Two Republican lawmakers defend the "real South Jersey"

New Jersey is suffering from a wide-ranging crisis that needs to be fixed by making changes in the political power structure during the November election, two Republican state lawmakers said Thursday during a legislative forum of Ocean City business leaders.

Sen. Michael Testa and Assemblyman Antwan McClellan contended that the “real South Jersey” has been ignored far too long by Democrats in the rest of the state who control both houses of the Legislature.

McClellan said the Legislature hasn’t been in session since passing the budget on June 30 and won’t return to the Statehouse until after the Nov. 4 election – a long layoff that he called unacceptable.

“So let’s think about how long we’re not in the Statehouse doing the business of the people, because they’re worried about getting re-elected instead of doing the business. So that’s what we have. The governor doesn’t care, and the majority party doesn’t care. They want to get re-elected,” McClellan said in a partisan shot at the Democrats and Gov. Phil Murphy.

Testa also criticized the Democrats, saying that they are more interested in getting their hands on the tax revenue generated by the South Jersey communities.

“They certainly love our tax dollars in Trenton, but they don’t necessarily understand our way of life in South Jersey,” he said.

Testa and McClellan spoke during a legislative forum sponsored by the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce. The gathering at the Ocean City Yacht Club included an audience of more than 100 local and county business and political leaders.

    State Assemblyman Antwan McClellan says he doesn't like the long break the Legislature has been on since passing the budget on June 30.
  

Testa and McClellan represent the First Legislative District, which includes all of heavily Republican Cape May County and parts of Atlantic and Cumberland counties. Assemblyman Erik Simonsen, the third member of the First Legislative District Republican team, had a doctor’s appointment following back surgery and could not make the Chamber of Commerce forum.

McClellan and Simonsen are up for re-election in November and will be challenged by Democrats Carolyn Rush and Carol Sabo.

During their remarks to the Chamber of Commerce, Testa and McClellan called on voters to elect Republican Jack Ciattarelli over Democrat Mikie Sherrill in the gubernatorial election Nov. 4.

“What we have to do in November is put somebody in that cares. Jack Ciattarelli is that person. I don’t want to make it political, but we need help,” McClellan said while also expressing hope that Republicans can flip the Assembly in their favor during the election.

Testa characterized Ciattarelli as someone who “actually really has understood South Jersey.”

“He has spent so much time in South Jersey, and he deserves to be the next governor of the state of New Jersey,” Testa said.

Much of the remarks made by Testa and McClellan focused on what they contended are New Jersey’s political, financial and energy crises looming under the gold-domed Statehouse.

    An audience of more than 100 business and political leaders listens to the speakers at the Ocean City Yacht Club.
  

Testa pointed at the state budget as an example. He said the budget has ballooned from about $34 billion to around $59 billion in the last eight years and includes a deficit of about $4 billion.

“How can you possibly operate a state at a structural deficit of $4 billion? You can’t. So whomever is the next governor of the state of New Jersey is inheriting what is known under the gold dome as a hot mess, because there’s no other technical way to put it,” Testa said.

He predicted that there will be “pain in the next four years” for a lot of groups that depend on state funding, but may not be getting it because of the budget deficit.

Testa, a member of the Senate budget appropriations committee, said he has made proposals to cut the deficit by about $2 billion, but “nobody’s listened” among the Democrats.

“I can tell you that we’ve made proposals in the Senate budget appropriations committee that could probably cut about, pretty easily, $2 billion out of the budget like that,” Testa said while snapping his fingers.

McClellan took issue with the way the state allocates revenue generated by tourism-related taxes on such things as hotel rooms. He said Cape May County, a leader in state tourism, does not get its fair share of the funding, while Democratic-controlled Essex County, not known for its tourism industry, receives too much.

Cape May County sends upwards of $70 million in tourism tax revenue annually to the state and gets back less than $2 million. Essex, on the other hand, gets a little more than $6 million back each year, McClellan said.

“We make New Jersey run with our tourism dollars. And we don’t get that money coming back,” he said, pointing out that more state money could help fund infrastructure projects and programs to boost local businesses.

    Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Michele Gillian makes remarks while, from left, Sen. Michael Testa, Assemblyman Antwan McClellan and Chamber President Patrick McMahon listen.
  

In his remarks, Testa also asserted that New Jersey is in the midst of an energy crisis. Underscoring its energy shortages, the state now imports about 40 percent of its energy compared to exporting about 30 percent eight years ago, he said.

“We’re at a critical time in the state of New Jersey, make no mistake about it. This isn’t a doomsday speech. But we have major energy issues,” Testa said.

Testa wants the state to pursue the development of small, modular nuclear reactors to help close its energy gap while working on long-range plans to generate more energy.

Gov. Murphy, a Democrat, had wanted New Jersey to become a national leader in clean energy by having a series of wind energy farms built along the coast. None of those new plants have been built, in part because of opposition from President Donald Trump’s Republican administration.

Michele Gillian, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, wrapped up the legislative forum by thanking Testa and McClellan for all their support in Trenton on behalf of Ocean City and the business community.

“First of all, they are the superstars in Trenton. They represent us in every battle. They know us, they know what we need,” Gillian told the audience.

“We are truly lucky to have these two. They go to Trenton. They’re actually there. They’re lobbying for us. They know our needs. They know every single person in this room and what we need to stay as No. 1. We want to stay No. 1,” Gillian added of Ocean City’s status as a prime tourism destination.