Air Force veteran and former Bayonne board of education candidate Sharma Montgomery has joined mayoral hopeful Jason O’Donnell’s ticket to challenge Councilman Thomas Cotter in the 1st Ward.Â
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“All across our city, people are clamoring for change because they know that Jimmy Davis has used the last four years to line the pockets of rich, out of town developers at the expense of Bayonne taxpayers,†Montgomery said in a statement.
“Jason believes as I do that service to our community is an investment in the future and that sitting on the sidelines while this Administration and Council continue making decisions that hurt taxpayers is simply not an option. Jason has put together a great team and I am looking forward to joining them as we knock on doors and speak to residents throughout the city about our plans for Bayonne’s future.â€
An enlisted member of the United State Air Force from 1992 until 1997, Montgomery, 45, has worked at Windstream Communications since 2001.
She is currently a sales director for a team of eight that sell hosted communications and cloud technology services and is responsible for the Northern New Jersey market.
Montgomery also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Bayonne JCC and a board member of the BHS Band Foundation, a 501c3 that supports the BHS Marching Arts program.
“Sharma Montgomery’s service to our country and dedication to our community is indicative of her tremendous character and her commitment to serving the public,†added O’Donnell.
“Like the rest of our team, Sharma believes that the hard-working residents of Bayonne deserve better than the current administration’s approach that starves our schools of much needed money, robs our residents of good paying union jobs and passes on a tax burden to future generations while lining the pockets of rich, out of town developers.”
Sharma Montgomery joins previously announced candidates Kevin Kuhl, Dan Ward and Melissa Enriquez-Rada on O’Donnell’s ticket.
O’Donnell, a former state Assemblyman, is now just one running mate away from having a full ticket.
It is possible he will wait until his February 1st fundraiser to announce who he will have challenge 3rd Ward Councilman Gary La Pelusa in May.
Montgomery and her husband, Christopher, have been married for 25 years. They have raised two sons, Brian and Brendan, in Bayonne.