Donald Cox
WINNER: Shirley Turner --Incumbent
Donald Cox:
1. Real and immediate property tax relief.
2. Real educational reform that eliminates waste so money is spent in the classroom.
3. Attack the morass of onerous regulation and unfunded mandates that inhibit sound economic development and job creation.
Donald Cox:
The State should focus on true educational reform so all children are funded the same AND all children receive the same high quality education. School choice, vouchers, charter schools are not education reform they are operational reform; they are interim help, but if institutionalized they will be another example of abandonment of those that can't help themselves.
Donald Cox:
The Fair School Funding Act is a step in the right direction, especially in dealing with the property tax problems. In the current funding system there is too much opportunity for waste, abuse and fraud, and too many school systems have succumbed to that; it must be cleaned up.
Donald Cox:
Yes. We need planning initiatives that provide improvements that make urban and town centers attractive (better schools, good crime control, etc). We've concentrated too much subsidized housing and not enough market rate housing in our cities. ... Cities like Trenton have so much to offer residents, such as good infrastructure, excellent fire and police (even undermanned) departments, and excellent cultural and historical institutions. Outside cities like Trenton and Princeton, towns are trying to invent such culture and institutions. Preservation should continue through trust fund acquisition
Donald Cox:
I do support the Governor's plan, but I am not in lock step with it. I'm a realist. I, too, aspire to lofty goals, but I will not succumb to "green" just because it is in vogue. Every energy choice has it's liabilities; they may be environmental, or economical, or emotional. We need energy. When we are able to convert solar to useful energy like a plant that generates growth that can then be consumed and regenerated, I'll be "green." Until then, we need to utilize that which we have in the the economical and environmentally responsible way while we pursue our lofty goals.
Donald Cox:
My suggestion: enact a five cent a gallon motor vehicle fuel tax for two years and route ALL the motor vehicle fees, taxes, fines, etc, toward the NJDOT where the necessary projects are completed and the Transportation Trust Fund is paid off and retired. Then we remove the that tax and go to a cash and carry system for maintenance of our roads.
Donald Cox:
Governor Christie has admirably charted a course to provide property tax relief, although he has had to fight tooth and nail for the progress he has made. We can only make so many program cuts (though there can be more) and only so many rebates and aid programs. Shared services is a warm and fuzzy concept that is fine until you get to the meat of it, then people don't want to give up power or jobs. I would work towards consolidation of services to include school districts and municipalities. We cannot insist on crying about our taxes and not be willing to give up something to fix it.
Donald Cox:
We just had a nice, collegial debate for the candidates of the 15th Assembly District. We disagreed on some issues and agreed on others; we pointed fingers and blame; we answered some questions pointedly and some we just plain missed. But we talked before and after. We are on opposing sides but we are not enemies. The more often we do this and the more people that participate and view such proceedings first hand then the less is left to misinterpretation or manipulation by the media, formal and social.
Full Name:
Donald Cox
Party:
Republican
Incumbent:
No
Phone:
609-530-3277
Education:
BA, Temple Unviersity, Pre- Law
Public Service:
Ewing Township Council, 2006-present
WINNER: Shirley Turner --Incumbent:
Job creation and preservation
Property tax reform
High quality public schools
WINNER: Shirley Turner --Incumbent:
Choice options should not undermine public education by privatizing our education system. I oppose vouchers that allow corporations to divert their tax obligation to a voucher program in exchange for a corporate tax credit. Before approving more charter schools, we need additional DOE staffing to provide greater oversight and monitoring to prevent them from failing and wasting tax dollars. My bill, S2243 gives voters the authority to decide whether a charter school is necessary for their district. I support greater school choice; that’s why I sponsored the Interdistrict School Choice Program.
WINNER: Shirley Turner --Incumbent:
At-risk districts have challenges that require more funding to ensure that all of our children have an opportunity to succeed. I understand that wealthier suburban localities should not be sacrificing educational programs and teachers when the way schools are funded is imbalanced. I want to see all schools receive their fair share. The school funding formula must be fully funded. We need to change the way we fund education and stop relying so heavily on property taxes to pay the costs of education. 60% or more of every property tax dollar funds education; this unfairness needs to be changed.
WINNER: Shirley Turner --Incumbent:
Regional planning initiatives are needed to prevent sprawl. We need dedicated funding sources to plan into the future. In 1999, I supported a bill to allow voters to approve the dedication of $98 million annually from sales and use tax revenue for preservation (ACR109/SCR66). The amendment expired after ten years. We need to reopen the discussion on this issue to determine what funding is available to dedicate to preservation. This should be a part of the larger conversation on tax reform. Until such time as that happens, I continue to support Green Acres and Farmland Preservation programs.
WINNER: Shirley Turner --Incumbent:
I would like to see the plan incorporate more methods for energy efficiency. I am the prime sponsor of S1262, which would direct the BPU to establish energy-conservation programs through demand-side management, and S1565, which would expand the NJ Energy Star Homes Program incentives to make them available throughout the state. My record reflects my support of clean energy, including solar and wind power. I am the prime sponsor of S2357, which requires the incorporation of solar panels in new public school facilities. I would like to see the plan set higher renewable energy goals.
WINNER: Shirley Turner --Incumbent:
We should constitutionally mandate that a greater portion of toll revenues go to the Transportation Trust Fund. In FY’10, the NJ Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority collected nearly $1 billion in revenue, but only $12 million went to the TTF. I do not like the idea of a gas tax increase during a deep recession when the price per gallon is high, as I fear that it would stall our economic recovery. We must restore fiscal integrity and enhance funding to the TTF. I believe it's worth considering to consolidate the SJTA and NJTA and put the savings toward the TTF
WINNER: Shirley Turner --Incumbent:
Cuts can be made in the bloated salaries of politically connected government executives, instead of cuts to programs. I support reform to change how we fund education and government services. Consolidation and shared services will eliminate unnecessary and duplicative costs. My bill, S424 would change the 1964 farmland assessment law to keep fake farmers from costing local governments more than $80 million a year in lost property taxes. Millionaires should also pay their fair share in this recession, with a tax on the super-rich to fund property tax relief for low and middle income homeowners
WINNER: Shirley Turner --Incumbent:
We need campaign finance reform to ensure that policy is not dominated by corporate and special interests. I believe that would greatly improve public discourse. Several years ago, I sponsored legislation that established a pilot program for “Clean Elections” to encourage greater participation by the general public. Campaigns become more negative as special interest money is thrown into election efforts, and this hurts the public discourse by discouraging participation. We need to make campaign finance reform laws permanent so that officials will be beholden to voters, not special interests.
Full Name:
Shirley Turner
Party:
Democratic
Incumbent:
1993
Phone:
609-530-3277
Education:
BS, The College of New Jersey, Education; MA, Rider University, Guidance and Counseling
Biographical Information
e.thePeople
