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Senate District 11

BECK WINS

Jennifer Beck -- 20,156
Raymond Santiago -- 15,419

This district encompasses 18 Monmouth County communities in and near the shore, including Asbury Park.
A Democrat is facing a Republican who is a state senator in the current 12th district, due to redistricting.

More on this race on NJ Spotlight

Read more:
From The Asbury Park Press: State Senator Jennifer Beck, Assemblywomen Carolina (sic) Cassagrande, Mary Pat Angelini re-elected over Raymond Santiago, Vin Gopal, Kathleen Horgan, Dan Jacobson
From Patch: Beck and Santiago Face Off in District 11 Senate Race
From The Asbury Park Press: Vote Beck, Gopal and Casagrande
From PolitickerNJ: Beck, Whelan endorsements: Environmental groups not on same page
From The Asbury Park Press: 11th district candidates clash over how to create jobs

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WINNER: Jennifer Beck (R)

President, JAB Marketing, LLC

Raymond Santiago (D)

Attorney

Comparison

WINNER: Jennifer Beck

Raymond Santiago

Biographical Information
In brief, what will be your top three priorities if elected (one sentence each, please).
Should the state provide more school choice for children, including the expansion of charter schools, vouchers for private schools and enabling children to attend public schools outside of their home districts?
Would you make any changes to how schools are funded by the state, including so-called Abbott districts and wealthier suburban localities?
Should the state continue to adopt regional planning initiatives to prevent sprawl, and if so, how should preservation be funded?
Do you support Gov. Christie's energy master plan or would you seek more lofty goals for conservation and renewable energy?
Experts say New Jersey's transportation infrastructure is crumbling. How should the state fund upgrades: continued bonding or borrowing, a gas tax, toll hikes or some other specified method?
What would you do to provide relief for property taxpayers -- for example, further program cuts, additional state aid and rebates -- and should municipalities and schools be forced to do more to regionalize or share services?
What can be done to improve the public discourse here in New Jersey?

WINNER: Jennifer Beck : The candidate has not responded to repeated requests to answer questions.

Address: 32 Monmouth St., 3rd fl
Red Bank, NJ 07701

Full Name: Jennifer Beck

Party: Republican

Incumbent: 2008 (in District 12)

Website: beck.senatenj.com/

Phone: 732-993-1591

Email : senbeck@njleg.org

Birthday: 01/03/1967

Education: BA, Boston College, Physics and Mathematics; MA, University of Pennsylvania, Government Administration

Public Service: Borough of Red Bank Council, 1999-2005

Raymond Santiago: Get government out of the way of job creators—provide tax incentives for small and new businesses, cut unnecessary regulation, and ease access to capital and technology. Lower property taxes: remove cost drivers from local governments—promote shared services, fund property tax rebates, and fund school aid. Fully fund public schools as required by law to help schools and reduce property taxes

Raymond Santiago: I would oppose vouchers because they send public money to private institutions that are not held accountable to the public. Private school teachers do not certifications, their students’ performance is not tested or reported to the Department of Education, and their curriculum does not have to meet state standards on math, science, or reading. I support public school choice, and would explore the creation of charter schools in areas served by consistently failing districts. In both cases, it is important that public schools do not lose excessive funding as a result.

Raymond Santiago: The most important issue is that we fully fund all schools, instead of focusing exclusively on failing or urban areas. The funding formula reached in 2008 and accepted by the Supreme Court establishes a fair baseline for state support of public schools. The added benefit of meeting the state’s obligations to schools is that it reduces the need for local property tax increases. When Trenton cut support for these schools, local boards were faced with major shortfalls. These shortfalls were addressed through new fees for students and increased property tax rates.

Raymond Santiago: Congestion and overdevelopment are serious issues facing New Jersey. They cause countless hours to be wasted by residents and companies every year on transit time and lost productivity. Ensuring smart development that provides for effective water and power infrastructure is an important planning step to adequately contain sprawl. Over time we should seek to establish a strong consistent source of funding for Green Acres initiatives, but the time is not right for additional fees or taxes.

Raymond Santiago: New Jersey’s energy needs will continue to grow with time. Providing incentives for green construction of new buildings and retrofitting of existing ones decreases costs for government, residents, and business, creates jobs, and boosts efficiency to reduce energy needs over time. Likewise, I would work to encourage and fund off-shore wind farms and solar energy that diversifies our energy sources and makes the state less susceptible to swings in prices for traditional sources of energy like oil, natural gas, and coal.

Raymond Santiago: Improving infrastructure issues New Jersey faces is an ongoing goal for state government. Improving rail and roads to decrease time residents waste in transit will boost productivity and improve quality of life. Addressing these concerns in the long term is important for maintaining our state’s competitiveness. I would support public-private partnerships that involve industry and companies that stand to benefit from these improvements. Such partnerships allow construction and improvements while limiting the cost for taxpayers.

Raymond Santiago: Shared services are an important to step to reduce duplication and inefficiencies in local government. There are plenty of options—like bulk purchasing of medical benefits and waste management contracts—that would allow towns to retain control over important local issues while driving down costs. Fully funding property tax rebates is also important. The average homeowner now receives 75% less state aid because of cuts forced through by Trenton incumbents. Likewise, aid cuts to municipalities and schools led to budget shortfalls that drove up property taxes. We must restore this aid.

Raymond Santiago: It is important to lead by example. Too often, New Jersey leaders turn to bullying, threats, and boss politics to get their way. As an independent small business owner, I have no favors to repay to the parties responsible for the bitterness and stagnation we have suffered from in Trenton. I fully intend to work with officials of either party to seek out good ideas, compromise, and policies that promote the interests of my constituents, not to ensure my reelection.

Address: 14 W Front Street
Red Bank, NJ 07701

NJS Link: www.NJDistrict11.com

Full Name: Ray Santiago

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Website: santiagoforsenate.com/

Phone: 732-540-2293

Email : campaign@demsin2011.com

Birthday: December 17

Education: Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude from The City University of New York; John Jay College of Criminal Justice; Law degree from the City University of New York Law School.

Public Service: Cubmaster for Cub Scouts Pack 158; Former Assistant District Attorney