Although Riverton, N. J., is just a stone’s throw across the Delaware River, its conservative political makeup is far from that of Philadelphia — but an out, young politician is seeking to breathe new and progressive life into the region.
Joshua Myers, 23, is a Democratic write-in candidate for the Riverton Borough Council race in November, the only Democrat on the ticket following this month’s primary election.
A South Jersey native, Myers attained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from Villanova University in 2008 and 2010, respectively.
While he was always interested in politics, his work as a canvasser for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign solidified his political aspirations.
“From there, I just got really engaged in the political process and in the on-the-ground work and the nitty gritty of it,” he said.
Myers came out in 2008 and said that, while he was nervous about the intersection of his orientation and his career, he was eager to fill a gap that exists for LGBT politicians.
“I knew I wanted to be involved in the political process, but I didn’t know if [being out] would coordinate well with my political aspirations,” he said. “You don’t often hear about openly gay politicians, and sometimes when you do its vis-á-vis a scandal.”
In March, Myers became the municipal chair for Riverton Borough on the Burlington County Democratic Committee and this spring helped relaunch the formerly defunct Burlington County Young Democrats.
Myers said Riverton is a “notoriously red town” that hasn’t even seen Democratic candidates in the past several election cycles.
Reenergizing Democratic voters in the Riverton area is one of his primary goals, Myers said, and he’s eager to do so without shying away from his true identity.
“I wanted to make sure I was up front about who I was and about the fact that a gay person does have the know-how to put the infrastructure in place to do what’s necessary to help our local and county candidates get elected. I think there’s a lot of stereotypes about what it means to be gay.”
Finding success in his own campaign will also help alleviate misperceptions about the community, Myers said.
While some South Jersey towns have active, visible LGBT communities, there is a dearth of out LGBT political leaders in the region, Myers said.
“I think there’s really something to be said about getting someone from the community elected and breaking through that barrier,” he said. “There are a lot of bright, educated and really motivated LGBT community members in South Jersey, but without that leadership, it’s hard to get all that we want to be done.”
If elected, Myers said he would pioneer the adoption of an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance in Riverton and would work to secure such measures in other South Jersey towns.
Besides politics, Myers works full-time as the development coordinator for Project H.O.P.E., which works on behalf of the homeless in Camden County.
While juggling his day job with his other responsibilities can be stressful, Myers said it’s a task he welcomes.
“It is a little challenging that when I get out of work at 5, then I have to start putting together the other things I’m working on, but it’s a challenge I embrace,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to building upon my experience of helping to set up party infrastructure and fundraising and moving that into helping openly gay candidates be elected to office.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].