Combatting Sexual Harassment, Impending Budget Battle, Will Senate President Sweeney Run for Governor, and is ‘Free College’ a Good Idea?

The Edge for MARCH 2020

New Jersey’s Most Seasoned Reporters Preview What’s Ahead in NJ

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 New Jersey politics for decades, to offer a candid look at the direction the state is headed - the good, the bad and the ugly.

This year’s roundtable, held on Feb. 28, and moderated by NJTV’s Chief Political Correspondent Michael Aron, featured a look at the Walk to Washington in the #MeToo era, a preview of the state’s looming budget battle, the chances of Senate President Steve Sweeney challenging Gov. Phil Murphy for the Governor’s office, and a look at college affordability.

Combatting Sexual Harassment in Workplaces

The panel immediately took on the hottest topic of the trip: the changes instituted at the Walk to Washington in response to news reports about sexual harassment occurring at events and at workplaces in New Jersey.

“Last Year, I saw people drinking too much (at the Walk),” said Stacie Sherman, New Jersey Bureau Chief at Bloomberg News. “This year, I saw a lot of people having deep conversations about issues.”

Added NJTV News Senior Correspondent, David Cruz, “The change has been good. It’s more comfortable (on the Walk to Washington train).”

Rhonda Schaffler, Business Correspondent for NJTV News, said this year’s changes on the Walk is part of an ongoing trend. The Train ride has been “calm for the last few years,” she said. “In the past, it was raucous.”

And Jonathan Salant, Washington correspondent for The Star-Ledger/nj.com, said a shift in behavior can be sensed far and wide in the #MeToo era. “It’s not just on the Walk to Washington train,” Salant said. “It’s everywhere.”

Among the changes the N.J. Chamber instituted for the event was a new code of conduct; a phone number to allow guests to report an incident of harassment; increased security; and a ban on hard alcohol on the train.

Gov. Murphy recently signed package of legislation designed to combat sexual harassment in public-and private-sector workplaces. “He is a woman’s rights champion, his cabinet is stacked with women and he supports a lot of women rights policies,” Sherman said. “His administration has had its own problems with (alleged sexual harassment) that he says he did not know about. But he is talking about it, and he has come out with a set of reforms.”

A Millionaire’s Tax and the Pension Problem

Another pressing issue is the state budget, and a big question is: Can Gov. Murphy get a so-called ‘millionaire’s tax’ across the finish line. He has proposed this income tax increase on high earners for the past two years only to see it blocked by the Legislature.

“He has a shot at it this year for the first time in three years,” Sherman said, “because Senate President Steve Sweeney wants (public-worker) pension reforms. So there will be negotiations.”

Aron suggested that Sweeney is saying, “I will go along with a millionaire’s tax if you put an extra $1 billion in the pension system.”

But Cruz cautioned that negotiations will get complicated. “There is a need for reforms to the pension system, a need to overhaul the system,” Cruz said, “The unions that support Murphy don’t want to hear that talk. The devil is in the details. If everyone is expecting a pleasant budget process, I’m not sure that will be the case.”

Sherman agreed. “The pension problem will not be solved by increased payments alone,” she said. “You have to reduce the debt while increasing the payments.”

Cruz sees a clear disconnect when it comes to taxes. “All the elected officials are patting themselves on the back about slowing the rate of tax increases,” he said. “Meanwhile people at home open up their bills and go, ‘What the @#$%.’ It goes to show the different perspective from those at home.”

Sweeney for Governor?

“What is Sweeney trying to do,” Aron asked. “Be an alternative governor?”

The answer is yes, the panelists said.

“Sweeney wants to run for governor and he may consider it,” Sherman said. “He has split the party and differentiated himself as the less progressive side of the party.”

Sweeney’s “attitude seems to be, ‘If I can’t be governor, nobody is going to be governor,’” Salant said. But Salant will not hold his breath waiting for Sweeney to announce his candidacy for 2021. “I can’t see him challenging Murphy in a primary,” Salant said. “Maybe Sweeney runs in 2025.”

Free College Tuition

Gov. Murphy’s controversial proposal of two years of free college tuition at four-year public colleges, for low-income students, garnered praise from the panelists.

“College affordability is a serious issue,” Sherman said. “Student debt is a national crisis.” Murphy’s plan “is great,” she added. “But I don’t know if it will help the middle class.”

Schaffler said, “It might help keep kids in the state. Now, kids leave the state (for college) and don’t come back.”

“There is no more critical social program than education,” Cruz said. “It helps young people get a degree. It helps them get a job. The governor’s (program) may be a small step, but it is better than no step and certainly better than a step backwards.”