Copyright New York Post
In this year’s neck-and-neck race for governor, New Jerseyans are demanding change. They deserve it. Democrats have been the majority party in both chambers of the Legislature for about a quarter of a century and have held the executive branch for eight years. Judges are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate, so the Democratic Party has effectively controlled the judiciary, too. Under their dominance, taxes have soared out of control, urban schools are failing and electricity costs are sky-high. Plus, many of the state’s policies clash with the cultural values of large swaths of Jersey citizens. Jerseyans are suffering, big-time. Of the two candidates in this year’s governor’s race, Republican former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli is promising change; his progressive rival, Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill, is attached at the hip to the status quo. And four issues — taxes, schools, energy costs and cultural values — are at the heart of the contest. Start with energy: Under Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, six of New Jersey’s large electric generation facilities, some nuclear and some natural gas, have been decommissioned or gone offline. New Jersey, which once sold excess power to the regional grid, now must buy it at spot-market prices from nearby states. Why? Murphy bet big on solar and wind power to appease radical greens — but failed to gin up nearly enough energy to satisfy statewide demand. That left Garden Staters short, and sent electric bills soaring. Ciattarelli aims to back out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative so the state can build more natural-gas plants, boosting electricity supply and bringing down costs. He and his fellow Republicans also plan to reform the state’s permitting process so power lines and natural-gas or nuclear plants can be built faster. That would be a godsend. In contrast, Sherrill backs pricey, environmentally unfriendly wind turbines, which have failed to materialize and can’t generate enough of the power we need. Don Quixote’s got nothing on her and her fellow Dems. New Jersey also has the highest property taxes in the nation, per the Tax Foundation, and the highest corporate income tax. Ciattarelli has pledged to chop the corporate rate by one percentage point a year for six years; Sherrill vows to close loopholes, making businesses pay even more. She’s clearly out of touch: Other states’ corporate tax rates, like North Carolina’s, are as low as 2¼%. You can bet jobs (and the tax base) will continue to flee New Jersey if she takes the reins. Sherrill would also continue the Affordable New Jersey Communities for Renters and Homeowners program, which issues state rebates to those who pay property tax or rent. That might sound good on the surface, but the rebates themselves are small — and more important, they simply shift governmental costs around, solving nothing. In contrast, Ciatarrelli wants to impose a statewide cap on property taxes, forcing municipalities, counties and school boards to make difficult but necessary fiscal decisions — and saving homeowners thousands every year. New Jersey spends more per student than nearly any other state in the union, yet the quality of schools in our 600-plus districts varies greatly. Ciattarelli would place renewed focus on phonics to improve reading, and would boost choices for parents by expanding charter schools, especially in areas where districts are underperforming. He’d reform the school-funding system, so that state money follows the students. Sherrill would limit parent’s choices and put the interests of the powerful teachers’ union ahead of both children andteachers. On cultural issues, Ciattarelli argues strongly that biological males should not be allowed to compete in women’s sports, which is both unfair and dangerous to women. That view, an American Principles Project poll found, matches those of 68% of Garden Staters — just 22% of whom back transgender kids in girls’ sports, which Sherrill supports. Caittarelli would also respect federal law and the US Constitution by cooperating with immigration authorities’ enforcement efforts. He plans to end sanctuary status for the state, along with its counties, cities and towns. Sherrill supports sanctuary status and would flout her constitutional duty to work with the feds. Indeed, as a dyed-in-the-wool progressive, a Gov. Sherrill would impose more of the same punishment Murphy has inflicted on New Jersey residents for the past eight miserable years. Ciattarelli would bring the kind of change Garden Staters crave: affordable electric bills, relief from crushing taxes, more options for education and an end to crazy, harmful far-left cultural policies. Voters who see the clear differences should have an easy choice. Adam Kraemer, a Republican, is running for the District 27 seat in New Jersey’s General Assembly.
