The 2019 Walk to Washington Offered Nonstop Networking
The 82 nd Annual N.J. Chamber Train to D.C. carried nearly 1,000 Power Players
Guests at the Dinner included Gov. Murphy, Sen. Menendez, 11 House Members, 50 Legislators and 40 News Reporters
The 82nd Annual Walk to Washington and Congressional Dinner, on Feb. 28 and March 1, 2019, carried nearly 1,000 of New Jersey's business and government leaders on board the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce's chartered Amtrak train to D.C.
“It’s a packed train that accommodates the wide variety of personalities and philosophies that make up the state’s political ecosystem,” NJTV News said.
“It’s the ultimate networking opportunity in the the state of New Jersey,” said former gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli before he boarded in Newark. “There are few opportunities that offer the visibility that this train trip does. It’s a New Jersey institution.”
Those boarding the train included state legislators, CEOs, small business owners, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders who walked the train's aisle chatting and exchanging business cards. They discussed tax policy, infrastructure investment, legalizing recreational marijuana, and ways to stimulate economic growth.
The 14-car train whisked through New Jersey, picking up guests along the way. When it reached the nation's capital, guests gathered at the Marriott Wardman Park hotel for networking receptions and the Congressional Dinner featuring Gov. Phil Murphy, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and 11 of the 12 members of New Jersey’s House representatives.
When Gov. Murphy took the podium, he offered a preview of his then soon-to-be-proposed state budget that he said would “move us back to the sound fiscal practices that our residents demand, that the bond rating agencies want and which administrations and legislatures of both parties had evaded for far too long.”
He noted that he will advance his new plan for “capped and strategically placed” corporate tax incentives. “I recognize the critical role tax incentives can play in economic development and job creation,” he said.
Among his priorities, he said, is "fixing" New Jersey Transit, “even if it kills me.” And to secure funding for Gateway Tunnel under the New York Harbor between New Jersey and Manhattan. “Our funding is lined up,” Murphy said. “When it comes to the replacement of the Portal Bridge, we’re also shovel-ready. All we need is for the President to come in with the federal government as our partner.”
Gov. Murphy noted that he recently spoke privately with the President, and that they spoke exclusively about federal funding for these projects. “I’m frustrated but optimistic that we will get this done,” the governor said. “We have to get this done.”
Sen. Menendez, during his time at the microphone, called the Gateway Tunnel Project plan “a ticking time bomb we cannot afford to ignore.” He said, “It’s an artery critical to our economy and security.”
The senator also appealed to the business community to use its influence to help immigrants adapt to life in America. He challenged business leaders in the audience to hire immigrants, characterizing it as both a good business practice and a moral imperative.
A portion of the dinner honored K9s For Warriors, the nation’s largest provider of service dogs to military veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disability and related conditions as a result of military service post-9/11. “We train rescue dogs to be amazing service dogs,” said Rory Diamond, CEO of K9s for Warriors. “When warriors see their dog for the first time, their life is immediately better.”
The New Jersey Chamber presented its 2019 Thomas H. Kean Sr. Business Leadership Award to Dennis Bone. Bone served as president and CEO of Verizon New Jersey for 12 years before his retirement in 2012, and he continued to be a champion of business both as a member of the N.J Chamber Board of Directors and as the inaugural director of the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship at the School of Business at Montclair State University.
The governor, meanwhile, mingled with guests at the hotel late into the evening, prompting ROI-NJ newspaper to ask, “Where else can you get the governor working the room, eager to talk to all? (The) Walk to Washington proves its worth again.”
A special thank you to JCP&L, Walk to Washington's premier sponsor.
Photos
(All photos by Russ DeSantis Photography and Video, LLC)
Everybody is talking about the Walk
Attention, N.J. taxpayers: Murphy may once again call for a tax hike on millionaires
(The Star-Ledger/nj.com)
Murphy, at annual Chamber dinner, reaffirms pledge to reform tax incentive programs
(Politico)
Murphy tees up budget address in Washington D.C.
(NJTV News)
Head of NJ Chamber talks hopes for a stronger state economy
(NJTV News)
State budget tops list of concerns on walk to Washington
(NJTV News)
What do two business leaders see for New Jersey’s economic future?
(NJTV News)
The Outsiders: What’s ailing the state budget (Walk to Washington Edition)
(NJTV News)
Walk to Washington: Murphy uses Congressional Dinner speech to preview budget priorities
(ROI-NJ)
Walk to Washington: If perception is reality, Murphy’s economic vision has problems
(ROI-NJ)
Murphy teases ‘tax fairness,’ end to Christie tax breaks budget address talking points
(NJBIZ)
Photos: Business and government leaders on board the #ChamberTrain
(NJBIZ)
NJ Chamber of Commerce delegation heads to Washington, DC
(Channel 7-NY Eyewitness News)
NJ Gov. Phil Murphy Hints At New Tax As Budget To Be Introduced
(Patch)
Ciattarelli and Bramnick on the Chamber Train and Other Observations
(Insider NJ)
Chamber Train Dos and Don’ts
(Insider NJ)
WHO’S UP AND WHO’S DOWN: Week of the Chamber Trip
(Insider NJ)
Tittel: Chamber Train Trip Part of NJ’s Political Fabric
(Insider NJ)
Activists criticize Chamber Train as ‘pay-to-play’
(NJTV News)
2019 Chamber Train Reflections: The Enduring Awkwardness
(Insider NJ)
Hey. For many it’s really a walk to Washington
(Blue Jersey)
L.A. Parker: 'Walk to Washington' gives New Jersey Chamber of Commerce a busy and fun trip
(The Trentonian)
#chambertrain
The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce announced that Gov. Phil Murphy will speak at its 82nd annual Congressional Dinner on Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C.
- 2019-02-13
- ROI-NJ Op-Ed
The partisan winds in Trenton have been blowing hot and heavy since the state comptroller issued a report criticizing the Economic Development Authority’s tax credit and economic incentive programs, and Gov. Phil Murphy intensified the storm when he took the EDA to task in his State of the State address.
- 2019-01-25
- NJBIZ
The state Legislature’s top two Democrats jointly unveiled a planned Feb. 11 legislative hearing into the effectiveness of billions of dollars awarded by the state Economic Development Authority, hours after Gov. Phil Murphy announced a similarly-goaled task force to examine many of the same incentives.
An audit by the Office of the State Comptroller released Jan. 9 found that the EDA had little oversight and accountability regarding $11 billion in tax credits it awarded between 2005 and 2017, making it difficult to determine if companies actually delivered on their promised jobs and economic activity.
Statement by N.J. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Bracken on Gov. Murphy's New Tax Incentives Plan
I applaud the governor for the new tax incentive programs he proposed yesterday.
On the heels of his comments in the State of the State address, it was important for him to reaffirm the need for tax incentives in New Jersey’s overall economic plan.
- 2019-01-17
- NJ Spotlight
Against a backdrop of tepid support from Democratic legislative leaders, Murphy makes case for overhauling New Jersey’s big tax breaks
A day after using the State of the State address to urge lawmakers to work with him on a major overhaul of New Jersey’s tax-incentive programs, Gov. Phil Murphy put on his salesman hat and went on the road to pitch the specifics of his vision for how the state should use tax breaks to grow the economy.
- 2019-01-16
- NJ Spotlight
During a rebuttal news conference, GOP lawmakers push back on the governor’s anti-Christie theme
Gov. Phil Murphy used the annual State of the State address yesterday to both showcase the new direction New Jersey is headed after eight years under Republican Chris Christie and highlight an urgent need to remake one of the state’s signature economic-development policies.
- 2019-01-16
- ROI-NJ
The business community can breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe.
Gov. Phil Murphy, in a phone interview with ROI-NJ on Wednesday to discuss his new tax incentive proposals, said he has no plans to increase taxes on businesses as part of next year’s budget.
The New Jersey that Gov. Phil Murphy described in his state of the state message, where everyone can flourish, is one we all can support.
We all want a New Jersey economy that is fair and strong for all of its citizens, and one where, as the governor said, social progress and economic progress go hand in hand.
- 2019-01-15
- ROI-NJ
State chamber’s Bracken on attack on EDA: 'It isn’t even our biggest problem'
Gov. Phil Murphy’s first State of the State address was met with skepticism from the state’s business community.