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Politics & Government

A Board of Ed and State Assembly Candidate, Raich Says 'I Aim to Win Both and then Decide'

If elected to school board this month, he will continue with his District 26 assembly candidacy.

, a Parsippany Board of Education and District 26 Democratic New Jersey General Assembly candidate, said if he wins his bid for a school board seat this month, he will not drop out of the assembly race.

“I’m trying to survive,” Raich said Wednesday. “I’m trying to take everyone with me to help them survive the amount of taxes we have to pay … I‘m interested to see that we get the most bang for the buck.”

State statute, however, does not allow holding both offices simultaneously. A change to state law made in 2007 and put into effect in 2008 states a person elected to public office in New Jersey shall not hold simultaneously any other elective public office. The law does not apply to a second position that is made by appointment. However, both of the positions Raich is running for are through election, and not appointment.

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"I aim to win both and then decide," Raich said Wednesday night during a Board of Education candidates' debate. 

Raich, 64, a limousine driver by trade, is concerned with the amount of spending on both a local and a state level.

“Why are we talking about foreclosures anyway in the state of New Jersey? Who gave the green light for that? Why did we build a new stadium for the Giants and Jets? Who’s approving all this? It costs the taxpayers money,” he said.

Raich’s goals if elected to the Board of Education includes replacing Anthony Mancuso, the board’s president, and exploring what school functions can be consolidated within the county. Raich also is a critic of .

“It was out of line, it never should have been approved. We didn’t need to go make a new five-year contract,” Raich said.

Raich feels that attending the public sessions of municipal and state level meetings does not allow one the type of access needed to find the answers he is looking for.

“You’ve got to be involved in it, that’s when you get the answers," Raich said. “That’s sort of the reason I decided to run for both.”

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