Jack Ciattarelli, Republican candidate for governor, arrives at the Community House of Moorestown for the Burlington County Regional Chamber of Commerce’s candidates forum on Aug. 29.
The Burlington County Regional Chamber of Commerce held a gubernatorial candidate forum at the Community House of Moorestown on Aug. 29 that featured Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic candidate, and former state representative Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican.
New Jersey residents will vote for a new governor on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Ciattarelli, a Somerville Republican, was raised in Raritan, where his grandparents emigrated 100 years ago. An entrepreneur and small-business owner, he served on the Raritan Borough Council and the Somerset Board of Commissioners before winning a seat in the assembly, where he represented the 16th district for seven years, until 2018.
Ciattarelli unsuccessfully sought the governor’s seat in 2017 and 2021. He believes now that New Jersey needs not just a pro-business governor, but a pro-business administration and pro-business policies.
“We need to take a state that’s constantly ranked as one of the worst in the country in which to do business as one of the best in the country to do business,” he said at the forum. “We can do that.”
Ciattarelli wants to responsibly reduce the cost of state government to fund tax cuts for businesses and individuals. The only way to do so is by growing New Jersey’s economy, he believes, and the only way to do that is to make it a better place to do business.
“I believe we can do that by lessening the regulations (and) cutting the taxes, and we can accomplish all that without screwing the consumer or doing irreparable harm to the environment,” he noted. “It all comes down to leadership … “
Ciattarelli said he will form something New Jersey currently lacks: a Department of Commerce to monitor large economic development projects with two or three state agencies, rather than making developers, investors and others deal with multiple agencies in separate communications.
“Three generations of Ciattarellis have created jobs here,” the candidate said. “Three generations of Ciattarellis have achieved their American dream right here in New Jersey. When people ask me why are you running for governor, the answer is really quite simple: I want today’s New Jerseyans and future generations of New Jerseyans to feel confident that they too can achieve their American dream right here in New Jersey.”
Mikie Sherrill (right), the Democratic candidate for governor, also appeared at the Community House.
After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1994, Congresswoman Sherrill spent almost 10 years on active duty in the Navy, then graduated from law school. She worked in private practice and joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey, where she prosecuted federal cases and worked to take illegal guns off the streets.
Something she learned in the Navy, Sherrill said, is that you either must lead, follow or get out of the way.
“In too many cases, we don’t have the leadership we need to really address some of the critical problems we’re facing here, and to fight back against the economic attacks we’re seeing coming from Washington,” she said at the forum.
“I have long worked to really serve the people of New Jersey, and by that, I mean I will take on anyone – including members of my own party – when it means delivering for people who live here in the Garden State.”
One key area that needs fixing, she believes, is permitting reform. If elected, Sherrill said she will streamline permitting in the state to overhaul the licensing process and to reduce costs and delays that are holding back not just major projects, but small businesses, too. She will also make permitting timelines available, so residents know where they’re in the process.
Sherrill also maintains that it’s too expensive to do business in the state, making it hard for businesses to compete. She plans to eliminate the new business registration fee to provide immediate tax relief.
“We don’t want our businesses to get hit first thing with this fee,” she explained. “We want people to open up new businesses here in New Jersey.”
Sherrill also wants to increase New Jersey’s power arsenal – pushing new power production and driving down costs – and boost state investments in Burlington County. Among them would be expanded bus rapid transit route service, as well as micro-transit options in the region. Sherrill also plans to expand high-quality affordable child care through funding for providers, workforce development and businesses that provide on-site care.
“We are going to make sure that we are driving business into the state, that we are driving down costs for small-business owners, and making sure that this state charts a different path forward, and that in this state, we have a governor who will serve the people of New Jersey,” she said.
