Republican candidate for governor Jack Ciattarelli spoke to more than 1,200 people last Friday at the Made in New Jersey Manufacturing Day, sponsored by the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program.
For background: There are nearly 10,000 manufacturing companies in New Jersey, which combined to contribute $58 billion to the state’s GDP last year, the fourth-highest sector in the state.
Many don’t realize this.
Ciattarelli, in both opening remarks and in a Q&A session with the Rowan Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship’s Ben Dworkin, offered many thoughts on the state of manufacturing in New Jersey. Here are some, offered in an easier-to-read Q&A format where various points were combined.
BINJE did a similar story with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill.
Q: Give us an assessment of what you can do to help the manufacturing sector overall?
A: My primary motivation in running is to make New Jersey a better place to do business. I will very responsibly reduce the size and cost for our state government, to afford a tax cut for businesses and individuals. But, make no mistake, you cannot cut your way out of our problems. The only way out of the great fiscal challenges we face in our state government in Trenton is by growing the economy. And the best way to grow the economy is by electing a pro-business governor who brings in a pro-business administration and then adopts pro-business policies.
We’ve got to make New Jersey a better new place to do business. What does that mean? I’m going to work in partnership with the Legislature to cut our business tax from the highest in the nation, 11.5%, down to 5% over a five-year period. I also want to make us less intensive. I will work with every industry and every space to eliminate the reforms that are holding back industry. As long as we’re not screwing the consumer or doing irreparable harm to the environment, consider me and my administration all-in on making New Jersey a less regulatory-intensive state of labor, particularly for manufacturing.
Let me also say this: On Day One of my administration, we’re going to make a loud-and-clear statement that we are pro-business by reestablishing something that’s gone away: A Department of Commerce. We’ll partition the Department of Commerce along the lines of North, Central, South and Jersey Shore, because each region has its own economy. Each region has its own benefits, but its own challenges. That Department of Commerce will also be partitioned along the lines of small-, medium- and large-size businesses, because each one of those sectors has its own challenges.
These state agencies will not be a police state or a collection agency. They will be partners. We’ll return the call, and the answer won’t always be ‘No.’ It’ll be, ‘Here’s how we do that.’
Q: How can the state be more competitive in manufacturing?
A: First and foremost, we’ve got to lower the business tax across New Jersey. Pennsylvania lowered their business tax from 10% to 5% because they wanted to compete with Ohio. So, the rhetorical question I will continue to ask is: Do you or do you not want to compete? I want to compete. I want to win.
What do we need to do here in New Jersey? By reducing the size and cost of our state government, we can afford a tax cut for businesses. The same way Pennsylvania is doing it. If they can do it, we can do it, too.
Q: How can the state improve workforce development for manufacturing?
A: We know that the vast majority of federal dollars that come to New Jersey — and they are pretty significant for workforce development — end up in community colleges. This is no knock on the community colleges, but I still find it a bit too abstract, too well-kept a secret in terms of what’s going on at our community colleges.
Why aren’t more of those dollars dedicated to our technical institutes, where people learn a trade? No matter where I go across the state, there seems to be a shortage of people in the trades, and that’s particularly important for the manufacturing space.
So, let’s find a different way to deploy our federal dollars to get a better return on investment. I think we need more technical institutes, quite frankly.
Q: Is there an opportunity to employ more intellectually disabled individuals in manufacturing?
A: I know there are a lot of nonprofits out there that go about teaching technical skills to people with intellectual developmental disabilities, and I’ve seen them become very productive. Every industry has its needs. Everyone likes to work. Let’s make that work.
Q: Are there manufacturing opportunities in South Jersey?
A: If you spend time in South Jersey, you know there is a lot of economic development opportunity because the land is abundant. (He mentioned opportunities at Atlantic City International Airport and the Port of Paulsboro.) This state is never going to be able to achieve its full economic potential if South Jersey doesn’t achieve its full economic potential, and I’m determined to make that happen.
