A Republican candidate running for governor of New Jersey in November asked the incumbent Democrat governor (running for re-election) to schedule a debate before voters are able to cast vote-by-mail ballots.
“I am writing today after another day on the campaign trail up and down New Jersey. Residents are outraged by property taxes, saddened by all the closed businesses, and concerned about rising crime. They want to hear about solutions—mine and yours,” Ciattarelli wrote in the letter.
“New Jerseyans seem to want a debate BEFORE they have the opportunity to vote,” Ciattarelli wrote, “[but] because of the expanded vote by mail law you signed, our debates take place AFTER people who vote by mail get their ballots.”
“By the time we do take the stage together on September 28, it’s likely that tens of thousands of people will have already cast their ballots.”
The Republican candidate proposed to hold a debate as soon as possible adding that several organizations, including The League of Women Voters, have already expressed interest in hosting gubernatorial debates.
Property Tax Issue in New Jersey
Ciattarelli stressed that New Jersey residents pay a lot in property taxes. One of the main focuses of his campaign is a solution to lower them.
“It’s the one tax that touches every individual whether they own or rent, every business whether they own or rent,” Ciattarelli told NJPHIPAC.
His plan is to shift “education costs, which create an unfair burden on property taxpayers, to the state,” the website states.
If Ciattarelli becomes governor he will “restore state aid to struggling suburban, shore area, and rural schools to relieve the financial burden on local communities.” He proposed a policy that would provide a more equitable distribution of state funds throughout school districts.
“I’m not going to leave any child behind; I’m not going to leave any community behind; and I’m not going to adversely affect the quality of our K through 12 system. But what we do need is a flatter and more equitable distribution of state aid to schools, and when we do that, we can lower property taxes,” Ciattarelli explained in the interview.
He also plans to stop property tax increases as a result of home improvements and freeze property taxes for all senior homeowners, age 65 or older, regardless of income or length of residency, the website states.
The Democratic candidate “fought to restore the millionaire’s tax, which requires the wealthiest to pay their fair share to provide much-needed tax relief for middle-class taxpayers and homeowners,” Murphy’s campaign website said.
Murphy has also expanded eligibility for a property tax freeze to 23,000 more seniors, and the eligibility for a property tax deduction to allow 50,000 more veterans to take advantage of it, the website stated.
The governor also allocated tens of millions of dollars to make local governments and school districts more efficient, according to his campaign.