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Woman on a Mission, Senator Ellen Karcher: Wife, Mother and Senator of NJ
06/23/2006 - By Gena Ansell-Lande When LIM sits down with Senator Ellen Karcher, she speaks candidly of her early years in local politics, experiences on the campaign trail, challenges she faces as Senator, and the pride she takes in her full personal life.
Senator Ellen Karcher is no stranger to the sometimes odd world of New Jersey politics. Serving as senator for the 12th district since 2004, she is candid and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Karcher's approach may be due to her experiences as a member of the Marlboro Township Council, when she was often threatened and harassed by unscrupulous local developers and officeholders trying to intimidate her to support corrupt land deals. Karcher recognized that corruption not only cost the residents of Marlboro their faith in the elected leaders of the town, but had a very real price tag in terms of their tax bill due to corrupt development deals and contracts. Though her family's lives were being threatened, she could not knowingly allow these tactics to continue; Karcher finally put an end to them by going to the FBI and the US Attorney's Office. Her brave outcry changed the political landscape of Marlboro.
Long before serving on the Town Council, Karcher was introduced to politics at an early age by her father, the late Alan Karcher, who served as an assemblyman and as Speaker of the House. He was instrumental in shaping some of Karcher's core political beliefs.
Senator Karcher has been a tireless leader in the fight for ethics reform and she has sponsored landmark legislation in the arena of women's health and environmental protection. In fact, one of her proudest moments in the legislature was the passage of the Mammography Law, which she authored. This requires insurance companies to cover mammograms for women under 40 who have a family history of cancer or other risk ractors.
Interestingly, Karcher wore many hats in her life before she got involved in politics, including neonatal counselor at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. After her own twins were born prematurely, she felt she could offer heartfelt advice to women going through similar situations. She has also worked in the medical policy field.
LIM caught up with the busy Ms. Karcher to discuss her roles of wife, mother and senator. LIM: Where die you spend your childhood?
EK: I grew up in Sayreville in an apartment on top of the Sayreville Savings & Loan. My parents then built a house on the same dead-end street where my 11 cousins lived. I know it sounds like a commune but it was great!
LIM: Your father, Alan Karcher, served as an assemblyman and then as Speaker. How has he influenced you?
EK: I am actually the fifth (in my family) to serve in the legislature; my dad, his father, and two of my great-uncles also served. I am the first woman and that is something I am quite proud of. My dad used to tease me because although my academic work was always in political science, he would say that I was just a voyeur and that I don't really know how it works. Hours before his passing he predicted that I would be the one from my family to be the politician. He even issued a prophetic warning about staying out of local politics. He said that was where the corruption occurs. Although I was always interested in politics I never imagined being on this side of it.
LIM: What were you going at that time?
EK: It was 1999 and I was working on my Ph.D., living a totally different life, not really doing much with politics. One day somebody knocked on my door and asked if I would be interested in joining the Democratic Party. I was recruited to run in 2001 for Town Council. At that time I had no idea of the corruption going on in town or the allegations, but I could see that something was amiss.
LIM: What made you think something was wrong?
EK: I experienced it first-hand when we started building our house. It took us forever to obtain the proper permits; we had to move into my mother's house. We were literally put through hoops. Then you see these huge developments that go up practically overnight; they were clearing trees to accommodate 300 units. I also noticed that the kids' classrooms were getting more crowded. Around this time my mom was serving on the town council in Princeton Borough and I would call her after meetings and ask her if certain things went on there and she said "no."
LIM: What kind of things are you referring to?
EK: Well, one thing that sticks out is that sometimes the developers would show up to our council meetings where go-go girls sit in the front row as a subtle form of intimidation. Some of the stuff that was going on in Marlboro at that time people would not believe. My own life was threatened by a guy who owned these developments. The corruption was pervasive. It was just unreal.
LIM: How does your mother feel about you being involved in the political world today?
EK: After my dad passed she became a council member in Princeton Borough. At the time we were the only mother-daughter team of council people in the state, which was pretty neat. She is proud to see a woman in the senate, especially because New Jersey ranks really low as far as women's participation in government. It's pretty tough for women today, but not nearly as tough as it was twenty hears ago.
LIM: How was the campaign experience for you?
EK: Campaigning is like nothing I had ever done before- it was strange knocking on people's doors and invading their space. At one point I even had the principal at my daughter's school call to warn me about a horrible ad on TV. I brought my daughters to the computer and we watched it together. They just thought it was funny. I think it says something about NJ politics. When the principal feels she has to call me it's pretty sad that it has become such a blood sport. I have actually been trying to get the Asbury Park Press to write a story on what it is like for women who run for office I've had experiences when I was campaigning where I knock on people's doors and they would say, "Who is taking care of your kids?" I would then ask them if they would ask a male candidate that same question.
LIM: Overall, were you satisfied with the way you ran your campaign?
EK: I felt I did a really responsible job with my campaign. I didn't pick on anybody's mother or sister and I just said what was already out there. I had a great consultant and we simply relied on what was already in the established media. It was not dirty at all.
LIM: What are the biggest challenges facing you as a senator?
EK: Other than being in the minority, the slow pace of things in Trenton is really frustrating. We have these great ideas and you want to realize them and bring life into them, but it is such a slow process. On the flip side, somethimes things go in fits and starts. For example, I just found out today that we will be hearing a public corruption bill that I have been working on for two years. It has to do with the cost of public corruption and giving some monies back to the towns that were so hurt. We put it in and got all geared up for it but it sat in committee for a long time- two years to be exact. Now we have to get the passion back and get folks ready to testify.
LIM: Tell us what a typical "day in the life" is like for you.
EK: The best thing about my job is that it takes me all over the place. No day is ever really typical. One part of the day that stays consistent is I get my kdis on the bus every morning. Some days consist of meetings or sessions in Trenton, speaking engagements and meeting with constitutents.
LIM: What committees do you serve on in the legislature?
EK: I am the Vice-Chair of the Health, Human Services & Seniors Committee as well as the Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee, and I am a member of the Transportation Committee.
LIM: Tell us about some of the other projects you're working on.
EK: I do a lot of work and research on women's health initiatives. It is a policy arena that fosters bipartisan partnership. The Mammography Bill for women under 40 is just a tremendous piece of legislation. What I am finding out is that there are a lot of women's health issues that are not getting the attention they deserve. Currently we are working hard on a cervical cancer awareness and screening bill.
LIM: What are some of the goals you have set for the constituents of Marlboro?
EK: There are still a lot of goals I need to accomplish. For one thing, we must continue to work on getting property tax relief. We'll either be in a special session or a constitutional convention to finally deal with this issue. When my dad was in the legislature, 25 years ago, the top two problems were property taxes and auto insurance. Property taxes are still the number one problem New Jerseyans are facing. It's our responsibility as legislators to do something about that. I also think we need a new school funding formula. We have worked really hard in the legislature to roll out a new school funding formula this fall. We still need ethics reform and folks should realize that "pay to play" is adding to the cost of living in New Jersey. The governor has endorsed my pay-to-play reform bill, which has regulations that go right down to the local and zoning level.
LIM: How long have you and your family lived in Marlboro?
EK: We have lived here for 11 years and my kids live the full Marlboro lifestyle; the girls are in public school here and they are involved in soccer and ballet. My son is very into fencing. In the summer we go to the swim club and the kids go to the recreation summer camp.
LIM: Tell us a little about your family.
EK: My son Ben is 19 and I have twin girls who are 11. Their names are Lael and Aviela. My husband John Hochberg is a physician, and I really could not do any of this without him.
LIM: Does your son have any political aspirations?
EK: Recently he has been talking about getting more involved. When he was younger I took him out of school for the day to meet presidential candidate Howard Dean. I let him play hooky for the day so he was pretty excited. There were a ton of animal rights activists there protesting the bear hunt in New Jersey. The day got pretty crazy when the state police had to tackle this one bear protector. Or course, that is what he remembers most about the day.
LIM: Where did you attend college?
EK: I graduated from Rutgers University and received an M.A. from the Eagleton Institute at Rutgers University in Political Science and Public Policy.
LIM: Who is your role model?
EK: Senator Dick Codey is an incredible inspiration to me-- he goes to his office on Sunday nights and randomly calls constiuents to check in. He has not lost his mission as a public servant and he is passionate about so many things.
LIM: I understand you are a vegetarian. Was there a specific event that influenced this decision?
EK: When I decided to become a vegetarian I was at the impressionabole age of 16. My father returned from a trip to China and announced to the family that we would no longer eat meat. His feeling was that a grain-based diet is more efficient and less stressful to the environment.
LIM: What do you do for fun?
EK: My husband and I are movie buffs, so we try to go the movies when time allows. I also took up knitting when I broke my arm last year. It turned out to be a great form of physical therapy after I got my cast off.
LIM: Do you have aspirations of climbing further up the political ladder?
EK: I'm not sure. I am happy where I am right now. However, I suppose if you asked me seven years ago if I would be doing this I would have said no, so who knows where life will take me.
LIM: What are your proudest accomplishments to date?
EK: The days I gave birth to my three children were the best days of my life; the most joyful moments I can think of. I also like to think that I am still evolving as a public sdrvant, sdo my proudest accomplishments have yet to come.
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