Suzanne Russell

@SRussellMyCJ

HIGHLAND PARK - The pastor of a borough church has been selected as the Green Party of New Jersey’s 2017 gubernatorial candidate.

The Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale, co-pastor of the Reformed Church of Highland Park and a champion of social justice causes, was announced as the party’s candidate Monday.

“We are extremely proud to have Seth Kaper-Dale at the top of our slate of candidates in next year’s statewide elections,” said Julie Saporito-Acuña, chair of the Green Party of New Jersey. “Through his sincere and impassioned devotion to ideals that the Green Party of New Jersey holds dear, we hope to focus the discourse of next year’s election cycle on the issues that other parties have neglected for far too long.”

Kaper-Dale is set to be formally introduced as the party’s candidate 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Green Party Town Hall event featuring the party’s presidential candidate, Dr. Jill Stein, at the Conference Center in University Hall, Montclair State University. Kaper-Dale will be featured along with other Green Party candidates.

Kaper-Dale, a longtime Democrat, said he began thinking about running for governor in 2013, when he felt Democrats didn’t fully rally around Barbara Buono’s gubernatorial candidacy. He also felt it was time for the state to move beyond a two-party system.

His decision to announce this candidacy this year stemmed partly from the decision by state Senate President Steve Sweeney not to run for governor but instead encourage the party to support Phil Murphy as the Democratic candidate.

Kaper-Dale thought that decision was egregious, pledging allegiance to a candidate many people don’t yet know, a retired Goldman Sachs executive who could fund his own campaign. Kaper-Dale, who has no ill feelings toward Murphy, hoped there would be lots of candidates running in the Democratic primary.

“My mantra in life is the last are first,” said Kaper-Dale, adding that’s his approach to his ministry and his community. When he looks at the Green Party’s platform, there are qualities he shares that come first.

Kaper-Dale said he’d like to see police-involved shootings overseen by a independent prosecutor. He also supports the end to solitary confinement, and felons given the right to vote. He thinks every undocumented person should have a driver’s license, and public school funds shouldn’t be siphoned off to finance charter schools.

“I want public school teachers to be respected again,” he said, adding that standardized tests shouldn’t be used to evaluate teachers.

Kaper-Dale said there are other issues he still has to study, such as the funding of the Transportation Trust Fund, the prospect of casinos in North Jersey and tax credits and loopholes.

“I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to share my vision for a more just and compassionate society with the people of New Jersey,” said Kaper-Dale. “My focus has always been toward those who have been left behind, oppressed or neglected. I believe that when the last are prioritized, life gets better for all of us. I’ve seen that reality played out over and over in our ministry and our larger community.”

While Kaper-Dale said Murphy has $10 million of his own money to spend on the campaign, he plans to talk about things that matter to the public and the media that will be worth more.

Kaper-Dale, a graduate of the Princeton Theological Seminary who spent time living in Ecuador, has served as co-pastor of Highland Park Reformed Church with his wife, Stephanie, for 15 years.

Since 2001, he and the church have been involved in community development issues and political actions focused on the most vulnerable members of society. In 2006, Kaper-Dale created RCHP-Affordable Housing Corp., which has been used during the past 10 years to create housing for women aging out of foster care, homeless veterans, homeless mentally ill adults, refugees and asylees.

He has worked on behalf of of the rights of refugees and serves as vice chair of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, working to end solitary confinement in New Jersey prisons and jails.

He also has spearheaded interfaith efforts around refugee resettlement, founding Interfaith-Refugee and Immigrant Services and Empowerment (Interfaith-RISE).

He and his wife have three daughters.

Additional information about the Green Party of New Jersey is available at www.gpnj.org.

Staff Writer Suzanne Russell: 732-565-7335; srussell@mycentraljersey.com