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Senate District 16

BATEMAN WINS
Christopher "Kip" Bateman -- 20,790
Maureen Vella -- 17,186

This district contains communities located in Somerset, Hunterdon, Mercer, and Middlesex counties.
The longtime incumbent is facing a challenge from a novice Democrat.

More on this race on NJ Spotlight

Read more:
From Patch: GOP Sweeps District 16
From The Express-Times: New Jersey 16th District election results: Republican sweep closer than expected
From The Messenger-Gazette: Debates by 16th District candidates for Senate, Assembly and for Bridgewater mayor will be on cable tv

From The Beacon: Voters to cast ballots Tuesday

From MyCentralJersey.com: In 16th District, Bateman, Biondi and Ciattarelli
From The Times of Trenton: Battle for the 16th Legislative District well underway

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WINNER: Christopher "Kip" Bateman - Incumbent (R)

attorney

Maureen Vella (D)

Attorney

Comparison

WINNER: Christopher "Kip" Bateman - Incumbent

Maureen Vella

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: Christopher "Kip" Bateman - Incumbent: Private sector job creation and property tax relief are the top priorities. Continuing the reform process which will give municipalities the tools they need to reduce property taxes. We need to make NJ more business friendly. Third, we need to fix the funding for our schools. The current formula which puts the burden on our suburban districts must be addressed.

WINNER: Christopher "Kip" Bateman - Incumbent: I believe there are certain areas where a charter school may offer a student more in a specialized subject, but I do not believe that charter schools should be a substitute for our public schools. We need to improve our schools, not tear them down in place of private schools. We have good teachers and in the case of the Abbott districts money in excess of the average. Surely we should be able to make these schools work for our children.

WINNER: Christopher "Kip" Bateman - Incumbent: Yes, we need to fundamentally change school funding. It is the largest part of our municipal taxes and hits our residents the hardest. All Abbott districts need to be re-examined in the light of the funding they have received over the years. The State must look for ways to provide the funding that by law they should be providing to the municipalities.

WINNER: Christopher "Kip" Bateman - Incumbent: Yes, I believe we do need to have regional planning initiatives. Development should be where sewers and roads already exist to prevent sprawl.

WINNER: Christopher "Kip" Bateman - Incumbent: I think the draft Energy Master Plan is a workable document that will give the State a realistic ability to reach those goals. Obviously, to do more would be an achievement to strive for and I think by working more on those attainable goals of more clean energy sources and expansions will help get us there.

WINNER: Christopher "Kip" Bateman - Incumbent: Currently the Transportation Trust Fund Authority bonds for certain projects. In addition, the state uses certain taxes such as the motor fuels tax, petroleum products gross receipts tax, heavy truck fees and good driver registration surcharge fess for Capitol road projects.

WINNER: Christopher "Kip" Bateman - Incumbent: I believe we have made a good start in giving municipalities the tools they need in order to reduce property taxes. By enacting the 2% cap on municipal budgets and making reforms to the PERS and the PFRS, so that these employees will contribute more to their health insurance and pension benefits, much like the private sector, we have already saved municipalities money. We need to continue our work on the rest of the Governor’s tool kit. By capping unused sick leave, exploring ways for municipalities to share services and reducing red tape we can bring down the cost of government.

WINNER: Christopher "Kip" Bateman - Incumbent: Legislators must realize that our citizens just want us to get things done. We must not be tied up in who gets the credit for what gets done to improve our state. At the end of the day, regular people could care less about partisanship, they want results. The pension and health benefits reform package was a good example of bipartisanship being alive and well in New Jersey so I know it can be done.

Address: 36 E Main St.
Somerville, NJ 08876

Incumbent: 2008

Website: bateman.senatenj.com/

Phone: 908-526-3600

Email : senbateman@njleg.org

Birthday: 10/09/1957

Education: BA, Ithaca College, Political Science and History; JD, Seton Hall University School of Law

Public Service: Somerset County Board of Freeholders, 1988-1994, Director, 1992; Township of Branchburg Committee, 1983-1988, Mayor, 1986

Maureen Vella: The candidate has not responded to repeated requests to answer questions.

Address: 585 Montgomery Rd.
Hillsborough, NJ 08844

Full Name: Maureen Vella

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Website: www.16thdistrictdemocrats.org/

Phone: 908-371-1192

Email : vellaforsenate@gmail.com

Education: JD, Southwestern University School of Law; BA, English and Sociology, Rutgers University

Public Service: Vice chair, Hillsborough democratic organization; District committee, Hillsborough Township; President, board of directors BizNet; Pro Bono attorney, Middlesex County legal services; Former vice president and board member of Women Helping Women