Did that too! Like someone already said, if you don't do this then don't complain if it gets rejected.
I work for a group that lobbies in Trenton and solicits letters from voters every day. My advice to everyone would be that e-mails are not effective. It's far too easy to type one up and send a bunch out with no effort. Instead, it is far better to actually write a physical letter and mail it through the postal service (which is very, very effective). Or, still better than e-mailing, you might make a quick call to a senator's office. In our campaigns, we don't really find that e-mails help very much at all.
Can we just ask to speak with the senator? There has to be something more involved. I know I would if I could actually get through to him.
why doesnt some really smart kid on these boards create a fax or email generator.. so all i have to do is put my name and address in some text boxes, hit submit and my/our generic message is sent to the senator.. I saw this doen once before and I will look for the link again. I received a letter back from the senate office recognizig my letter.
(a) As many here have already said, e-mails don't work as well. (b) You obviously possess some English skills. Maybe capitalization is not one of them, but you know enough to cut and paste the key elements of what to say from what others here have already posted. Hence, just write the letter and mail it. Is it that difficult?
sample letter Combining several points made in this thread, here is a sample letter. Copy it, sign it and send it to at least three members of the committee by postal mail. Now. Dear Senator ______________ Please be informed that I SUPPORT S1401 / A2352, creating a Sports and Entertainment District in Harrison. I will buy season tickets to MetroStars soccer and visit the proposed redeveloped Harrison district over 20 times a year. I will bring friends and family to the proposed stadium as the primary destination in a day that includes spending on public transit, food, drink and local retail stores. I will not, however, spend that same money at the Meadowlands. The Harrison plan would be an amazing boost to the City of Harrison and Hudson County, providing in excess of a thousand jobs, a massive boost to local and state taxes and a meaningful use for the current brown site. I ask that you recommend that the Newark Arena bill be heard later and that the Harrison bill be passed immediately while the City of Harrison, County of Hudson, MetroStars and Metropolitan area soccer fans are all ready. Finally, for the first time in decades, New Jersey and New York Metropolitan area soccer fans which number into the hundreds of thousands will have a soccer specific stadium tied into the state's public transit system in an urban setting that will revitalize the city and be the envy of the entire nation. Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, Jr. Suite 303 One Arin Park Building 1715 Highway 35 Middletown, NJ 07748 Sen. Martha Bark Suite 103 3000 Midlantic Drive Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 Sen. Raymond Lesniak 985 Stuyvesant Ave. Union, NJ 07083 Sen. Leonard Connors 620 West Lacey Road Forked River, NJ 08731 Sen. Nia Gill 425 Bloomfield Avenue 2nd Floor Montclair, NJ 07042 Sen. Joseph Vitale 87 Main Street Woodbridge, NJ 07095
Excellent template, Ron, and it's easy edit the body for a more personal version, which I would recommend. Otherwise the legislators will assume they are being swamped with form letters. In a way they are; it's no worse than what they inflict on their constituants. As I say, it is easy to modify Ron's sample to make a more personal, yet brief, one page letter to the folks who need to hear from us. Ron's made this about as easy as microwaving popcorn. Just print it, fold it, put it in an envelope, address it, and paste on the stamp.
Ive followed this stadium project extensively. How effective would it be if people NOT from the NY/NJ area was to write a letter in support of the stadium? This stadium would be a mecca for soccer in this country, not only for NY/NJ residents but for all soccer fans in the U.S. The Harrison stadium would be host to many international events and even marquee MLS events. These events do bring in many outside tourism. Which translates to even more money to the state. How effective would it be for a nation-wide letter writing campaign?
Answer: Write the letter, saying just what you say above. It's exactly what is needed. You're an out-of-state resident who has traveled to other cities for games and would travel to attend events at the new Harrison stadium. You'll stay at a NJ hotel, eat in NJ restaurants, etc. More proof that this is a net gain economically for the state.
great job guys! you totally have inspired me! and maybe you could mention stuff about the 2012 Olympics...with another stadium built in the area, NY has a better chance of hosting the Olympics Right now I am going to gather a group of friends and write as many letters to these people as possible!
be sure to mention that although you can't vote right now..........you will be able in 2 years and plan to.
Email reply from Sen Vitale I emailed Senator Vitale on Friday afternoon. Here's the answer that I got in my mailbox this morning: Thank you for contacting us with your support for building a Newark Arena and the Harrison Waterfront Redevelopment. As you may know, Senator Vitale is a member of the Senate Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Tourism Committee which is scheduled to hear testimony on these proposals along with the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee throughout the summer. Senator Vitale strongly supports bringing the arena to Newark and the waterfront redevelopment. His only concern is that any such proposal should not be bogged down with publicly funded sports entertainment districts throughout the state. The legislation must be specific and properly drafted to ensure that the arena is adequately funded and fiscally sound for the future. Additionally, we must address questions surrounding the future of the existing Continental Airlines Arena and its property at the Meadowlands. Senator Vitale looks forward to seeing the final draft of this proposal and he hopes to work toward bringing the arena to Newark and redeveloping the Harrison waterfront. Please feel free to contact our office with any questions. Office of Senator Vitale -------------------------------- very interesting...
kudos on the work guys just wanted to pop in and say that i had sent out a large batch of emails from the original 3 ring circus (i believe most of you remember that thread), well i have received responses asking me for replies i thought that a bit cool, as i was very clear about being nowhere from the area, yet very likely to come over for matches (fire and national) it's been said before, but write letters over emails... politicians realize that an email will represent a smaller group of people than a physical letter why? because it takes much more effort to write a letter than it does to write an email... there have even been studies done on this to figure out how many voters an email or letter will represent, this allows politicans to determine if it is a topic they need to get informed and involved in or something that won't affect their career please let them know it will affect their career if they do not get involved... write letters (emails are still good though) -jim
Update in todays Star Ledger Doesn't mention Harrison specifically: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-3/103009381984987.xml
I have been sending out emails and positive responses from these have been trickling in from various Senators. I strongly encourage everyone who wants to see professional soccer succeed in this country to participate in this important grassroots effort. Like many of you, I wrote letters of support for the Carson, Mckinney, and Kansas City stadium projects. I think our emails and letters do make a difference, even if you are not a local voter. I really commend all of you that are working to advocate the stadium to NJ legislators.
Heres another variation on the above great template. Just an example how you may want to mix it up a bit. (Note especially the change in the last paragraph-thought mentioning being the envy of the entire country would massage their egos a bit...) Dear Senator ______________: I am writing this letter to inform you that I SUPPORT S1401 / A2352, creating a Sports and Entertainment District in Harrison. If the soccer stadium were built in Harrison, I would buy season tickets to MetroStars soccer, which amounts to at least 20 visits a season. During a typical game, friends and/or family would be joining me for a day that includes spending on public transit (at last!), food and drink, and shopping at local retail stores. I will not, however, spend that same money at the Meadowlands. Not only is it a nightmare to get there, but the Meadowlands (NJSEA) staff, from security guard up to Mr. Zoffinger, seem to go out of their way to make present home games as frustrating and tedious as possible. The Harrison plan would be an amazing coup for the City of Harrison, Hudson County, and New Jersey in general. It would provide in excess of a thousand jobs, be a massive boost to local and state taxes, and give a meaningful use for the current brown site. Finally, for the first time ever, the United States will have a soccer specific stadium in an urban setting. Having it tied into the state's public transit system will boost attendance dramatically, help vitalize the city, and will cause the rest of the nation to look upon New Jersey/New York soccer fans (which number in the hundreds of thousands) with envy. I ask that you recommend that the Newark Arena bill be heard later and that the Harrison bill be passed immediately while the City of Harrison, County of Hudson, MetroStars and Metropolitan area soccer fans are all ready. MORE than ready. Thank you for your time. Regards,
More links How very true. Is it also possible to do a fundraiser of some type also. Senators love to see money! PS- Links to more BigSoccer posts about this subject; most of them feel this is useless. I tried to put some sense into them but it didn't work. Feel free to try yourself. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9768 https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9177
Stadium vote? I haven't followed this too closely the past coulpe weeks, but I received an email today that looked like positive news. Assumed other's would have recieved this and started a thread about it. Here is the contents of the email: Sorry if this has been noted elsewhere, but I didn't see it anywhere.
Re: Stadium vote? The Assembly passed it several months ago. Since then, it has languished in the Senate, but if someone amends it to add in another project the Assembly will need to re-vote.
The Senate returns from summer break on September 9, so perhaps we'll see some more news then and find out what effect the Newark Airport Lease deal (where the Arena financing money is coming from) has on this, if any.