Jersey Votes Against Business As Usual
Yesterday New Jerseyans went to the polls and delivered the message to Trenton that the tax-hiking solution to all the state's ails over the past few years are no longer good enough. Voters rejected two bond initiatives - one to spend $450 million to construct stem cell research facilities (with no defined way to pay for their completion) and one to take last year's sales tax increase and dedicate it to property tax relief (thus increasing the likelihood of another sales tax increase in the next few budget cycles).
The stem cell research bond is unfortunately par for the course in NJ public policy. The original plan included less dollars and a facility located in New Brunswick, but political bosses in other parts of the state found that unacceptable. So the final bond act called for more money to construct three facilities. Spreading facilities across the state lessens the ability to attract top talent as they would be scattered - we'd spend more money to get less.
With about 95 percent of the precincts counted as of 12:20 a.m., both initiatives were losing by more than 72,000 votes.
Although the two issues seem unrelated at first blush, opponents turned the debate on their merits into a referendum on the state's financial health.
"People are saying enough is enough with the borrowing, and that we shouldn't be venturing into highly risky business ventures," said Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, who campaigned against both proposals.
Congratulations to the 37 PENPAC endorsed candidates who will serve in the New Jersey legislature next year.
