On the Issues: Candidates for NJ’s Gubernatorial Race

Phil Murphy

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons

Economy:

• Investment into transportation infrastructure

• A public bank to invest in New Jersey

• Raise minimum wage

• Guarantee earned sick leave statewide

• Ensure Equal pay for equal work

• Creating a new Public Bank

Making New Jersey more affordable:

• “Easing the property tax burden by funding our schools, restoring rebates for senior and low-income residents, and incentivizing towns to share services”

Education:

• Restoring and funding the only school funding formula that has been upheld by the Supreme Court

• Expand free pre-K to all families in NJ

• Implementing a new STEM curriculum

• Working to end state takeovers and abandoning the top-down approach

• Increase state aid to institutions of higher education to lower tuition and fees

• Expand access to community colleges and create vocational training programs

• State-based refinancing at lower rates through a new public bank

Transportation:

• Appointing an Emergency Manager

• Undertaking an immediate capital and personnel audit

• Improving customer service

• Expanding options for alternative service

• Increasing transparency

• Holding Amtrak accountable

Veterans:

• Employment and skills development

• Mental health

• Higher education

• Veteran-owned businesses

• Military transitions and families

Healthcare:

• Lowering insurance premiums by reining in excessive out-of-network costs

• Restoring state funding to Planned Parenthood and ensuring that all-FDA approved methods of contraception remain accessible to New Jersey women with no out-of-pocket costs

• Working to identify the state’s 75,000 uninsured children and enrolling them in health coverage

• Expanding access to addiction treatment and services

Battling Addiction:

• Expanding access to drug treatment facilities

• Increasing access to preventive medical treatment

• Establishing a 7-day limit on initial opiate prescriptions

• Lowering the cost of Narcan

• Funding a public awareness campaign about opioid addiction prevention

• Expand support systems for individuals who overdose

Kim Guadagno

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons

Transportation:

• Take the politics out of transportation funding with new funding formula

• Divert New York tax revenue to New Jersey transportation projects

• Impose a culture of customer service

• Allow commuters to set aside money for commuting expenses tax free

• Audit transportation trust fund and NJ Transit

• Fight for NJ’s fair share of Port Authority funds

• Work with Washington to fund priority projects like the Gateway Tunnel

• Build NJ Transit Bus Terminal

• Maximize revenue from existing transit facilities

• Add ferry routes and express trains

Veterans:

• Promote opportunities for veterans

• Lower veteran homelessness and suicide rates

• Strengthen military economy

Pension and Healthcare:

• Honoring pension commitment to current retirees

• Bringing public health insurance plans in line with private sector offerings

• Ending all pension abuse like imposing strict “1 public paycheck” rule to stop double dipping

• Cutting Wall Street management fees

• Transferring the management of the Police and Firefighters’ pension to a risk-bearing entity

• Moving more public employees into cash balance plans

Taxes:

• Veto new tax increases

• Create property tax “circuit breaker”

• Stop sick pay abuse

• Lower healthcare costs

• Force shared services

• Reform the school funding formula

Audit Trenton:

• Conduct Full-Scale Audit

• Support An Independently Elected Attorney General

• Use Zero-based Budgeting

• Ensure Education Dollars Get To Classrooms

• Fix School Procurement And Construction

• Sell Surplus State Assets

• Take The Politics Out Of Road Building

• Oppose New Long-Term Debt

• Scrap Plans To Build ‘The Palace Of Versailles’

Education:

• Reforming the antiquated school funding formula

• Expanding vocational education and apprenticeships

• Advancing merit pay for teachers

• Making higher education more flexible and affordable

• Expanding school choice  

Growing Jersey Jobs:

• Become More Military And Veteran-friendly

• Promote Travel and Tourism

• Implement Transportation Solutions  

Opioid Epidemic:

• Lead A Regional Coalition To Tackle The Opioid Epidemic

• Ensure Help Is Offered Immediately

• Make Sure Insurance Is Not A Deterrent To Recovery

• Stop The Treatment Of Addiction Through The Judicial System

• Encourage The Use Of Recovery Specialists

• Make The PMP More Efficient

• Advance Prevention And Education Efforts

Make sure to vote on November 7!

**All information taken from candidates’ respective websites

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