July 17, 2014
By Stephanie West
New Jersey State Building and Construction Trades Council President Bill Mullen urged Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) to run for governor in 2017. President Mullen made the announcement of support at the trades council convention in Atlantic City July 15th. The Council represents about 100 union locals with over 150,000 members.
"The men and women of the New Jersey Building and Construction Trades Council have spoken and they want Steve Sweeney to consider running for Governor. Steve Sweeney’s strong leadership and inspired commitment to our union trades and to improving the lives of all New Jerseyans make him the ideal person to lead our State," said council president William Mullen.
The council passed a resolution at the convention stating that Sweeney has "always shown unwavering loyalty to our construction trades unions and indeed all working men and women” and that he “has proven to have all the attributes required for strong executive leadership.”
Sweeney is a general organizer of the International Association of Ironworkers and a member of the council. The next election for governor is scheduled for 2017.
It's expected that Gov. Chris Christie will seek the Republican nomination for president and may leave office prior to 2017.
