Tell It to the Guv

It was still somewhat surreal when I walked out the front door to my home today at 9am. I couldn't believe that Governor Christie was hosting a town hall literally right around the block from me, on Park Ave. in Nutley. I walked down to the corner, crossed the street, and after walking up about a hundred yards or so, I had arrived at the Frank Cocchiola Center.

The set-up was as I had expected. Having gone to the governor's town hall in Paramus, I was well prepared for it. I even came up with an idea to get recognized during the Q & A session, and I didn't see how it could possibly fail.

You see, at that town hall in Paramus, Governor Christie called on a couple of people who were wearing blue and orange. He proceeded to tell us how smart those people were, because he is a devout Mets fan and those colors always stand out to him.

So I developed the perfect plan to get recognized this time around. Believe me when I tell you that it killed me to do this. But you know what they say: desperate times call for desperate measures.

I went to The Sports Authority at Clifton Commons and I purchased a....I still can't believe I'm saying this...New York Mets baseball cap. When the cashier asked if I wanted a bag, I immediately said, "Yes!" God knows that I didn't want anyone to see me carrying that thing around.

I brought it with me to the town hall today, and during the Q & A, I raised it as high as I could. At first, the governor wasn't even looking in my direction. The first three or four people who got to ask questions were all seated in other sections. But I was patient, and I knew that sooner or later he had to look my way.

Then it happened. The governor looked right at me, and I saw a semblance of a smile come to his face. But before he called on me, he addressed the entire group. He said, "Here's a really cheap way to have the chance to ask your question. Some of you may know that I am a lifelong Mets fan, and when you come to the town hall waving a Mets cap, then I almost have to call on you because I know that you can relate to my pain and suffering."

Hey, it may have been cheap, but it worked. I stood up and waved the Mets cap while the crowd had a hearty laugh. When I took the mic, I started by telling the governor what a wonderful job he was doing. I barely got one sentence out before the room erupted into vigorous applause. Pretty much what I had expected.

But then I said, "Nonetheless, Governor, I am not going easy on you today." That immediately grabbed his attention, as he responded with an "OK" and looked me right in the eye. Then I asked my question, which went something like this:

"My question relates to the findings on your task force for higher education. They have lamented New Jersey's 'brain drain,' whereby many of our best and brightest leave the state after graduating high school. They go to college elsewhere and never return to New Jersey.

"You, Governor, want to stop the brain drain. You've called yourself a loyal son of the state of New Jersey. You want our best and brightest to be loyal sons and daughters of New Jersey as well. But I have an issue with that.

"You see, Governor, like you I am a loyal son of this state. I was born here, raised here, and lived here my whole life. I went to school here, earning my bachelor's, master's, and my doctoral degree. I worked in the education field here for 14 years.

"When I finished my doctorate at Seton Hall in 2007, I became a Director in Academic Affairs at a public university in New Jersey. At that point, I was on my way to fulfilling a dream. But last year, Governor, that dream turned into a nightmare.

"It started when you cut $174 million in aid to public higher education. Now, I know why you did it. We're broke. I get it. But I also want you to know that those cuts cost me my job.

"I've been unemployed for 9 months now. I can't find work despite all my credentials, and I'm getting crushed by the astronomical cost of living in this state. For the first time, Governor, I'm facing the grim reality that I might have to leave the state I have always called home.

"So my question is this. As you aim to keep our best and brightest here in New Jersey, what are you going to do to make sure that those kids don't suffer the same cruel fate that I have, and that they're not punished for their loyalty to New Jersey the way that I have been punished?"

I couldn't believe it, but when I handed over the mic, the room broke out in applause once again. The governor said, "Great question," and then proceeded to answer me. His response was what you would expect. The state is broke, the cuts were necessary, and he's sorry that those cuts cost me my job. He went on to say something to the effect of, "I'd hate to lose you. You're clearly a bright, articulate guy, and I hope that you're able to find something else here. But if you don't, then I hope that you go somewhere where they will appreciate your talents and abilities."

He also promised that he'd do everything he could to make sure that we wouldn't have to get on a plane to go and see our grandchildren play Little League baseball. He is committed to keeping our best and brightest here, and he hopes that his spending cuts and plethora of reforms will turn the tide and help bring New Jersey back to fiscal solvency.

It would have been nice for him to say, "John, give us your resume. We're going to help you find a job." But again, I didn't go in expecting that. Of course, I did have a copy of my resume on hand just in case. You never know, right?

Once the town hall was over and the governor had departed, I stood up to gather my things and immediately found myself surrounded. I was overwhelmed as people came up to shake my hand, tell me how insightful my question was, and wish me well in my job search. Among them was a throng of reporters, from the Star Ledger, Bergen Record, New York Times, NJN, PolitickerNJ.com, the Nutley Sun, Verizon Fios TV, and some other smaller publications.

The gentleman from the New York Times said, "I got an excellent picture of you. Hopefully it will be in tomorrow's edition." Another said, "Yours was a compelling tale, and you can see just how compelling it was from the attention you're getting from the press." One even asked me if I was planning on running for office. I left that one open, though I was so tempted to say that I'd be running as a Tea Party candidate for U.S. Congress.

For the most part, they just wanted my name, contact information, and the name of the university where I had worked. The most common questions I fielded were, "Where do you go from here with your job search?" and "Were you satisfied with the governor's response to your question?" I basically told them I just had to keep plugging away and not give up, and that my savings could hold me over for a little while longer. As for the governor's response, I will graciously admit that I skirted the question. I told them, "His response is pretty much what I had expected it would be."

NJN actually interviewed me on camera for a few minutes and told me that a segment of that interview would be shown tonight. If you're interested, the start times are 6pm, 7:30pm, and 11pm.

Two retired teachers came up to me to express their sympathy. They told me something that I've been suspecting all along, namely that my credentials and experience at this point in my career work against me. Hiring someone with a Ph.D. and 14 years of experience means you have to pay them more, and in this economy, no one wants to do that. I thanked them for taking the time to share that with me and for wishing me well.

Little did I know that the COO of Berkeley College would be in the audience. I had a feeling that someone important was approaching when a tall gentleman in a fancy suit walked toward me. He handed me his card and asked for my resume, saying that he'd do what he could to help me. I imagine his comments were sincere, because he could have simply left without anyone knowing who he even was.

Finally, when the reporters had left and I was standing there alone getting my jacket on, I was approached by a dark-haired woman who was dressed very professionally. She identified herself as Jeanne Dovgala-Ashmore, the Director of the Governor's Office of Constituent Relations. She said, "I don't know if we can help, but please send us your resume and we'll see what we can do." Needless to say, that brought a big smile to my face.

Overall, this event was the rousing success I was hoping for. I got my point across, made others aware of my plight, and opened up doors for myself. I always say that if you want something, you have to go out and get it. You have to make it happen; no one else. You need to use all the tools at your disposal, and I'd like to think that I did that today.

Who knows what will ultimately come of this? But whether it bears fruit or not, at least I can say that I gave it my best shot. I had nothing to lose, so I went for it. If nothing else, I hope this inspires others, maybe even some of you, to use your resources to formulate strategies that will help you advance toward your goals, and do whatever you have to do to attain them. In the meantime, I'll let you know if someone, maybe even the governor himself, comes through for me as a result of today's events. I'm hoping and praying it happens, because I'm a bit overdue.