Trenton, NJ – Opportunity NJ (ONJ) is pleased to announce that it is forming the New Jersey Economic Development and Advisory Council. The goal of this unique collaboration is to periodically deliver information to state policymakers in order to advance an “agenda” to stimulate job and median wage growth while realigning the state for regional competitiveness and affordability – leading to a stronger and fairer economy for all. The “agenda” can be found in the ONJ Plan for an Affordable New Jersey (“the Plan”), which is also being released today.

ONJ is a non-partisan coalition comprised of New Jersey organizations representing employers that employ more than 2.5 million workers. With no direct ties to political parties or government, ONJ serves as an independent voice to provide data-based education about public policy actions – and to support policies that encourage job growth, affordability, and regional competitiveness in New Jersey.

Through periodic and direct engagement with state policy leaders, the New Jersey Economic Development and Advisory Council plans to deliver information, research, and data about the impact of policies on job creation, economic stability, and growth; the tenets of the Plan. The information that will be shared will come from statewide stakeholder meetings and listening sessions that the Council will conduct, using the Plan as a guidepost for discussions. To set the framework for the creation of the Council, ONJ representatives have already met with and established a working relationship with the staffs of Governor Murphy, Senate President Sweeney, and Speaker Coughlin.

“New Jersey’s location between significant metropolitan areas, its advanced infrastructure, and its highly skilled workforce make the state an ideal center for business and commerce,” said Tom Bracken, President and CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, and co-chair of ONJ. “But we must work together to restore New Jersey’s stability and affordability for residents and businesses. A New Jersey Economic Development and Advisory Council that engages directly with those responsible for creating related public policy is how we can achieve that goal.”

“New Jersey is at a critical stage on the path to securing its economic future, and remaining an attractive state for businesses,” said Michele N. Siekerka, Esq., President and CEO of New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA), and co-chair of ONJ. “To recreate a stable environment where citizens and communities can thrive, and which remains competitive to attract and retain business interests to the region, we must act now.”

The Council’s tasks will include addressing New Jersey’s fiscally challenged and outdated legacy systems, as well as stimulating job growth throughout the state. According to Siekerka and Bracken, this must include a hard look at the current pension system, school funding, and the state’s critical infrastructure systems. All possible solutions must be on the table, including pension reform, creation of public private partnerships, and strategic investments to best utilize state funds.

Stimulating job growth throughout New Jersey will require proposals to help NJ businesses adjust to recent workplace mandates and a pause on any new conditions or proposals that could negatively affect job creation. The state must examine reforms of the state’s business tax structure, review all regulatory mandates, and make economic development incentives a priority.

The Council will include members from the Board of Opportunity NJ, who are in the process of engaging leaders and representatives from various business, labor, non-profit, and regional economic development entities throughout the state to join the Council.

About Opportunity NJ

Established in February of 2016, Opportunity NJ (ONJ) is a non-partisan, grassroots coalition comprised of New Jersey interests representing employers, employees, business, trade groups, community organizations and other concerned citizens in the State. The organization includes interests who employ more than 2.5 million jobs in New Jersey. With no direct ties to political parties or government, ONJ serves as an independent voice to provide data-based education about New Jersey policy actions – and to support policies that encourage job growth, affordability and prosperity in New Jersey. To learn more, visit www.opportunitynj.org.

Contact: Kathleen O’Brien
(609) 503-8036

With Opportunity NJ’s road map to affordability in the hands of the gubernatorial candidates, ONJ co-chairs Michele Siekerka and Tom Bracken spoke with NJ101.5 morning drive host Bill Spadea today about the urgency for action by the next administration, millennial outmigration and the prospects of Amazon coming to the Garden State.

In its 50^th Annual Rankings, the national think tank known as the Tax Foundation has placed New Jersey in last place among states for its overall tax climate for business.  The ranking was based on the fact that New Jersey has the highest property taxes and some of the “worst-structured” individual income taxes in the United States.  The research also ranked New Jersey 36th in unemployment insurance tax, 42nd in corporate taxes, and 46th in sales taxes.

“This report illustrates the timeliness and critical nature of the white paper just released to members of the legislature, the administration and gubernatorial candidates this week by Opportunity New Jersey. That document underscored the steps necessary to make New Jersey affordable,” stated Opportunity New Jersey co-chair Tom Bracken.

“The white paper released yesterday is available for public dissemination – and we continue to ask for suggestions, edits and additions to the longer document created during last month’s Affordability Summit,” added co-chair Michele Siekerka. “We ask the gubernatorial candidates and members of the legislature to review the Affordability Agenda and act to renew the state’s economy. New Jersey can no longer afford to fall behind.”

Download the full report from the Tax Foundation.

On the heels of the first Affordability Summit where serious issues about New Jersey’s economic future were presented, Opportunity New Jersey (ONJ) has released its white paper analysis of the event to the state’s gubernatorial candidates, Legislature and current Administration with an urgent call for a comprehensive state strategic plan for a more affordable New Jersey.

“The time for action is now,” said ONJ co-chairs Tom Bracken and Michele Siekerka. “We had incredibly constructive dialogue about how to make New Jersey more affordable and regionally competitive at our summit. We came away knowing that New Jersey needs a long-term, sustainable plan that will address the overriding issues that have limited our economic growth.

“We look forward to working with the incoming executive leadership and the Legislature on the development of this plan. Our residents and businesses will need their proactive vision and leadership so we can all afford to live and work in our great state.”

Hundreds of residents, business, education and nonprofit leaders attended the Affordability Summit on Sept. 18 at the First Baptist Church at Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, which featured a keynote address by former New Jersey Secretary of State Rev. DeForest Soaries, as well as presentations from Steve Van Kuiken (Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company); Dr. James W. Hughes (University Professor and former Dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University) and Tom Byrne (Founder and Managing Director of Byrne Asset Management). Lieutenant Governor and Republican gubernatorial candidate Kim Guadagno also spoke at the event.

While New Jersey has seen a large spike in private sector job growth since the recession, the determination made by many presenters and attendees at the summit is that the state has fallen well behind other states in economic growth and opportunity. Based on the data and input presented at the forum, ONJ is outlining four major initiatives in its white paper for which a state strategic plan should be devised. They are:

• TAX REFORM & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: We must reform New Jersey’s tax structure to be fair, equitable, and competitive with states within our region and those looking to attract our companies and our residents.
• INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT: We must engage in comprehensive long-term infrastructure planning and investment across all critical infrastructure.
• WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND JOBS: We must ensure that New Jersey’s current and future workers are workforce ready with technical and employability skills being articulated throughout the education life cycle and beyond.
• REGULATORY/POLICY MAKING REFORM: We must ensure a policy making process that targets responsible economic growth and removes unnecessary regulatory hurdles.

“What was made clear at our summit is we cannot afford anything less than an aggressive and urgent approach to making us more affordable and competitive,” said Bracken, president and CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and Siekerka, president and CEO of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association. “We must better leverage our best-in-class assets and location. We can, and must, do better to give our businesses and residents a chance to thrive.

“We look forward to have constructive, non-partisan dialogue with our state leadership for the good of our state. As Rev. Soaries said on the day, ‘Solutions come to government, not from it.’ This document is a starting point from which we will work with our leaders on solutions.”

The white paper is derived from a live, working document started during the Affordability Summit. Opportunity New Jersey continues to encourage continued dialogue and will accept additions and revisions from members of the public. Interested parties who would still like to submit suggestions on how to make New Jersey affordable, can do so here.

Reports and power point presentations by Steve Van Kuiken, Dr. James W. Hughes and Tom Byrne, which helped drive recommendations for the white paper can be found here.

For a copy of NJBIA’s outmigration report, visit here.

OpportunityNJ (ONJ) is a non-partisan, grassroots coalition dedicated to promoting action to make New Jersey more competitive and affordable for everyone. With no direct ties to political parties or government, ONJ serves as an independent voice to provide data-based education about New Jersey policy actions – and to support policies that encourage job growth, affordability and prosperity in the state.

Contact:

Bob Considine
(609) 858-9502

Scott Goldstein
(609) 989-7888 ext. 113

NJ.com
Business summit proposes agenda for next governor

In a recent article, New Jersey Advance Media wrote about the keynote address delivered at Opportunity New Jersey’s Affordability Summit by Reverend DeForest Soaries. The summit was held at the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens where diverse stakeholders heard about New Jersey’s strengths and weaknesses from featured speakers. In the afternoon, the attendees broke into smaller groups to provide solutions to New Jersey’s affordability crisis.

For full text read, click here

Gannett NJ
Affordability summit tackles tax reform, workforce development, infrastructure

In a recent article that appeared in The Asbury Park Press, The Courier News and The Home News, Bob Makin highlighted the Lieutenant Governor’s stop at an Atlantic County where she encountered a tearful woman finding ways to financially survive. The article provides highlights from each speaker from the morning program.

For full text read, click here

NJTV News
Guadagno reiterates ‘circuit breaker tax plan’ at affordability summit

NJTV published a written story on the Affordability Summit highlighting comments from co-Chairs Tom Bracken and Michele Siekerka. Tom and Michele spoke generally on the topic of affordability and the objectives of the breakout sessions in the afternoon. Republican gubernatorial candidate Kim Guadagno maintained that her property tax plan will provided stability and savings for taxpayers. The keynote speaker, Reverend DeForest Soaries, spoke about the need to streamline government processes.

For full text read, click here

ROI – Return on Information New Jersey
Affordability Summit: Soaries details need to resolve many issues at once

ROI-NJ.com, the state’s newest business publication, published a detailed article on Reverend Soaries’s inspirational remarks and challenges with government approval processes.

For a detailed account of the keynote address, click here

ROI – Return on Information New Jersey
At Affordability Summit, Guadagno maintains her focus on property taxes

ROI-NJ.com published an account of Republican candidate Kim Guadagno’s comments on property taxes. For Guadagno, creating jobs and expanding the state’s economy will continue to be a priority.

For a full text read of Anjalee Khemlani’s article, click here

Guadagno touts plan to lower property tax hikes

State gubernatorial candidate and current Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno touted her plan to minimize property tax increases during Opportunity New Jersey’s Affordability Summit on Monday. She maintained that the 2 percent arbitration cap needs to stay in place in order to keep property tax hikes at a minimum, and that the property tax is the biggest problem that state residents face.

For a full text read, click here

NJBIZ
Guadagno touts plan to lower property tax hikes

State gubernatorial candidate and current Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno touted her plan to minimize property tax increases during Opportunity New Jersey’s Affordability Summit on Monday. She maintained that the 2 percent arbitration cap needs to stay in place in order to keep property tax hikes at a minimum, and that the property tax is the biggest problem that state residents face.

For a full text read, click here