Melinda Iannuzzi

Melinda Iannuzzi is running for election to the New Jersey General Assembly in the 39th District, which includes portions of Bergen County and Passaic County.

Born and raised in South Carolina, Melinda Iannuzzi has been a resident of New Jersey for over 30 years. Elected Mayor of Demarest in 2018, Melinda previously served as a member of the Demarest School Board for 12 years, and as a Demarest Council member for eight years. Community service has been her primary focus since she became a resident of the Garden State. As a council member and now Mayor, she has always promoted efforts to make the borough a greener place to live including passing an anti-idling ordinance and purchasing an electric vehicle for borough employees to use while on borough business. Knowing that such actions help the local environment and save money makes Mayor Iannuzzi want to bring those efforts to Trenton and support initiatives that will do the same, but on a larger scale.

Melinda Iannuzzi and her running mate Karlito Almeda are running against an incumbent Assemblyman who earned one of the lowest lifetime scores in the Assembly with an atrocious 21% on our 2019 Scorecard. It is clear why the Assemblyman is a core component of our 2021 "Dirty Duo." The Assemblyman opposed crucial environmental legislation such as the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, and he voted against the first-in-the-nation comprehensive environmental justice legislation known as the Cumulative Impacts Bill, which was hailed as a turning point in helping mitigate the disproportionate effects of pollution in low-income, predominantly Black and Brown communities. In addition to voting NO on these two bills, the Assemblyman has a history of opposing many other environmental priority bills such as the Clean Energy Act, as well as legislation that would uphold the International Paris Agreement on Climate Change. He has also opposed one of the most extensive Electric Vehicle bills that would upgrade our infrastructure, electrify public transportation, and make it easier for the average person to buy an EV. This is why we urge you to vote for Karlito Almeda and Melinda Iannuzzi, whom we've proudly endorsed for Assembly in the 39th District.