Six vie for two Assembly seats in battleground 21st District – New Jersey Hills

The Republicans, Senate Minority Leader Jon Bramnick, of Westfield, and Nancy Muñoz, of Summit, the Republican Whip, are seeking to retain their seats in the lower house after narrowly winning re-election in 2017. Both seats carry two-year terms.

Running on the Democratic ticket are Lisa Mandelblatt, of Westfield, and Stacey Gunderman, of Berkeley Heights, both first-time Assembly candidates.

Meanwhile, two conservative candidates, Martin Marks, of Cranford, and Harry Pappas, of Springfield, are running as Independents.

A close race is projected in the battleground district, which includes 16 towns in Essex, Morris, Somerset, and Union counties, including Bernards Township, Chatham, Far Hills, Long Hill Township, Warren Township and Watchung.

Jon Bramnick

Bramnick, who has served as Assembly Minority Leader since 2012, is seeking his ninth two-year term in the Assembly. He was appointed to the seat in 2003, replacing Tom Kean Jr. after Kean was appointed to the State Senate.

In an interview, he said he and Muñoz are the “common sense, reasonable candidates” in the race, as opposed to the “extremists” on the left and right.

“The Trump people say we’re not Trump enough; the Democrats say we’re too much like Trump,” he said. “What we’re like is the people who vote in our district. Seventy to 80 percent of the people who vote in our district are people who are in the middle and believe that we shouldn’t have extremists on the left or on the right – that’s not what most people are.”

He said he finds district residents are concerned about increasing political polarization and divisive rhetoric both at the federal and state level. He has been critical of divisive rhetoric from President Donald Trump.

“I’ve been the who has led the argument that you need to compromise, you need to speak in a civil tone to others,” he said.

Bramnick said he and Muñoz have a proven track record of fighting tax increases, noting he has voted against some 140 new taxes since joining the Assembly in 2003. He added he and Muñoz support a bill to cap state spending at 2 percent each year, calling it “incredible” the state would cap spending increases at the municipal level while continuing to increase spending statewide.

If voters want to keep taxes in check, he said, they need to stop sending more Democrats to Trenton. He said the Democratic establishment no longer fears the voters as it holds a veto-proof majority in the State Legislature.

“The more Democrats that go down there, the more extreme those policies are going to be – and (Gov. Phil Murphy) wants to raise more taxes,” he said.

Bramnick has also been an outspoken critic of the way in which affordable housing mandates have been dictated to New Jersey towns since the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) was dissolved in 2015. He said the issue belongs in the hands of the state Legislature, not the courts, which he said fail to take into account the impact on local schools, taxes and infrastructure.

“To allow the courts to determine how many units go into Basking Ridge or Watchung or Warren or any of these towns is absurd,” he said. “The Democratic majority and this governor have abdicated the responsibility of public policy. We’ve put forward at least 20 bills that would address this issue and we can’t get a vote on one of them.”

He added affordable housing obligations should be meted out on a regional basis, not town-by-town.

“If you want balance in Trenton, you don’t want to eliminate the opposition party because you’ll see more extremists on the other side. I think we want balance in government and I think myself and Nancy represent that.”

Stacey Gunderman

Gunderman, a sales associate at a senior living community, became politically active following the 2016 election, starting by organizing buses for the inaugural Women’s March on Washington, D.C. in 2017.

She has since been active in revitalizing the Democratic party in New Providence, supporting local candidates and U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski’s successful  campaign for the 7th Congressional District in 2018.

As residents face everyday concerns on issues such as school safety, affordability and out of control healthcare costs, the district needs new representation that is more in touch with voters, Gunderman said. She said she understands these struggles firsthand as a working mother of two and wife of a public school teacher.

She and Mandelblatt are not career politicians, she added, but “community leaders and parents looking to stand up and make a difference on behalf of our neighbors.”

“We don’t need tired old rhetoric, we need innovative solutions driven by leaders committed to making the lives of our neighbors better, which is why Lisa and I are running for the State Assembly,” she said.

She agreed the affordable housing issue must return to the legislature, but questioned where Bramnick and Muñoz were when former Gov. Chris Christie disbanded COAH.

“Instead of standing up for our communities and working to keep this issue in our legislature, they allowed affordable housing to be sent to the courts and removed local residents from having a voice in the discussion.”

She also questioned why Bramnick and Muñoz didn’t step in when Christie cut NJ Transit’s budget by more than 90 percent, and cancelled the ARC Tunnel project in 2010. She said action must be taken to assure better management of NJ Transit and to find a dedicated funding source.

“I’m running for State Assembly because we need leaders who not only understand the issues we face, including gun violence, healthcare, our affordability crisis, NJ Transit and the environment, but leaders who will also be relentless advocates on their constituents’ behalf.”

Lisa Mandelblatt

A former attorney and teacher, Mandelblatt briefly ran for Congress in 2018 before dropping out to serve as Union County chairwoman for Malinowski’s successful campaign. She still holds the position today.

Mandelblatt said gun safety and healthcare are the most important issues in the election, noting Bramnick and Muñoz both have “A” ratings from the National Rifle Association.

“They’re sending out deceptive mailers claiming that they’re for common-sense gun safety laws when they’ve voted against banning high capacity magazines, banning 50-caliber machine gun ammunition, and even linking panic alarms in schools directly to police,” she said.

“On healthcare, they’ve voted against a prescription drug discount program for seniors, opposed expanding Medicaid, and stood with Donald Trump on allowing people to be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions.”

She said district residents can’t afford another two years of the “same old politics” under Bramnick and Muñoz, and echoed Gunderman’s comments on the incumbents doing little to stop the Christie administration from disbanding COAH or de-funding NJ Transit.

“You can’t send the arsonist to put out the fire,” she said on the affordable housing issue. “Bramnick and Muñoz are running around claiming that they alone will get the issue out of the courts and back into the legislature, when they’re part of the reason it’s in the courts to begin with.”

Asked how she would tackle the issue of affordability, she said she would seek to fully fund the school funding formula and incentivize towns to share services.

“We need to close the gender wage gap,” she added, “allowing women to support their families and save for their own retirement.”

She called for increased oversight and investment in NJ Transit, and called on the federal government to free up funding for the portal bridge, the first part of the Gateway Tunnel project.

“I’m a lifelong New Jersey resident who is committed to returning New Jersey to its rightful place as the state to live, work, and raise a family,” she said. “I bring experience as an attorney, educator, community leader, and mother. I understand how laws passed in Trenton affect our towns, communities, and neighbors. I will work with anyone, and I don’t care who gets the credit, as long as we move New Jersey forward.”

Martin Marks

Marks, a dentist, is the former mayor of Scotch Plains. He served on the Scotch Plains Township Council for 12 years.

While the Democrat candidates chastised the incumbents for failing to stand up to Christie, Marks criticized them for failing to stand up to Murphy and the Democratic establishment in Trenton.

“They proclaim themselves as ‘moderates’ and all but dismiss conservatives in their constituency,” said Marks, who called Bramnick’s critical comments on Trump “unacceptable” for a Republican leader in the state.

As an Independent conservative, Marks said he differs from his election opponents in that he would not be beholden to the party bosses or special interest Political Action Committees that wield power in state government.

He said neither party has done what is needed to lower property taxes.

“Both Republicans and Democrats in Trenton have historically failed to display the political will or courage to take on the issue in any substantive way,” he said. “Instead, they have nibbled around the edges of this crisis with ineffective ‘relief’ programs instead of actually reforming the system that relies much too heavily on property taxes to fund municipal services and education, in particular.”

Marks said a more drastic approach is needed.

He specifically took aim at two State Supreme Court decisions: the Mount Laurel Doctrine, requiring towns to accommodate the development of affordable housing; and the Abbot vs. Burke decision, which led to the creation of 30 state-funded school districts for children with special needs.

“The only way to deal with these two long-standing Supreme Court decisions is to amend the New Jersey Constitution via a Constitutional Convention expressly constrained with dealing with our state’s out of control over-development and corresponding property taxes,” he said.

“Ultimately, state education aid must be on a per-pupil basis instead of wasting money on failing school districts. And, towns should be allowed to zone their properties for development as they see fit without interference from Trenton.”

Nancy Muñoz

Muñoz is seeking her fifth term in the lower house. Formerly a nurse, she was appointed in 2009 to fill the Assembly seat held by her late husband, Dr. Eric Muñoz.

She echoed her running mate’s sentiment on taxes. In addition to implementing a 2 percent cap on state spending, she said the state must fully fund its school funding formula to help reduce the tax burden on local residents.

“Jon and I together have worked really hard to represent our district and to hold the line on tax increases,” she said. “What we really need is to have a bipartisan legislature that represents the people of our district.”

Muñoz said she has been active in seeking to address the region’s transportation needs, and has introduced several pieces of legislation seeking to benefit commuters. A member of the Assembly Budget Committee, she said she has advocated for increasing funding for New Jersey Transit.

“Let’s set our priorities straight and put the money into NJ Transit, because right now, the money that’s going in is going to contractual obligations and not for infrastructure. They’re pulling from the capital fund to fund their budget when what we need is the money to be there for capital projects.

“We have to make sure that we have NJ Transit functioning at a better level than it is now, because this is going to affect the economy of the state of New Jersey, which will have an impact on every single resident.”

Muñoz has also sponsored and introduced several bills protecting victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

“As the nurse in the legislature, I’ve worked strongly to focus on legislation that impacts women, children and families, and protections on the domestic violence side, sexual assault side and healthcare side.”

While she said neither she nor Bramnick refutes the need for affordable housing in the area, the sheer number of homes – most of them market-rate units – planned through the latest round of affordable housing mandates would have an outsized impact on the region. She said she and Bramnick are working to return the issue to the legislature – “where it belongs.”

She said affordability is the No. 1 issue facing residents, and she and Bramnick and working to rein in spending.

“The other party has controlled the legislature since 2001,” she said. “We need bipartisan representation in order to make sure that we put a hold on the spending and stop this.”

Harry Pappas

Pappas, who did not respond to a request for comment, has served in a variety of positions over a lengthy political career spanning several decades and multiple political parties.

He held various offices in Union County in the 1970s and 80s, including a brief stint as Union County Democratic Chair.

He later served as a Republican on the Springfield Township Committee, and has mounted numerous campaigns for municipal, county and state offices.

In published statements, Pappas has condemned Bramnick and Muñoz for failing to represent conservative ideals.

He has criticized the incumbents for supporting a 2016 gas tax increase, which he called an “egregious slap in the taxpayers’ face.”

In a recent statement, he said Bramnick had not done enough to address the affordable housing issue.

“After all his years in the legislature, Jon Bramnick has had ample time to address these long-standing liberal Supreme Court decisions,” he said. “Giving our residents a false sense that someone is finally standing up for them is misleading and unfair.”