District 39 Candidates Debate Gas, Millionaires Tax

Three of the candidates running for two state assembly seats in District 39 clashed over several issues, including increasing the gasoline tax, a tax on millionares and municipal consolidation Monday at a candidate's forum held by the League of Women Voters of Bergen County at .

Democratic candidate Anthony Iannarelli drew criticism from opponents after proposing an increase in the state gas tax - a move he acknowledged was unorthodox, but necessary, in order to fund highway infrastructure and repairs.  

"It'll probably be the end of my candidacy, but I would recommend a gasoline tax," Iannarelli said. "We are facing a disaster, and I don't want to see people injured or killed because of a highway collapsing or a bridge collapsing."

But Republican Assemblyman Robert Schroeder said he was "totally opposed" to an increase in the gasoline tax, calling Iannarelli, "Tax and spend Tony." 

"Raise that gas tax, spend the money. Wrong, wrong, wrong," Schroeder said. 

In contrast, Iannarelli came out against a proposed tax on millionaires that Democrats in the Legislature and Gov. Chris Christie have wrestled over for the last several months. Iannarelli, a proponent of municipal consolidation, said he opposed any funds that would perpetuate the system of home rule in the state.

Schroeder and Iannarelli also clashed over the cancellation of the Access to the Region's Core commuter rail project, a multi-billion dollar project that Christie cut due to cost overruns. Iannarelli said the move lost thousands of construction jobs and would have "devastating consequences."

Schroeder defended the governor's decision.

"You're talking about billions of dollars in overruns for the ARC project," he said. "How do you justify that? How do you fund that in the environment we have today?"

The third candidate, Republican Holly Schepisi of River Vale, said one of her top priorities would be job creation. Both Republicans said businesses were fleeing New Jersey for neighboring states.

Schepisi said the state needed to provide incentives for companies to stay, as well as business loans.

"We need to support our home-grown companies and we can do that by providing direct access to capital that the banks currently are not providing," she said.

As the only woman in the debate, she was put in the position of defending Christie's vetoes of funding for family planning. At first, Schepisi said, she didn't understand the decision, but "realized that women continue to have under Gov. Christie access to full comprehensive services in every county in the state."

The debate also would have included Republican Sen. Gerald Cardinale and his opponent Lorraine Waldes, but Cardinale sat out after Waldes couldn't attend.