VIDEO ADDED: Democrats Introduce State Sen. Buono And This Year's Twp. Committee Candidate

After State Senate Majority leader Barbara Buono spoke Monday night before a crowd of area Democrats (with a sprinkling of Republicans) , the local party introduced this year's Democratic candidate for Township Committee: Bonnie Diehl.

Diehl, who last fall ran as a write-in candidate for Township Committee — and lost — said this year she plans to get an earlier head-start. She said she will file to be included on the ballot starting with the June primary election. She said she knows of no other local Democrat seeking election at this time.

Diehl said several points raised by Buono during a speech before about 100 county and township Democrats struck home for her own campaign — including the senator's remarks about "incivility" in Trenton and the need to widen political discussions.

"Politics is a discussion where everyone gets involved," said Diehl, who would be competing for one of two three-year terms on the all-Republican Township Committee. "We need to hear from everyone because that's how democracy works."

Buono had been invited to The Hills Highlands Clubhouse for a presentation and public question and answer period jointly sponsored by the Somerset County Democratic Committee and the Bernards Township Democratic Committee.

Republican incumbents John Carpenter and Mary Pavlini already have they will seek re-election.

Peg Schaffer, chairwoman of the Somerset County Democratic Committee, said there are 38 Democratic elected officials in Republican-dominated Somerset County. However, she said none of the state representatives who speak for the county down in Trenton are Democrats.

Schaffer said Buono who lives in Metuchen and represents the 18th district, is the state's first female Senate Majority leader. "She's protecting our kids from Republican onslaughts," Schaffer said.

Buono spoke about what she said is the "incivility" in Trenton right now, which she said represents a deterioration of the working relationship between Republicans and Democrats prior to the election of Gov. Chris Christie.

"This is a governor that tries to stifle debate," Buono said of Christie, who took office at the beginning of 2010. 

Buono accused Christie of "demonizing" his political opponents along with the state's teachers and others. She said she believes that Democrats and unaffiliated citizens should stand together to avoid becoming marginalized. 

"That all begins with making a commitment to our public schools," Buono told an approving audience. 

The senator commended a group of township parents and other contributors who from latefull-day kindergarten, which had been cut from next year's school budget due to lost state aid. However, Buono also called upon the governor to return to the funding formula she said she had worked hard to preserve during the budget deliberations when she headed the finance committee in the few years prior to Christie's arrival as governor.

"I'm a huge fan of the funding formula of 2008," said Lisa Winter, a former member of the Bernards Township Board of Education. Winter, who said she served on the board during that year, said the township received extra funds that year because the local costs per pupil were actually below the level deemed sufficient for a thorough and efficient education.

Resident Doug Wicks said he favors a return to a flat rate of funding per pupil throughout the state, which he said is a right under the New Jersey state constitution.

Later, Diehl said the Bernards Township Democrats had contributed to the fund to reinstate full-day kindergarten.

Included in the audience on Monday were about a half-dozen students from the Ridge Empowerment for Political Participation club. Both co-chairmen of the club, Peter Vogel and George Philipose, said they enjoyed an opportunity to hear from a state representative.

"All in all, it was a good presentation," Philipose said. However, he said he would have preferred to have heard a few more facts along with the discussion of politics.