Amy Eklof: So much is at stake. Where is our County Clerk?

I am so tired. Tired of divisive politics and the vast number of problems urgently needing redress, as the Trump administration (and all who enable his influence) has sown seeds of chaos and destruction for four long years. I am tired, but I’m digging deep ahead of this election. We all must. I know a Biden/Harris win will feel like a weight has lifted, and I crave it. But in that lightness, our collective body must take a breath of fresh air, and then begin the hard work of building back a better America together. 

It has been an exhausting four years, but promising signs of unification are sprouting—one of which is the mailbox. Yes, our USPS mailboxes are unifying us! At first, friends and neighbors began reaching out to one another just to simply understand if something was going wrong with the mail. Conversations, information, and facts were shared. Then, with confirmation that the essential services of the USPS were indeed at stake, neighbors became activists together! The beautiful fruit of this action blossomed this week when broad hearings and investigations began, people rallied in front of their local post offices, and measures to preserve and strengthen the USPS started to emerge. Our collective outcry is being heard, not just for prescriptions and postcards, but also to specifically secure every citizens’ ability to safely vote by mail this fall.

Our unification is amplifying now, as citizens want answers to many questions on voting.  One would think that after the challenges of primary, and leading into the general election this fall, also during an evolving pandemic, our current Monmouth County clerk, Christine Giordano Hanlon, would rise to the occasion. That she would clearly and loudly speak her reassurances to voters through multiple information outlets, to educate them, and thoroughly answer every question in order to ensure that each voter is informed and prepared. Instead, her silence speaks volumes. Voting shouldn’t be partisan or reliant on quiet posts. Vigorously enabling all voters in Monmouth County to exercise this right is her most basic job. We know this election is vital, and we so much deserve better than another 5 years of Hanlon’s ineffectual representation. 

Thank goodness we have a dynamic new candidate who we can unify around—Angela Ahbez-Anderson. Her life has been dedicated to leadership, mentoring, and empowerment. Her service as Monmouth County Clerk would bring clarity, equity, and security to the office. CLARITY by her vow to guarantee open, transparent, and an apolitical County Clerk’s Office. EQUITY through her steadfastly working to secure voting as a basic tenet of our Democracy, and SECURITY by protecting the integrity of our election process, especially in these uncertain times. We NEED her, and when she is elected, Angela will be the first woman of color to hold the Clerk’s Office since it was established in 1784. This matters.

So much is at stake. This is no time to sit out. Let’s keep coming together for unity and progress! Let’s elect Angela Ahbez-Anderson for Monmouth County Clerk.

Amy Eklof

Little Silver