictured in their mailer) due to the failure of the prior Republican majority failing to act. Al Barlas, in his role as Chair of the Essex County GOP, has consistently (including this year) helped fund the campaigns of candidates causing those lawsuits and high-density housing. That’s right… They are blaming me for their screw ups.
• The GOP mailer talks about “reckless policies that are being forced upon by political insiders” but fails to mention that, as the Chair of the Essex County GOP and Co-Chair of the 2021-22 Apportionment Commission, Al Barlas is as much of a political insider as you can get. If you want someone who will fight against the political insiders then vote for someone who isn’t one.

    Both Al Barlas and Chris DePhillips refused to participate in a candidate forum / debate that the League of Women Voters offered to host. Perhaps it’s because they are hoping their silence on the following topics will go unseen:

• Barlas and DePhillips have both written or supported legislation that would limit women’s access to necessary medical care during pregnancy. With Roe vs Wade being overturned on the federal level, we need representatives on the state level that will ensure women have access to the healthcare they need.
• Al Barlas accepted a total of $1,400 in campaign donations from West Caldwell elected officials and their families. This governing body recently tried to pass an ordinance preventing West Caldwell residents from expressing their first amendment rights because they don’t want protesters in their town. If re-elected, don’t be surprised if they influence Al Barlas to introduce a state law to limit freedom of speech.

    As I mentioned in my last Press Release, both Al Barlas (Labor Committee) and Chris DePhillips (Transportation Committee) have still been completely silent on their failing to stand up against Trump’s termination of the Gateway Tunnel Project. This is New Jersey’s most important regional revitalization project to improve transportation, create jobs, and boost the NJ economy. Leaders should lead– not hide their head in the sand and hope voters don’t notice.
    I get it… Republicans want to blame me for their mistakes because it would be embarrassing for Al Barlas to lose election in a district that he gerrymandered to favor himself while he was co-chair of the NJ Apportionment Commission in 2021-22. But just because it would be embarrassing for him to lose is not a reason to re-write history and blame others for his own lack of accountability. Voters are smarter than that, and deserve the truth from elected officials. When elected, that’s what you will get from me.

Please vote for Jeff Gates for NJ State Assembly in District 40.