Rowan Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship (RIPPAC) hosted Sean M. Spiller, the current New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) president who is also running for Governor in this year’s election on Feb. 10.

During the talk, Spiller highlighted his goals of making New Jersey a more affordable place to live, as New Jersey’s cost of living is currently higher than the national average. This places New Jersey among the most expensive states to live in.

Spiller’s goal to make the Garden State more affordable was an idea he prioritized during his time as the Mayor of Montclair from 2021 to 2024, during which he aided in compromising on a new rent control law for the town.

“We can’t focus on making sure our students are learning if there’s no housing, right? We can’t focus on making sure our families can take care of their health or other pieces if there’s no house, right? We want to start with that fundamental piece,” said Spiller.

Long before getting into politics, Spiller was a high school science teacher, so it’s no surprise that at his core, education is one of his top priorities. He was elected NJEA President back in 2021, where he had previously served as secretary-treasurer from 2013 to 2017, and then Vice President from 2017 to 2021.

“So we have the conversation around what we need to do to help all New Jerseyans, but we do it in a way where we say, ‘As governor, what I will do is make sure we’re standing up and protecting every single resident in this state because that is our fundamental charge.’ That is the most important thing, the foundation upon which we can help folks with housing, help folks with healthcare, help folks with employment and jobs, but none of that matters if we’re dividing folks, attacking folks, and living in fear,” said Spiller.

Spiller launched his New Jersey Governor campaign back in June 2024, with his main drive being to pave the way for a better future not only for the next generation, which includes his own children but also for New Jersey as a whole.

“Let’s make sure we’re fighting for each other when they’re looking to divide us and separate us and say, ‘You stay, you don’t, you go.’ This is the moment where we come together and say, ‘This is our chance to do things differently, this is our chance to elect ourselves to these positions where decisions are made.’ And that’s why I’m running for Governor, and that’s why I’m asking for your support and your vote,” said Spiller.

Spiller received positive reactions throughout the hour-and-a-half-long discussion, as the audience was mainly filled with teachers from different schools, who either came to support Spiller or to learn more about his “vision for New Jersey.”

“I’m here to support him. I am 100% looking forward to having a Governor who is all about education,“ said Scott McCarron, a Rowan Alumni who currently teaches music production at Delsea Regional High School.

“I just don’t know what his whole leadership is besides the Mayor and all of that, so I just kinda want to find out,” said Dr. Jessica Hawk, a content creator and recently retired English teacher who lives on-campus.

Despite his visit to Rowan outlining his hopes for becoming New Jersey Governor, Spiller isn’t on the ballot just yet. As a matter of fact, every candidate has to collect 2,500 signatures in order to get on the ballot. In Gloucester County alone, there are four petition bearers, each with their own goal of 100 signatures.

“We reached out, we had contacts in his world and we reached out and said, ‘We’re trying to bring everybody who’s running for governor to Rowan’ and he was one of them,” said Director of RIPPAC Ben Dworkin.

RIPPAC is also set to host a similar talk with one of the Republican candidates for New Jersey Governor, Bill Spadea, on Monday, April 7 at 7:00 p.m..

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