14 Herald - Lantern - Dispatch 23 October '85

GOP Assembly Candidates

Chinnici

(From Page 1) have gotten them." Chinnici said "This year. I got more than $2 million for my area and last year about the same " Those appropriations included a half million each for Alzheimer's Disease research and the Vineland Development Center, he recalled. £100.000 for a newMarine Police station at Port Norris, $200,000 for Wheaton Village. Millville, and $100,000 for restoration at Historic Cold Spring Village. Lower Township. "As a member of the ( Assembly i Appropriations Committee — we get a shot at sponsoring a lot of bills." Chinnici noted, although major pieces of legislation are funneled to Democrats by their controlling leaders. "I'm delighted to give money for cultural arts." he said while complaining that Cape May and Cumberland counties are only "getting crumbs" from an SH-million arts appropriation And next year's appropriation could be in trouble because of that, he added. "I'm going to do something about it" after the election. Chinnici. warned South Jersey opera lovers shouldn't have to travel to New York' City or Philadelphia to enjoy a production, he said. "We should have an opera company down here ." CHINNICI ACTUALLY BEGAN his in terview last month by defending his and Mu/.iani's work in the Assembly "Guy just can't get a bill through no matter what." Chinnici said, "and the same with me." Democratic Assembly Speaker Alan J Karcher doesn't want to give them "the exposure." at election time particularly, because Chinnici added. Karcher thinks Mu/iani at least "is vulnerable " "No matter what project, it's got to be watered down by arrogant Alan Karcher." Chinnici griped The Assembly speaker has no respect for the governor or anybody else, the candidate complained "We only need four seats." he- reflected, referring <o those necessary for G()p control ol the Assembly, "and. if we're ever going to do it. this is the time " Kxpecting a 7.~>o.ooo vote majority for reelecting Republican Gov Thomas Kean. Chinnici was optimistic that the GOP could also win the controlling seats If Republicans gain an Assembly ma jority. what would he push through'.' Chinnici was asked One bill that 's already "in the hopper." he replied, lor a joint Urban Knterprise Zone to promote economic development in Vineland and Millville i. see Mu/iani interview i State Sen James K Hurley rushed through an "emergency" bill which the Senate approved and sent on to the Assembly. There. Chinnici and Muziani sponsored it but Karcher stymied the bill, said Chinnici He doesn't want Guy and I to get any kind of credit " ALTHOUGH OPPONENT PETER Am ico later disputed it. Chinnici said First District Republican legislators "promoted the Jersey Fresh thing" for regional crops Rut South Jersey farmers need security, he said, to break even because their pro duce is perishable Also potato growers had a bumper crop this year and needed a SI.ooo an acre to break even, they got $7.">o instead "This is a disaster." Chinnici observed "And we have a good potato growing area good soil " There were good yields of local peaches and nectarines this year but the area pickle crop was downed by diseases, he noted Chinnici wants to pre sell crops in earlyspring ta markets within 24 hours of the ■ farms Farmers would still have to con I tend with diseases and the weather, the assembly man conceded. "But. if we can at least tell the farmer" what price he'll In- n getting, he II know what to grow and how e much "They are the things that we have to do d for agriculture in our area." Chinnici in I sisted. "get everything sold before vou I start planting ." s As president of Major Coat Co . Bridge ton. Chinnici "runs a union shop c But he isn't sure unionizing farm workers g will work because of their employers' flue ti tuating margins, if they have any Upstate legislators and the state Public fi Advocate "are just about ready" to push L :arm unions. Chinnici said. "It may be a S little too much for the farms "THAT'S ONE OF TIIE most important c things down here. " he said of local beaches G /

and their positive impact on county tourist businesses and the state economy i A beachfront condo owner in Sea Isle Ci- - ty. Chinnici wants to see a permanent state funding plan to combat erosion. One legislator has proposed to pay the freight from beach tag revenues. "And of course, they're fighting it like hell," the candidate said of resorts. like Wildwood that don't require beach tags "And I dont know if that's enough Neither he nor Muziani support Hurley's solution, a 50-cent tax on real estate transfers. Muziani now prefers a line item in the state budget but Chinnici said he likes "the sales tax route. "There is one source that has got to be investigated," he said, although he's been unsuccessful in finding out what the state treasury takes in from resort sales taxes. Even a half percent from peak season sales taxes should generate more than enough for an anti-beach erosion fund, he ventured Chinnici said he would also like to see casino profits. "A fractional amount" from casinos profits " could raise $2 millin a year." he argued "I don't see anything wrong with it; I think it would be a start " Chinnici said he favors an Environmental Trust which, with "no big deal." could raise a half billion to clean up toxic waste dumps and the like "There's no question" that $3 billion could easily be spent on shore projects like upgrading or replacing sewage treatment facilities, though. "I THINK WE CAN'T just say we'll give it to you." ('hinnici added, suggesting four percent loans instead of correcting environmental problems. Other trust money should Ik- used to close landfills, he continued, then "we must go to incineration. "We've got to go to resource recovery", he insisted "It's costly, but maybe we can offset the cost by selling byproducts — steam whatever." There's also "no question" he said, thai they stale they could easily raise and spend $3 3 billion from a Transportation Trust Fund on road projects He suggested a 90 percent stale to percent county cost sharing on those projects to extend the life of that fund and do 10 percent more wth the

money Echoing Muziani. his running mate was adamant about the so-called Road to Nowhere "Route 55 is going to be completed " Chinnici said he doesn't think motorists will object to 25-50 cent charges to travel the proposed extention into Cape May County from Port Elizabeth. "I'VE BEEN TRYING TO. first of all reduce it. and eventually get rid of" the state inheritance tax which raises about $165 million a year. Chinnici said Surviving spouses no longer have to pay the tax . in a year or so neither will surviving children and. by 1990. the lax will be done away with altogether, he added "And. there again. I could have had that bill." he complained, referring to the legislation to reduce and eliminate the inheritance tax Another assemblyman re w rote one of his bills, which was signed in to law. he said Chinnici said he sponsored it because he wanted to see the legislation passed He did manage to get his death penalty reinstatement bill through the Assemblylast year, he noted Now appeals of capital punishment sentences are "about to hit the Supreme Court " He's interested to see what it will do with them "I work harder on the Appropriations (Page 18 Please Debate Scheduled ( From Page 1 ) nici. 66. of Bridget on who's standing for his eighth term The veteran Republican politicians are (heir $25.0(H» a year First seats against Sea isle City law ver A Batten. 31. and Vineland security executive Peter Amico. 41. Residents of Cape May and Cumberland counties will select the two highest vote getters from the four candidates on Nov 5 ITII the 1986 87 Assembly terms Challengers and incumbents are slated their third debate 7:30 p.m. Friday at Township Consolidated School. 838 Rd.. Cold Spring. This paper profiled the Democratic challengers and their views last week; the incumbents appear today.

(From Page 1) Trenton. Muziani said, because "politics is politics and nobody's going to give anybody else the edge." Their opponents argue that electing Democrats to the party-controlled Assembly would have to give district voters a stronger voice in the capitol — particularly since Muziani and Chinnici don't seem to be doing much there anyway. Amico has claimed that they have only produced seven bills between them during the most recent legislative term. But Muziani says that's a bunch of hogwash. "I have sponsored 75 bills in the last two years and he said two." the assemblyman countered. About 5.000 bills are introduced each year, he recalled. Last year, the governor signed about 284 bills into law. which, divided among 180 legislators, would average two bills each. "I've sponsored 75." Muziani repeated. I got two passed into law but I introduced 75 bills. "THE MAJOR MESSAGE I want to get across." said the Republican, "is that, during the past four years with the Kean Administration. New Jersey has reestablished itself." Instead of a deficit, the state now has a surplus. Muziani noted. The governor understands the need for expenditures on transportation, he added, crime was down 16 percent (it's up now more than 20 percent i while reestablishing the death penalty has reduced murders nine percent and anti-drunk driving laws have cut the number of highway deaths. "This is the first year we fully funded education." added the incumbent, also citing the $18,500 minimum teacher's salary Kean signed into law. More prisons are being built, with, perhaps additional facilities at Leesburg which means more local jobs. Muziani continued. and the state's appropriation for human services is the largest in its budget "What I'm trying to say is. this governor enjoys a 49 percent lead" over Democratic opponent Peter Shapiro. Muziani said "lie's (Kean hasi restored pride in New Jersev. Jersey.

"He's done all these things under a handicap — the handicap being a Democratic Legislature." the candidate argued "Imagine what he could do with a Republican legislature "He doesn't know what he's Jalking about because here it is." Muziani said, responding to Amico's criticism of Kean Administration funding for transportation in the First District with lists of local appropriations FOR CAPE MAY COUNTY, they total more than $7 million this year and nearly . $5 million last year, according to figures Muziani supplied from the state Depart ment of Transportation In Cumberland County, they exceed $10 million during the Kean administration not counting pending projects. Muziani added "Before we had a Republican governor, we had Byrne. Cahill and Hughes, the assemblyman said in countering his opponents criticism of Route 55 "For 18 years nothing was done " Kean. however, has already spent $50 million on the so-called Road to Nowhere with another $110 earmarked for the fourlaner. Muziani stressed "In addition." he said. "I got the governor to agree too" a study for completing Route 55 through Cumberland into Cape May County. "What do you mean public relations''" he asked Amico by proxy, alluding to his jabs on Route 55. "That's money being spent "As of June of this year, the contract was tawarded" to Gannett-Fleming Consultants of Cherry Hill." Muziani continued. for a $350.(K)0-$4(K).000 study on the feasibility of extending the highway and expanding Route 40 into a four-Ianer "It's to be finished within 12 months." he said of the study. "HOW THE HELL DOES he know what we've been doing0" Muziani asked of Batten's question on whether there was a local legislative initiative behind the push for a rail line to Atlantic City and. perhaps, a southern spur. "Certainly there has been a Cape May County initiative." Muziani replied. "We were working on that when he was going to school. "That's idiotic." he said of Batten's contention that Muziani cost South Jersey

Muziani

thousands of jobs and dollars in race track simulcasting because of his vote to release the so-called Baseball Bill in exchange for a state aquarium. "I asked for an aquarium for South Jersey, no question about it," Muziani conceded, and he did have the deciding vote to release the bill. But "it was (Democratic Assembly Speaker Alan) Karcher s bill" that won support of the Kean Administration, Democrat and Republican legislators. "I was able to get ($250,000) for the fishing museum." the GOP legislator said earlier of the concession he extracted from Kean for the lost aquarium. Muziani said he did vote to release the bill to gain the aquarium then Kean notified him that Campbell Soup Co. threatened to leave South Jersey if the aquarium wasn't located near its Camden headquarters. That's where it's supposed to go but. Muziani explained. Kean offered something in return. The assemblyman said he talked that over with Louis Rodia. assistant county public affairs director. Freeholder Herbert Frederick and Robert C. Patterson Jr., executive director of the county? Chamber of Commerce. RODIA SUGGESTED THE fishing museum (proposed for the county's Historic Cold Spring Village. Lower Township" and drafted a 10-page proposal so Kean could plug the $250,000 for it into his supplemental budget. Muziani said He said he's "not heard from anybody" involved with private plans for a fishermen's memorial and museum in Cape May on Cold Spring Inlet. "I'm not going to deny I said that, but let me give you the reasons." Muziani said of Batten's conterjjlon that, as Wildwood mayor. Muzianidelaved with litigation the county MUA's Wildwoods-Lower sewage treatment plant. The Democrat linked that delay to the raw sewage that closed resort beaches last month. Sewage outfalls were originally intended for Montgomery Avenue, Wildwood. "and we objected to it." Muziani said of himself and two other ex-city commissioners. Now the outfalls are underway in Wildwood Crest.

"In addition." the candidate added, "we had no signed contract and no guarantee from the federal government ion project financing)." At the time, he recalled, the MUA was only considering primary treatment for sanitary sewage which wasn't any better than what was then being done; commissioners wanted secondary treatment. Will regional reports of the contaminated beaches hurt the local tourist industry0 Muziani was asked "NO. IF IT DOESN'T happen again." he replied "They (vacationers) came anyway and they came afterward — they were alreadybooked ( with motel reservations) possibly "The basic problem in all three (Wildwoods'i municipalities is infiltration." Muziani said of storm water leaks into the sanitary sewer lines "I know it 's a serious situation and they're (local officials are) taking it seriously "But." he added. "I'm asking for the state to realize that it's got a lot at stake here - not just the businessmen Millions and millions of dollars" flow to the state treasury from the resorts but they're "not getting anywhere near the return" to keep the beaches clean and safe from erosion. . Batten was "mixing apples and oranges." Muziani complained, when the Democrat said neither Muziani nor Chinnici voted to establish Urban Enterprise Zones for economic development in Vineland and Millville. "Fine. I'm not going to disagree with that." the Republic said of his failure to back the original legislation to establish such zones But. he noted. Hurley more recently pushed through "emergency legislation" to permit a joint MillvilleVineland zone STATE SENATORS PASSED that measure Muziani added, but the State House ceiling fell in before assemblymen could vote on it as scheduled Sept 26 "You'd think he's talking about something that isn't done everyday up there." the Republican said of Amico'Vjab that Muziani didn't vote to increase the state drinking age from 18-21 until after enough of his colleagues (41) had voted to insure passage. "It's not so important when you voted; it's how you voted," Muziani reasoned. (Page 18 Please)