A Congressman in the Making

 

 

My name is Scot John Tomaszewski and I'm running for U.S. CONGRESS, District 1, New Jersey.

 

  MY STORY starts as a young boy growing up in a row home in Upper Darby, PA with my parents and 2 older brothers located across the street from my grandparents home. My parents struggled financially resulting in my having a "common" tie with my friends families, all having divorced parents.

With the need of supervision while my parents were working, Mom, 2 jobs, her day job working for the then Upper Darby Mayor, Sunny Kane, her night job waitressing at the Alpine Inn restaurant and banquet facility. My Dad worked second shift at Philadelphia Gear Corp. before the company closed.

 

 I was my Grand pop’s shadow from my earliest memories, and my Grand Moms pride and joy. Everything my Grand Pop tinkered with I tinkered with too, he is a WW2 Purple Heart Veteran with a arm wound that left his right hand frozen in one position.  This incapacitating wound to his right arm provided an opportunity for me to show my Grand Pop just how well I watched and learned what he was doing over my early years. I recognized at that young age he needed help, and could not accomplish some things due to his war injury on his own. I became his RIGHTHAND MAN by 6 years old!  I learned a lot of trade skills from carpentry to roofing, cement work along with auto repairs,cars were repairable without the need of a computers then. My grandfather instilled a work ethic in me, we maintained his and many of our neighbor’s houses on our street., our shop and tool boxes were kept with military precision learned during his time in the army during WW2.  He also explained to me when you do a job you get paid for that job, as I was paid for our neighborhood repair projects. I saved my earnings in a shoe polish box under his basement steps (I still have the box) in a "Folgers" coffee Jar with a slit in the Orange top, I hated saving money even then.

 

I learned the value of my skills at a young age and had a bank account. I tried to withdraw a considerable amount of money for a 12 year old so the teller called my Mom and spoke to her and I was granted the $500.00 dollars to buy a new BMX Bike, my Mom obviously stated to the teller its Scot’s money he earned it and to please give it to him at his request! I had respect for my hard work and so did my Mom.

 

 

 I was 15, it was summer, when I answered an ad in the Delaware County Times news paper for a hardware clerk position job at what I would soon come to find out was the World Famous "HERMANS HARDWARE" located directly across the street from the back door of the World Famous TOWER THEATRE in down town Upper Darby PA. I knew many hardware products by 8 years old, I knew I could do this job. I convinced the owner, Jack Samuals, to let me fill the position at the young age of 15. I advanced from clerk to Master Locksmith Quickly, this was second nature changing locks and opening "locked" doors on cars and houses, responsibly at such a young age impressed even the head Lock smith "OLLIE" a 6'4' white haired WW2 Marine and Purple Heart recipient, who walk with a limp. Ollie taught me customer service along with Jack the owner but OLLIE was the brains of the operation although Jack ran a tight ship as he was a WW2 Navy VET. I must say I met a variety of worldly people that came trough the door during my time at Herman's Hardware and really enjoyed that opportunity and time in my life!

 

 

 That first summer of working in the real world allowed me to realize that I enjoyed working with people, helping them with solutions for their projects was fun and making a pay check was rewarding! I returned to my 10th grade year of high school in the fall but shortly after, I found the real world beckoning me to come back and work and make money doing it! I signed out of high school that year at 16 with my families approval and returned to Herman's Hardware working with Jack and Ollie for another year. I quickly accomplished my G.E.D. to prove to myself, that I met the general knowledge of 12 years of public schooling.

 

 I received a call from my Uncle Robert while working for Herman's' that year, my Uncle Robert was an union electrician/ sign hanger, he knew of the skills his had Dad taught me and offered me a apprenticeship/ job as an electrician. I left Herman's hardware and went to work with my Uncles firm RJG Electric, I quickly mastered the basic Electric skills and added schooling at Delaware county college in Electrical Code, Electric 101 and Industrial Control Wiring and code test prep course. I was comfortable with my skills and excelled in the electric and sign industry. 

 

I applied for, tested and received my first Masters Electrical Contracting License and in 1989 at 19 years old in Lower Merion Twp. PA (Denny Sharpless, was the electrical inspector then and still is today,) I started my career at that point obtaining business insurance and my own truck.  My savings allowed me and my fiancé to purchase our first investment property at 19 years old; we became landlords, renting out one floor of the duplex and lived in the other, while growing equity, which allowed us to enjoy a low rent while building credit! I renovated that property then married my 1st wife in 1992 and purchased another duplex property and then we purchased my moms row home and then sold it. We were blessed with a special needs child Theresa in 1994. Sadly enough, I was then laid off by my Uncle when my daughter was a new born in 1995.

 

 I was referred by the union sign hangers for a job opening in Burlington NJ where I excelled as a service tech, helping all types of businesses in installing and maintaining their signs all over the country. I moved my family to Cherry Hill in 1995. Unfortunately my first marriage ended in divorce and I married my second wife who also had a special needs child.

 I decided to leave the sign company with my union income. I had enjoyed being an entrepreneur with my rental properties  and so I decided to revive my personal electrical contracting business and expanded my areas in which I could do business by obtaining a Master Electricians License in New Jersey, Philadelphia, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. 

 

With personal dedication and hard work I built my Electrical contacting company as well as my real estate investments portfolio.

 

  As newlyweds my new wife and I were often out of town, and away from our home and business to travel to find treatment my step son for his rare genetic bone defect we saw many great medical specialist/doctors in order to find answers.  We stayed many nights in hospital rooms or in Ronald McDonald Houses for his treatments. He had many operations in Baltimore MD over the years. What a great organization Ronald McDonald Houses are. I also adapted our house, with ramps, a lift and a swimming pool, so that he could live a more independent life. I am happy to say my step son is doing well these days. 

 The challenges I have faced in both my personal life and business has strengthened me and my will to survive in my trade, over the last 14 years which I'm  proud to say, I navigated my Non-Union Electric contracting company successfully through the Shark infested waters of the New Jersey commercial industry with great success, while learning how to avoid the difficulties of operating as a Non-Union Electrical Contractor. 

My accomplishment of operating as a non-union commercial electrical and sign service company which included projects at The REVEL ( the globe on the roof) and The Golden Nugget (Trump to GN, sign electric) NJ STATE Property Lighting Maintenance contracts and much more.

 

 

  My company was recently valued at over 1.2 million dollars.  My company has put over 15 millon dollars into the local economy over the last 14 years, I have also given enployment to local electricians and trained youngsters wanting to enter the trade. I also implemented a clean up scheme in Cherry Hill on Earth Day which my company sponsored.

I have carried through my life the values I was taught as a young child by my Grand Pop, and have always given ” a good days work for a good days pay “ to all my customers and contracts  I carried out.

I feel that all I have experienced during my life could be of value to the community. I know what it is like to be a hard working  man, a family man with a first hand knowledge of disability, a compassionate man, a man who cares for the community he has been part of. I want to go on to represent and be the voice for my community.

 

I AM YOUR OPPORTUNITY FOR CHANGE  in our local politics "WE DESERVE BETTER ", NEW JERSEY 

 

 My Name is SCOT JOHN TOMASZEWSKI and I'm running  for U.S. CONGRESS in the 1st  district NEW JERSEY

 I am a man of the people, working for the people.

.

 District 1, New Jersey

 VOTE FOR SCOT JOHN TOMASZEWSKI

 God Bless America