Stefan Tatarenko runs for re-election to Clifton City Council (03/19/06)

Stefan Tatarenko runs for re-election to Clifton City Council

CLIFTON, N.J. - Encouraging young activists to consider a political career is one of the forces that drives one New Jersey politician of Ukrainian descent to run for office.

Clifton City Councilman Stefan Tatarenko started his own political career in 1991 at the prompting of his friend and mentor Severyn Palydowych with a run for the Clifton Board of Education. Since then he has not looked back and has run for, and won, a second term on the Board of Education and then two consecutive four-year terms on the Clifton City Council. With the elections slated for May 9, he is running for his third term on the City Council.

Mr. Tatarenko said he "caught the political bug at the age of 15," when he was elected president of the Junior Ukrainian Orthodox League.

After being elected to the Clifton Board of Education in 1991 and 1994, Mr. Tatarenko recalled that "in 1998 the City Council was about to undergo major changes with retiring councilmen, and I was encouraged by many new friends to run for council. I decided to run and fortunately was able to win the seventh position."

He continued: "Our form of government has elections every four years, and every seat is up for grabs. The City Council members then vote for the new mayor - usually the highest vote-getter. In 2002 I ran again and captured the sixth position. The vote tally between the third- and sixth-place finishers was no more than 300 votes. As time-consuming as it gets, in this position I always had a great feeling about the accomplishments and progress the City Council has made. That is why I have decided to run again."

Mr. Tatarenko underscored that he derives a tremendous amount of pleasure from assisting and helping his constituents, friends and associates in various dealings with local bureaucracies and in navigating the government maze that for many is so hard to maneuver.

"In Clifton we have many Ukrainians who call upon me for my opinion, ask for guidance in dealing with government or in attending to local issues, or even for help on non-political issues," Mr. Tatarenko noted. "I feel most satisfied when I hear a thank you."

Mr. Tatarenko's activism and community service are not limited to his local town. He remains active in the Ukrainian community - be it as a parishioner of Holy Ascension Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as a committee member of the 2005 Ukrainian Festival at the Meadowlands, as a member of the local branch of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, or as an active member of the Ukrainian National Association (Branch 171).

Running for government office is an expensive proposition - to run for any type of government position requires substantial financing. Mr. Tatarenko's campaigns have been supported by his many friends, who have supplemented his own very costly financing of his own campaigns.

According to Councilman Tatarenko, his campaign costs far less than that of any new candidate, and this is due to his excellent contacts and his ability to go farther than others can with the funds he raises. However, due to a changing constituency, this year Mr. Tatarenko says his campaign will face greater hurdles than ever before.

Councilman Tatarenko said, "Our city has dramatically changed with a new population moving in and loyal supporters moving out." Nonetheless, he said he is confident of winning as he is confident that his supporters will not abandon him after all the years of service and assistance he has provided them.

"The election on May 9 will be a challenging one, and I hope everyone will get out and vote. For me it will be the culmination of a gratifying experience as I am encouraged by the number of volunteers we attract from our community who are willing to canvass the area, distribute campaign literature, or even call prospective voters," he observed. "Our community is developing activists among its youth, and we should be pleased with this development."

For information on the Tatarenko campaign readers may call 973-471-2191 or write to Tatarenko for Clifton Council 2006, 25 Friar Lane, Clifton, NJ 07013.

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