A Republican’s Perspective for Undecided Voters

This year’s gubernatorial election is about change. The people of New Jersey overwhelmingly believe New Jersey is moving in the wrong direction. Jack Ciattarelli is that change. If you are still undecided it is important for you to consider that he is the most knowledgeable and articulate candidate in the race who knows New Jersey and the concerns of its people. Jack knows the issues because he’s lived them alongside New Jerseyans of all walks of life. Jack knows how government works from the inside and has ideas on how to fix the things that keep us from moving forward to greater prosperity for all residents. Jack can fix New Jersey!

New Jersey is unaffordable due to high taxes, tolls, and energy costs. Property taxes are some of the highest in the country. Jack Ciatarelli has a plan to reduce them by cutting and capping property taxes at a percentage of assessed home value. He will also adopt a new school funding formula to ensure that suburban and rural districts are treated fairly and not forced to pay for failing school districts across the state.

Jack will reduce the State’s business tax by half over the next five years so NJ can compete economically with states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Florida.

He will slash energy costs by diversifying our energy sources to make us energy independent again and repealing Murphy-Sherrill plans for offshore windfarms and EV mandates.

Jack will reduce the cost of State government by 30% while keeping future budget growth to no more than the rate of inflation. He has a plan to reduce the income tax for all NJ taxpayers by consolidating tax brackets and providing other limits and incentives, especially for young people buying their first home. Student loan interest will be tax deductible.

Education of our children is foremost on the minds of most New Jersey residents. We must ensure that students get a quality education and learn the things that are necessary to be successful in life. Getting back to teaching basic life skills in our schools, expanding vocational technical education, and repealing age-inappropriate curriculum is the necessary approach to teaching our children to become productive citizens and grow New Jersey. Expanding school choice and access to charter schools to help parents and students escape failing districts will bring us a long way to providing quality education for all children in New Jersey regardless of their economic status or where they happen to live. We must set a statewide standard on per pupil spending and allow that money to follow the student, while concentrating on underperforming districts. Jack will fix this. He will also implement a “Parents Bill of Rights” that will provide parents the ability to know what the curriculum will be for each school year and learn what their children will be taught and provide more input from parents.

Quality of life issues are important to New Jerseyans. We need more affordable housing in our State but not at the expense of livable conditions. Jack will support affordable housing in New Jersey, but not mandated housing construction in every municipality. The current law has resulted in residential overdevelopment in communities that have limited infrastructure, no mass transit, and very few, if any, low-to-moderate income job opportunities. The current model utilizes vast amounts of open space chasing wildlife from its habitats. It is increasing pollution from more idling cars on already congested roads, leading to more local flooding from stormwater management issues, and driving up property taxes due to endless legal fees and additional local services. A regional approach is what we need. We should incentivize population growth to transit hubs and urban centers, utilizing regional contribution agreements (i.e., RCAs) and quotas based on state Department of Labor statistics. Self-sustaining local economies are desperately needed in our state, where thriving communities can exist by providing affordable and market-rate housing. Jack believes this approach must come via a real legislative solution – not a judge – and, if need be, a constitutional amendment.

Jack also supports impact fees on new warehouse development to ensure that when infrastructure improvements are needed to maintain safety and the quality of life accustomed to in a particular community, the developer pays for it, not already overburdened taxpayers.

The safety and well-being of our residents should be paramount to any public official. Unfortunately, some policies of our state actually hinder the safety of our people. Many crimes are committed as a result of these policies. Jack will change them. He will repeal the “Immigrant Trust Directive” (the Sanctuary State policy) and ban municipalities from declaring themselves “Sanctuary Cities”.

Jack will fix “Bail Reform” loopholes that currently allow violent and repeat offenders to walk free. He will support reforms that expand Community Policing to ensure that police are hired locally and that they are familiar with the communities in which they work.

These are some of the more pressing issues on the minds of New Jersey voters. Other issues are also important to Jack like term limits for State legislators and reforming the state budget process to put an end to bloated budgets and pork barrel spending. He will initiate policies that promote fair and honest elections and expand voter registration efforts. He is concerned with the preservation of wildlife and the protection of our open spaces, as well as more efficient but effective regulations and operations of our fish and game programs.

Yes, Jack is the change. Not only in his policies but in the kind of politician and person Jack is. He is passionate and compassionate, knowledgeable and open minded. He is honest, says what he means and means what he says. He loves New Jersey and will do everything in his power to make it a better place to live for all New Jerseyans.