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Former Councilwoman Dolores "Bobby" Reilly Endorses Mayoral Candidate Ted Mattox

April 8 - Former Montclair Councilwoman Dolores "Bobby" Reilly has announced her endorsement of Thrive Montclair's mayoral candidate Ted Mattox.

"Ted has followed what my concept is of an elected official who doesn't go along to just get along, because I never did that. I watched as he gradually came to understand that sometimes the expectation when you run on a slate that you have to go along to get along isn't always right. If you believe something is wrong, you have to vote against it," says Reilly. "I was always known for the 'no' vote. I did what I thought was right for the town, for the ward I lived in. Ted has proven that he is willing to vote for what he believes is right, whether he is in the majority or the minority. He's more concerned with whether it is right or wrong for the town."

Reilly is the first African American woman elected to Montclair's Town Council and the municipality's first official representative in the Fourth Ward. Prior to her election, she served on the municipality's Charter Study Commission in 1978 to change Montclair's form of government. She also once served as a delegate for presidential candidate Jesse Jackson. She is widely known in Montclair as a trailblazer who speaks out openly and honestly.

"I'm looking for a strong voice who will speak for the entire town, who will do his research and vote his conscience after he has considered all the facts that are pertinent," says Reilly.

Mattox says he is honored to receive an endorsement from such an icon. "Bobby Reilly is like a Montclair super delegate. She is one of the most honest and straightforward people I have ever met. She tells it like it is," says Mattox. "Clearly there are similarities between our styles and we have connected from the very beginning. We both believe that the pursuit of truth and equality are the only things that matter."

Mattox's slate, Thrive Montclair, under the slogan "Your Voice...Your Money...Our Future," was the first to announce its candidacy for Montclair's Town Council in December, 2007.