No direct questions about New Jersey’s business climate were posed during the first gubernatorial debate on Sunday night. However, following the event, candidates were asked by NJBT about their plans for small businesses if elected governor.
Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, described her focus on streamlining processes that affect small business owners. “When I talk about cutting through red tape and permitting issues, a lot of this is related to small businesses….So I heard from a woman who was trying to open a restaurant, and she went again and again to get the permitting done for the restaurant.
“It took her eight months. I think she did it about three times. Every time in person, she couldn’t do it online. And every time paying hundreds of dollars for that permitting fee, and never getting any feedback about why her permitting was wrong.
“Which is why when I talk about how I’m going to support small businesses and cut through red tape and bureaucracy and change the culture of Trenton, I talk about having a dashboard so you can see exactly where your permitting and regulations are, having a fast-track center that you can go to have help back and forth on your permit.
“But a lot of this is going to be a culture change in Trenton, as we have a ‘yes’ culture instead of a gotcha culture.”
Former New Jersey Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, representing the Republican party, highlighted his personal connection to small business ownership and outlined several proposed tax breaks. “Simply this: One, (small business) has a soft spot in my heart because the Ciattarellis were all small business owners. The first $100,000 of income will be tax free. The first $100,000 of payroll will be exempt payroll taxes, and there’ll never be a tax on the gain on the sale of a small family-owned business.
“Watch entrepreneurship take off in New Jersey.”
