PRESS RELEASE: Fiocchi Calls On Andrejczak To Tell Voters Why He Supports The ‘Rain Tax’

Republican candidate for state Senate in LD1 Sam Fiocchi called out state Senator Bob Andrzejczak on his support of the rain tax. Fiocchi’s press release follows:

VINELAND – Republican candidate for state Senate in the first legislative district, former Assemblyman Sam Fiocchi, had planned on calling on Governor Phil Murphy not to sign the recently passed ‘Rain Tax,’ but upon realizing replacement state Senator Bob Andrzejczak voted yes on the final version of the bill last week Fiocchi now wants Andrzejczak to explain to South Jerseyans why he supports the tax.

Andrzejczak almost was able to skate by on the ‘Rain Tax.’ Obviously, he couldn’t have voted on it in June of 2018 because he was not yet a state Senator and he couldn’t join the Assemblymen from his district in voting no last week because he is no longer a member of that body. Then, when push came to shove and the Senate passed the final version of the bill in a 25-11 vote, Andrzejczak was there to cast his yes vote.

“On the issue of the ‘Rain Tax’ there is no free pass for replacement state Senator Bob Andrzejczak.” Sam Fiocchi said, “This is bad law that not only taxes New Jerseyans even more, but also gives municipalities the ability to create more debt through the issuance of bonds to create stormwater utilities. Naturally, that additional debt will lead to even higher taxes in one of the highest taxed states in the nation.”

Fiocchi continued, “While I absolutely believe Phil Murphy should not sign this bad bill into law, I also think Mr. Andrzejczak needs to explain to the voters of South Jersey why he believes they should pay even more to live in New Jersey simply because it rains.”

“As a Cumberland County Freeholder and as an Assemblyman I have always stood up for South Jersey.” Fiocchi said, “Mr. Andrzejczak’s decision to vote to add even more to the cost of living in New Jersey is one of many reasons why I look forward to putting my record up against his in the upcoming election.”

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That Time Camden County Improvement Authority Gave The State Waterfront Property For $1 And Then The State Gave The Same Property To A Developer For $1

What do you do when you’re cleaning out files and find a piece of research that you couldn’t use during a campaign because you had a seriously flawed candidate? If you’re the co-host of a weekly radio show with a blog, you write about it.

And, when that piece of research involves a piece of waterfront property in the City of Camden at a time when big tax incentives and tearing down minor league baseball stadiums are in the news that piece of research becomes interesting.

The whole affair is a bit convoluted, but it all begins with the City of Camden vacating, as seen in the Camden City Planning Board Agenda of January 12, 2006, a paper street, Marina Drive, that sat in the middle of a part of the old surface parking lot near Campbell’s Field, where the Camden Riversharks played minor league baseball. It just so happens this piece of parking lot happens to be in the middle of the building project for the new Camden Tower.

After Marina Drive was vacated it appears, based on Quitclaim Deeds, the Camden County Improvement Authority transferred waterfront property that included the paper street Marina Drive in the City of Camden to The New Jersey Economic Development Authority for “the sum of ONE and 00/100 Dollars ($1.00)” on June 16, 2016.

Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Easily share your publications and get them in front of Issuu's millions of monthly readers. Title: Quitclaim June 2016, Author: sandiastrategies, Name: quitclaim_june_2016, Length: undefined pages, Page: 1, Published: 2019-02-06

And it gets better! On November 28, 2016 The New Jersey Economic Development Authority transferred the property via a Quitclaim Deed to “Camden Town Center, LLC, a New Jersey limited liability company, whose address is c/o Liberty Property Limited Partnership, 1628 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Suite 1100, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103.”

Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Easily share your publications and get them in front of Issuu's millions of monthly readers. Title: Quitclaim November 2016, Author: sandiastrategies, Name: quitclaim_november_2016, Length: undefined pages, Page: 1, Published: 2019-02-06

I could be wrong, but this appears to be quite the sweetheart deal. As I understand it, typically when developers are faced with a similar situation they purchase the property at market rate or have the municipality condemn it so it can be acquired through eminent domain. Obviously, none of that happened in this situation.

To add insult to injury it appears the Delaware River Port Authority folks were a lot smarter than the folks at the Camden County Improvement Authority or The New Jersey Economic Development Authority. They finally dumped their TRAM over the Delaware River by selling property.

So, there you have it folks. Read the documents and weep because it appears the sweetheart deals on the Camden waterfront involve more than tax incentives.

PRESS RELEASE: NJGOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt Calls On Governor Phil Murphy To Veto Rain Tax

Today, NJGOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt issued a press release calling on Governor Phil Murphy to veto the “Rain Tax.” The press release follows:

For Immediate Release

Trenton, NJ - NJGOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt is calling on Governor Phil Murphy to veto S-1073, Steve Sweeney and Craig Coughlin’s "Rain Tax". Last week, Senate President Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Coughlin posted and passed legislation aimed at taxing rain.  The Sweeney and Coughlin “Rain Tax” is on the Governor's desk awaiting his action.

"Adding to its reputation as the worst tax environment in the country, New Jersey is poised to tax – the rain. For little more than having a roof over your head, a driveway to your house, or a sidewalk in your yard, Democrats in Trenton see dollars in your rain drops and they want to collect them, in buckets,” said Chairman Steinhardt.  “Sweeney and Coughlin’s “Rain Tax” is the latest in a series of hidden, Democratic taxes aimed at padding Trenton’s pockets and punishing New Jersey’s families, all the while claiming they understand your burden and feel your pain, but they don’t.”

Steinhardt continued, "The Sweeney and Coughlin “Rain Tax” gives new meaning to the old cliché, when it rains it pours.  Rather than find creative ways to take more from New Jersey’s struggling families, let’s find decisive ways to stop the economic bleeding.  Pension and healthcare reform are two, great starts.  I call on Governor Murphy to use his veto pen like an umbrella and shield New Jersey from Sweeny and Coughlin’s “Rain Tax”."

The NJGOP's petition calling for Governor Murphy to veto the rain tax can be found here.

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