Rest in peace to Ocean County, NJ Assemblyman Ron Dancer
Ocean County and New Jersey lost one of their biggest voices.
Assemblyman Ron Dancer served in the New Jersey Assembly for two decades.
Dancer was a consistent voice in Trenton, speaking out for small businesses, and veterans and providing a voice to the voiceless as an advocate for the unborn.
Dancer understood the root of politics being hyper-local serving as the mayor of Plumsted for 20 years.
As we look to turn our state around and stop the flow of people leaving for places like Florida, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Texas, we need more thoughtful leaders who understand that change happens in your community first, then the state.
We saw this happen in 2021 when hundreds of first-time candidates stepped up to run for local boards of education, council, and commissioner.
There is no knight in shining armor coming in to save the day for families, small businesses, and first responders in New Jersey.
The way we save our state is to dig in and fight locally first. And that takes hundreds of us organized and working toward the same common-sense goals of having the government work for the people instead of the other way around.
That ground swells from municipalities to counties to the legislature will be the momentum we need to take back the state for average working and middle-class families.
That change starts with electing a thoughtful, serious local leader willing to fight for us and continue the mission started by Assemblyman Dancer.
Ron Dancer was a husband, father, grandfather, friend, colleague, and leader.
The scramble has already begun to fill his seat.
All we know is that the next member of the Assembly from Ocean County has big shoes to fill.
You can hear my comments about Ron from the show here:
One of the best tributes to Assemblyman Dancer was written by David Wildstein for the New Jersey Globe. Read that HERE.
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own. Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015.
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.