Tinton Falls – Aimee Humphreys had worked for five years on the annual Running & Winning Workshop, an event aimed at interesting young women in politics and becoming involved citizens, when she decided “to put her money where her mouth was” and run for the office of Borough Council member in Fair Haven.
She won and is now in her first, three-year term on the council. At the ninth annual workshop held at Monmouth Regional High School, Humphreys, who was one of 15 women political dignitaries who participated in the League of Women Voters, Greater Red Bank Area-sponsored event, sat at a table with several students from local high schools and answered questions about her new role.
Asked what was the most surprising thing about her new position by Abigail Smith, a student at Henry Hudson High School, she said that there were so many “rules and regulations” that had to be followed before taking any action.
Fifty-nine junior and senior female high school students representing local schools participated in the program.
As the students questioned her, other women in government offices in the area sat with small groups of juniors and sophomores and talked with them about political life.
Those women included a host of local dignitaries: Middletown Mayor Stephanie Murray; Red Bank Councilwomen Linda Schwanbenbauer and Kathy Horgan; Rumson Councilwoman Laura Atwell and Fair Haven Councilwoman Susan Sorenson; Monmouth County Administrator Teri O’Connor; Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School Board of Education member Jane Pattwell; Janice Fuller, district director of the of fice of Congressman Pallone; Asbury Park Councilwoman Amy Quinn; former Monmouth County Freeholder Amy Mallet; Monmouth County Surrogate Rosemarie Peters; Marlboro Councilwoman Randi Marder; and Eileen Higgins, director of Monmouth County Division of Workforce Development.
Barbara Goldstein, of the League of Women Voters Greater Red Bank Area, said she got the idea for the Running & Winning Workshop after learning of other chapters of the group in New Jersey having similar events.
The workshop is co-sponsored by the league, the Red Bank Chapter of Hadassah, AAUW-Northern Monmouth County Branch and the Junior League of Monmouth County.
At intervals the women moved to different tables while the students remained so each group had a chance to interact with several women in government.
Fuller, who lives with her three children and husband in Ocean Twp., was asked if she had thought about running for office in the future to bring about changes she favored. She said she believed the “best way to change attitudes is to be good at my job.”
Fuller said she travels to Washington often. “It’s hard,” with three young children, Fuller said.
The next step was tasking the students with topics they were to present pro or con arguments to a mock Board of Education, comprised of all the politicians.
The room buzzed with the conversations as the students worked on their presentations in-group settings.
Five of the 15 groups selected standardized testing as a topic, which they said took up too much time both in preparation and administration and did not reflect the variety of other skills students might have. But they agreed other tests were needed.
They were also asked to write a “tweet” to send to other students so they would attend the “board meeting” where the topic would be raised.
Humphreys said the main thrust of the day is the girls and their experience at the workshop.
“It is remarkable how year after year a team of three or four young woman who have never met before, sit down and work together to support a common issue and make a presentation about it,” she said.
The schools that sent the 59 students to the workshop were Academy of Allied Health and Science, Communications High School, Marine Academy of Science and Technology, Henry Hudson High School, Keyport High School, Long Branch High School, Middletown High School North and South, Monmouth Regional High School, Red Bank Regional High School and Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School.
