The Edge for April 2018
New Jersey’s Most Seasoned News Reporters Give Business Leaders a Unique Look into the State’s Biggest Issues
It has become a popular tradition at the annual Walk to Washington for the N.J. Chamber of Commerce to present a panel of news reporters, some of whom have covered politics for decades, to offer a candid look at the direction the state is headed - the good, the bad and the ugly.
 |
 |
 |
| Michael Aron Chief Political Correspondent, NJTV |
David Cruz Correspondent, NJTV News |
Anjalee Khemlani Managing Editor, ROI-NJ |
 |
 |
 |
| Herb Jackson Washington Correspondent, The Record, NorthJersey.com & USA Today Network |
Jonathan D. Salant Washington Correspondent, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com and The Star-Ledger |
Stacie Sherman New Jersey Bureau Chief, Bloomberg News |
This year’s roundtable, held on March 2, and hosted by NJTV’s Chief Political Correspondent Michael Aron, featured a look at the state’s looming budget battle; an analysis of Gov. Murphy’s disputes with President Trump and state Senate President Steve Sweeney; and a preview of the upcoming fight for the U.S. Senate seat held by Bob Menendez.
Gov. Murphy’s Battles
There was much talk about Gov. Murphy, who is still settling in to the state’s executive office.
It remains unclear what kind of governor he will be, but Michael Aron, who has covered Trenton politics for 35 years, wondered whether both Gov. Murphy and Sen. Cory Booker “need to tone down the rhetoric with Trump” if they expect Washington to support New Jersey’s needs. One example is funding for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River – part of the $30 billion Gateway project that New York and New Jersey are pursuing aggressively.
“Gov. Murphy wants tunnel money - federal aid for the Gateway project - from the president, but he has been spending a lot of time ripping Trump,” Aron said.
Still, it was interesting that Gov. Murphy chose not to continue his attacks on Trump’s federal tax reform legislation during his March 1 address at the New Jersey Chamber’s Congressional Dinner in D.C., noted Jonathan Salant, Washington correspondent for The Star-Ledger and nj.com. “We heard about pressing forward on Gateway and Sandy aid, but we didn’t hear about (the federal tax reform),” Salant said.
The State Budget Fight
That’s not to say Murphy is shying away from all fights. Murphy is maintaining his call for a controversial income tax increase on high-income individuals (a so-called “millionaire’s tax”) in his proposed state budget, despite opposition from Senate President Steve Sweeney who can block the measure.
“The Democratic governor and Democratic senate president are dancing around each other and feeling out each other,” said David Cruz, correspondent for NJTV News. “I don’t know whether it’s a personal issue or a political issue or both. It will be interesting to see how it pans out.”
Having the same party in power in New Jersey’s legislative and executive branches simply does not translate into smooth sailing, said Stacie Sherman, the New Jersey bureau chief at Bloomberg News. “There are agendas and there are egos,” Sherman said.
In 2006, when Democrats controlled both branches, a budget standoff between Gov. Jon Corzine and legislative leaders led to a government shutdown, Sherman reminded the audience. Corzine and the Legislature clashed on the issue of raising the state sales tax to help balance budget.
Criticism of a governor’s budget by legislative leaders is a customary part of the budget process, said Herb Jackson, Washington Correspondent for The (Bergen) Record. Legislative leaders resist in hope of forging compromises with the governor before the July 1 deadline to adopt a state budget.
“If you just agree with the governor right off the bat, you get nothing,” Jackson said. Still, “the executive often wins shutdown fights.”
For now, Senate President Sweeney, “in his own friendly and subtle way, is letting the governor know who is boss,” Cruz said.
Menendez and the Midterm Elections
In Washington, meanwhile, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez will face a formidable challenger for his seat in the form of Republican Bob Hugin, a U.S. Marine veteran and former CEO of Celgene.
“Menendez has followers and he is a fighter but Hugin has the money to fight back,” Sherman said.
What Hugin doesn’t have is a popular president to campaign for him. There is even the question of whether Hugin would even want President Trump stumping for him.
However, much can happen between now and the midterm elections on Nov. 6, the reporters said.
“If Trump passes a major gun control bill – something Obama and Bush couldn’t - that could change the calculous of the midterms in 2018,” Jackson said. “Maybe Hugin would even ask Trump to come to New Jersey to campaign for him.”
Cruz added: “If Hugin brings Trump to campaign for him in New Jersey, you know the dynamic has changed. Barring that, I don’t see Menendez losing.”
Aron would not discount Hugin though. “Hugin makes a good presentation,” Aron said. “He is a serious guy. You don’t get to be a CEO of Celgene by being a slouch.”
The State of the News Media
The roundtable concluded with a discussion on the state of the news media, which has sustained budget cuts, newspaper closings and layoffs in recent years.
“There is not enough of us to the great detriment to democracy,” Cruz said. “There is the lack of local newspapers covering city hall, education, police.”
Further, there are not enough reporters doing the time-consuming investigative pieces – “the deeper dives,” said Anjalee Khemlani, managing editor for ROI-NJ newspaper. “That is where New Jersey misses out.”
Jackson, The Record reporter, said, “You lose something when you don’t have eyeballs. People don’t want to pay for news.”
Salant, the Washington Correspondent for The Star-Ledger, said, “Our job is to watch public officials to make sure they are serving the public. If we don’t do that, nobody will.”
Cruz, of NJTV News, boiled it down. “Newsrooms are disappearing,” he said. “Newsrooms once served as a place that young reporters can learn institutional knowledge from veteran reporters. Now young reporters are filing six stories a day and they are not copy edited.”
