The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.

Age: 69

Hometown: Plainfield

Occupation: Lawyer

Personal background: A.B. 1975 – Rutgers College. M.A. (urban and regional planning) and J.D. (law school) both 1979 – University of Iowa. Practice of law 1979-present (semi-retired). Planning consultant for historic preservation. I grew up first in Forest Hills, New York, then Fort Lee, New Jersey. (I went to high school in Englewood.)

Political background: Republican since college. Active on Plainfield and Union County Republican committees since 1994, municipal chairman since 2014. Ran for local office twice, then General Assembly in 2015 and Senate in 2021. Served two terms on Plainfield Planning Board then five terms on Plainfield Historic Preservation Commission (chairman of the latter for nine years and currently vice chairman).

Why are you running for office? I now have time (due to retirement) to give even more to the community and the state than I already have, and giving my experience and skills makes me happy. I am a foe of political correctness and wokeness. I want to make New Jersey a prettier and happier place to live than what it has been turning into under the current aadministration. I want to save the quality of life that we have and improve it wherever possible.

Key election issue: Property tax and school policies.

Parents should have control over what their children learn and where they learn it. I favor full school choice, and school vouchers for use at all schools. I want to take the cost of education out of the local property tax, which could then be cut by at least half, and finance it only by progressive taxes. I want to make property tax rates equal statewide.

Example of a successful project: I headed the complete replacement of Plainfield’s land use ordinance, and its first master plan in decades, when I was vice chairman of our Planning Board. I have headed our Historic Preservation system for many years, this being a town with 10 historic districts that put us on the map and largely define what we are.

Example of a challenge faced: Being the only Republican in Plainfield’s city government, for a good 20 years, has posed challenges every day, in a town where many city officials have been unsympathetic to the historic districts. Dealing with them and making initiatives has been the best political experience one could ever hope for!!

On NJ’s gun laws: I would leave our current gun laws alone. If we ever face an adverse decision in the courts, I would amend the laws with as little change as possible.

On the Murphy administration’s climate change proposals: The intention may be good but the governor’s initiatives could cause more harm than good, and should not be advanced where harm is foreseeable. He forgets that the electricity has to be generated someplace. I am very concerned about the offshore wind turbines, both because they are an imposition on the view, and because I am concerned (realizing the proof has not yet been received) about whales.

On housing affordability and property taxes: As explained above, I would shift the cost of the schools away from local property tax. If a landlord’s taxes can drop by half, this saving can be passed along to tenants in the form of lower, or at least stable, rent. I am concerned about housing affordability, but this is a good first step.

Final thoughts: This district, which is the southern half of Union County, has suffered far too long from the unresponsive and sometimes corrupt Democratic machine. This force is embodied thoroughly in my opponent, who has simply been in office too long. Let someone else have the Senate seat for a change, someone like me who is full of ideas.

Campaign website

The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.

Age: 72

Hometown: Clark

Occupation: Retired

Personal background: I was raised in Clark and attended Arthur L. Johnson High School and the Taylor Business Institute. I have been married for 42 years and have seven children and nine grandchildren. I was employed in retail doing interior store display followed by two years with a financial institution in a few different positions. After having my children I went back to work in a local company as a clerk then spent 25 years in the employment industry doing executive search, specializing in the health and beauty aids discipline. I retired in 2007 because of health issues.

Political background: While raising my children, I was invited by the mayor of Garwood – where we resided – to join the Public Celebrations Committee, serving as the vice chair then five years as the chairman. I served as the vice chair of the Republican Committee in the borough then as a member of the Borough Council. Upon completing the term, I trained to work on the Domestic Violence Crisis Intervention and was the Team Leader servicing five towns. I ran for the position of Union County Freeholder and was appointed associate vice chair of the Union County Republican Committee. I was elected as the Union County state committeewoman and in 2010 was elected to a four-year term as mayor of the Borough of Garwood.

Why are you running for office? I am running for office because I beleive I have some things I can contribute to making life in the Garden State better. I see some things going on in the education of our children that many residents do not agree with. I can contribute business knowledge, people skills, the ability to listen to the residents and do a good job as I did as mayor of our town. We have many problems here in our state and we need to be helped to get back on track

Key election issue: Key in this election is our public education system. Our kids have among the lowest math proficiency skills in the nation. What happened? Our kids have fallen behind in reading and writing as well. I do not believe that COVID is the prime reason for this deplorable situation. They are not acquiring the skills that will allow these children to be productive members of society.

The most important solution is a return to teaching reading, writing and math in the classroom. Too much time is spent by educators delving into matters that should be handled by the families. There are “secrets” that educators are now being taught how to keep from parents. Parents have the primary responsibility of caring for their children and should not be excluded but rather included in life-altering decisions involving their children.

Example of a successful project: Successfully formed and managed Union County’s first domestic violence team to assist victims at the time of crisis physically and acquainting them with available services and their legal rights. A very successful project was the planning and creation of the borough’s athletic complex to accommodate soccer, baseball and other activities. It was talked about for two prior administrations and went nowhere while wasting money on planning services. I was able to put the wheels in motion to successfully provide the community with a designated, modern facility which not only provided a place to compete but also generate income.

Example of a challenge faced: As a Republican I won the mayoral election against a Democrat who had been a fixture as a council member and the mayor. I overcame the challenge by making a priority to campaign publicly, to use skills I acquired as a recruiter and managing a business.

On NJ’s gun laws: New Jersey has some of the toughest gun laws in the country but what we lack are adequate mental health treatment situations. We also do not pursue and punish those who commit crimes using firearms. Guns do not kill people, people do.

On the Murphy administration’s climate change proposals: I do not support the windmills because there are many unanswered questions pertaining to the effect they have on our environment and marine wildlife. My research has shown me that windmills actually cause the earth beneath to heat up more. Electric cars are expensive and there are inadequate charging stations. I believe Murphy is trying to do too much too fast. These things should be studied, researched and tested over a period of time.

On housing affordability and property taxes: Union County has some of the highest tax rates in the country. Rents go up when taxes go up. I brought in the lowest tax increase in 18 years when I was mayor. Cutting spending is the way to go as I see it. Get rid of all extra frivolous spending. Housing is another issue altogether. It is one of supply and demand as well as what people are willing to pay for a home.

Final thoughts: Candidate endorsement from New Jersey Public Health Innovation Political Committee, nominated for “Mayor of the Year” by the Gateway Chamber of Commerce for my support of small business.

The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.

The candidate did not respond to the questionnaire.