Politics in New Jersey is heating up this summer with the gubernatorial race continuing, debate over the governance at Rutgers University and a vote about open space. Senate President Stephen Sweeney told NJ Today Managing Editor Mike Schneider that he’s happy with Barbara Buono’s choice of a running mate, he is disappointed with leadership at Rutgers and he supports preserving open space in the Garden State.
Buono has announced that Milly Silva is her running mate in her bid for governor. Sweeney called Silva “an outstanding choice.” He said he knows her personally, saying she’s energetic, bright and hardworking. “She comes from a strong labor background. The people she represents are the people on the lower end that need the person to help lift them up out of poverty,” he explained.
Sweeney pointed out this is just the third time in history that there have been two women on the ballot for governor. “I think she’s an outstanding candidate and again I personally know her from the labor movement and I’m very proud to call her a friend,” he said.
Critics have said Silva has no experience in state government and she’s not qualified to run the state should something prevent Buono from leading. But Sweeney said he’s comfortable with the choice. “I didn’t have any experience when I started. And you learn pretty quick. And as long as you have strong, solid people around you with experience, you don’t have to be the one to do everything. You need people around you who can get things done,” he said. “And as long as they surround themselves with strong, capable, competent people, she’ll be successful. She’s a very intelligent woman.”
Sweeney also said government decisions are “pretty simple,” adding, “They’re common sense just like you do at your own household budget. What you can afford, what you can’t afford, what’s right from wrong. And we’re all taught that at a very early age.”
The Rutgers Board of Governors commissioned a report to review the procedures surrounding the handling of former head basketball coach Mike Rice. Sweeney called the report a whitewash. “They authored a report, hired someone to give them a report, give them what they wanted to hear. The fact that they completely covered up that one of the trustees who sits on the Board of Governors — Mark Hershhorn — decided not to share that film with the members of the Board of Governors and then they say everything’s OK, that’s not acceptable,” he said.
Sweeney said he believes Rutgers is one of the finest institutions in the U.S. and one New Jersey should be proud of. “But a government structure that’s been around for 250 years doesn’t make any sense,” he said.
Sweeney said his criticism isn’t an attack on Rutgers. “It’s about accountability and it’s about accepting ownership. The state of New Jersey since 1956 has put billions of dollars, of tax dollars, into that university. And someone has to be held accountable when things aren’t going well,” he said. “The finger pointing and authoring studies to give you the outcomes that you want, they’re just not acceptable. Rutgers, again, a great university with oversight from these boards that’s not acceptable. If you have one board, you can hold them accountable.”
Members of the Senate had an open voting session today for an open space bill that would let voters decide in November if they want $200 million per year dedicated to preserving open space in the state. Sweeney supports the measure to preserve as much land as possible.
“Where I come from in Gloucester County, as freeholder director we have preserved 18,000 acres of land. Once it’s gone, it doesn’t come back. So as someone who represented at one time the most active farming district in the state, if we don’t preserve it, they’re gonna build on it. So people can oppose, but the majority of the people in the state really support it,” Sweeney said. “And I’m really surprised that some in the environmental community would actually oppose preserving more land. Preserving more land is good for the environment. It’s less cars, it’s less asphalt and it’s more open space.”