PRESS RELEASE: Steinhardt to Murphy and Sweeney: Walk Your Block

NJGOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt challenged “every politician in Trenton” to “take a walk down your block and find out how many of your neighbors plan to be here in 10 years.” His press release follows:

Trenton, NJ - According to a recent survey released this week by the Garden State Initiative and Fairleigh Dickinson University’s School of Public & Global Affairs, 44% of New Jersey residents are planning to leave the state. Most responders cited property taxes and the overall cost of living as the primary reasons for leaving. 

"The NJGOP is issuing a new challenge to every politician in Trenton, including Governor Murphy; take a walk down your block and find out how many of your neighbors plan to be here in 10 years," said NJGOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt. "Phil Murphy's radical, liberal agenda is breaking up New Jersey families and forcing them into FaceTime relationships with their children and grandchildren. New Jersey’s 9 million residents deserve predictability, government reliability, and stability driven by honest answers to the state's real problems."

Over the weekend, Democrat Senate President Steve Sweeney proposed lifting the 2 percent local property tax levy in certain communities. 

Steinhardt reacted to that by saying, “Enough already. Take property tax hikes off the table. We can’t afford them, and those that can are leaving. We have a system in place now that allows communities to vote locally and decide if they really need tax hikes. Trenton needs to stop taking away from municipalities their ability to self-govern. Trenton Democrats have proven they can't be trusted with your tax dollars. Leave that power into the hands of the people most affected and invested in their local communities. In fact, Trenton should be working towards instituting a 2 percent cap on state spending to match the successful local law, instead of creating exceptions and loopholes to avoid it. New Jersey has a spending problem, not a revenue problem, and legislation like this pours salt in the wound of every New Jersey taxpayer. Enough already.”