I’m Erik D’Amato, and I will be on the ballot in Montclair’s May 14th municipal election, seeking to represent the Township’s First Ward.

If we haven’t met, a few words about me: I grew up in the nearby city of Plainfield, and then spent many years living in New York City and abroad, landing back in the U.S. with my young family on beautiful Norwood Avenue a decade ago. I have worked in more than 40 countries on five continents, as a journalist, business owner and consultant, and stay-at-home dad. I am a registered independent deeply invested in issues of environmental and fiscal sustainability, and how the spectacle of our national politics steals attention from the local civic life that is the true bedrock of democratic self-government.

While I am best known locally as the organizer of the effort to give the Township an elected school board, I was moved to run for Council in large part because of how New Jersey’s culture of machine politics has come to weigh on our local government.

In addition to fighting for honest, transparent and responsive government, I look forward to addressing a range of other town-wide issues, and will work hard on matters specific to the First Ward, big and small. For more on my governing principles click here. You can also read (and comment on!) my “wish list” of policy priorities.

If you’d like to help me win, I’d appreciate the help. Finally, if you have any questions or issues you’d like to see raised in the upcoming campaign, feel free to reach out via erik@erikdamato.org.

Thank you for you time, and civic pride,