Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill speaking to Monmouth County residents at a forum Friday in Asbury Park. (Photo courtesy of @mikiesherill on Instagram)
By GILLIAN DESTAFANO
More than 200 turned out Friday at St. Augustine’s Church in Asbury Park to hear six Democratic candidates for New Jersey governor present their platforms.
Moderated by Asbury Park City Councilwoman Angela Ahbez Anderson, the forum featured Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, Congressman Josh Gottheimer, former State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, Mayor Ras Baraka, Mayor Sean Spiller, and Mayor Stephen Fulop.
Ava Johnson of Neptune organized the panel, and is the chair of the Monmouth County Black American Caucus, where she has held the position for 15 years. The event was chosen to be at St. Augustine because it can host a large number of people.
Monmouth County’s primary election is on June 10, while the general election is Nov. 5.
The six potential governors gave a brief introduction of their backgrounds, highlighting the key issues addressed in their campaigns, and made their pitch as to why they would each be the best governor of New Jersey. Afterwards, questions were asked by the audience.
Congresswoman Sherrill was first to speak about her campaign. She has represented the eleventh district of NJ since 2019 and is a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot. Sherrill highlighted her military background and emphasized the need to have creative solutions. Her campaign aims to build housing, fix the economy, and lower prices.
“Whether it was flying a helicopter at night and landing on a ship, or trying to teach my children new math, I have been trained to attack the problem. To bring people together, and to find creative solutions. That’s what I’m going to do as governor.” Sherill said.
Next was Congressman Gottheimer, who has represented the fifth congressional district of NJ since 2017. His campaign focuses on reducing costs of living and lowering taxes.
Gottheimer said, “The bottomline is right now it’s so expensive, so my tax cut plan takes this on. It’s going to cut property taxes by 15%. It’s going to save the seniors money, if you’ve been here for a decade and you’re turning 70, you’re going to get a tax cut, and also cuts for middle families.”
Third to speak was former Senate President Sweeney, who represented the third legislative district from 2001 to 2021. He was a union ironworker by trade, and became involved in politics to advocate for the rights of his disabled daughter. The focus of his campaign is providing affordable health care and education, as well as lowering the cost of living.
“When my daughter was prematurely born at two pounds, I spent 75 days in the hospital, and that’s where I found out my daughter had Down syndrome. Up to that point, I was a classic construction guy,” he said. “You can complain about things, or you can do something about it. I decided to do something about it, I ran for office and was elected. I wound up in the State Senate, I wound up Senate President, and my focus was making sure that people with disabilities were treated right.”
Next to speak was Mayor Ras Baraka, who served as mayor of Newark from 2014 to present. His key points are economic growth, educational advancements, housing accessibility, and inclusivity.
“The things we’ve done in Newark are incredible. I’ve reduced violence and homicides by 61 percent shootings by 43 percent, we changed 23,000 land-service lines in our city. We invested $200 million in investing in Black and Brown and women-owned businesses. We changed the economy,” Baraka said.
New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller followed. Spiller was mayor of Montclair from 2020 to 2024. His goals in his campaign are to invest more in public education, increase economic growth, and support small businesses.
Spiller identified as not only a high school science teacher and coach, but also an immigrant from Jamaica. “One thing I know is that my brother and I never, ever, had an additional worry that armed forces were going to come into our schools and separate us from our parents.” he said.
Last to speak was Jersey City Mayor Stephen Fulop, who was elected in 2015. His priorities for the campaign involve everything from public safety and criminal justice to transportation and infrastructure, housing policies, education, and health and human services.
“I’m here as the first reelected mayor of Jersey City in 70 years. And I tell you that because over the past twelve years Jersey City has been one of the best Renaissance stories in the country. We have been a leader of almost every metric,” he said.
During the Q & A portion, residents took the floor to ask candidates to address their concerns. Doris Lin, from Freehold Township, expressed her concerns on ending the bear hunt. Most candidates agreed to end the bear hunt, but Sweeney said that he believed in science.
Other questions touched on concerns for labor unions. All of the candidates promised to protect workers’ rights.
Another question from Neil Scheck of Belmar, was, “In 1887, the Reverend James Francis Robinson led a ‘wade in’ in Asbury Park. Today’s high badge prices keep the poor off public beaches. Do you support making NJ beaches free?”
Spiller noted the presence of unfunded mandates across the state, and mentioned that these mandates could be paid with local property taxes.
City Councilwoman Angela Ahbez Anderson said that it was her second year moderating the caucus. She has a background in journalism and news reporting which qualified her for the position.
“This is a very important race, people are really concerned, and I believe that they’re going to get involved,” she said.
