A department of commerce with units for each of the state’s four regions (North, South, Central and Shore) and divisions for the three sizes of business (small, medium and large). And one overseen by a governor that is making the business community his top priority.
Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican candidate for governor, spelled out this initiative and more Wednesday in Newark when he spoke to the New Jersey Jewish Business Alliance — telling the crowd he will be “pro-business governor.”
“I really believe what we need in our next governor is someone who’s going to be a cheerleader in chief for the business community, not (someone who) demonizes the business community,” he said. “That starts on Day One of my administration.”
Ciattarelli compared the current state agencies to collection agencies where the answer to any ask is ‘No.’
If you can get somebody on the phone, he said.
Ciattarelli said the state needs a commerce department — something he said New Jersey is the only state without one.
“What message does that send to the business community?” he asked.
Ciattarelli said the department will not just be a place where more people are dumped on the public payroll.
“I don’t need 100 or 200 people,” he said. “I need one or two dozen people.”
That being said, the biggest companies will get extra service.
“If you’re a very large economic development opportunity above a certain dollar threshold or creating X number of jobs, there will be a point person inside the Department of Commerce that will shepherd all of your applications and all the necessary approvals through the various state departments, rather than your company having to deal with three or four or five different agencies,” he said. “That sends a very loud and clear message on Day One.”
He followed that up with a money line.
“It sends a loud and clear message on day one is my commitment to lower the highest business tax in the country,” he said to much applause.
Ciattarelli rattled off a number of other initiatives — all of which have been continual themes during his campaign.
- Lowering the state’s nation highest business tax rate;
- Adopting Delaware’s bylaws for corporate governance;
- Making the first $100,000 of business income on a small business tax free;
- Eliminating the tax on the gain on the sale of an IPO stock if it’s headquartered in New Jersey.
“These are all fiscally responsible proposals that would help change the perception of New Jersey overnight as being ranked the worst place in the country to do business,” he said.
There’s only one way to do that, he told the crowd.
“We cannot cut our way out of our fiscal mess in Trenton: The structural deficits, the unfunded liabilities,” he said. “The only way out is to grow our economy, and so we need pro-business policies that will help us grow the economy.”
Ciattarelli told the crowd he’s eager to take on the challenge.
“Some people have said to me, ‘Jack, I can’t think of a worse time to be governor come January, 2026,’” he said. “Quite frankly, I can’t think of a better time, because we’re going to hit the reset button.”
