Indian American pharmacist Nirav Patel running for New Jersey Assembly

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NEW YORK – Indian American Nirav Patel has decided to run as a Democrat for the Assembly of the state of New Jersey.

“I pledge that I am running for Assembly in order to serve the people of the 12th Legislative District,” Patel stated on his website, and while he is new to politics, he wants to guide New Jersey in the right direction “after eight years of a failed governor.”

Patel believes that his opponents’ spending habits to lower tax bills are out of control and states that “New Jersey has one of the highest property tax rates in the nation and our taxes only go up year after year.”

He also mentions that the state is currently ranked #50 out of 50 in terms of how much federal funding it receives for what the residents pay in federal taxes.

“As your state Assemblyman, I will also fight to ensure New Jersey applies for more grants and lobbies for more federal funding than we currently receive,” he said.

Patel also wants to rebuild the state’s infrastructure because New Jersey is a critical shipping hub on the East Coast.

“Under the failed Christie administration, NJ Transit saw a 90% reduction in funding, and the Governor constantly stripped money from our transportation budget in order to fund tax cuts for his wealthy donors,” he explained adding that as a Northeastern state next to the ocean, New Jersey faces the challenges of both winter weather and salt in the air, which degrade and destroy the infrastructure of the state, asking to build more roads, bridges and tunnels.

Patel also states that the opioid epidemic is getting out of hand and wants to introduce a threefold plan:

1. We will work with local law enforcement and healthcare providers to create a system that treats addicts for their heath issues, rather than just incarceration.
2. We will create a system that allows athletic trainers, school nurses, families, and doctors to work together to ensure the usage of medication in schools is regulated to prevent addiction from occurring.
3. We will work with EMTs to ensure a sufficient supply of Narcan, a drug used to treat overdoses, to bring down the high death toll attached to opioid addiction.

Adding that “if we are able to enact this plan” then “we should be able to address both the root causes of” it “as well as help those who are already addicted.”

“I will be available, I will be transparent, and my door will be open to any constituent with any concern, no matter how small they may think their issue may be,” Patel said, as “It is time to put the service back in public service.”

Patel is the son of Raju Patel, a well-known activist in Jersey City; he has acquired training in chemical engineering, is a graduate in the economics field along with earning a Doctorate in Pharmacy and now works as a pharmacist.

Patel will be working with candidate Phil Murphy, who is running for governor.