Dear Editor:
The other day, I received a campaign flier from Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce in which she argued she’s a conservative.
Her mailer attacks Morris County Freeholder and Assembly Candidate Hank Lyon as being a fraud and a person who isn’t capable of fighting the Democrats in Trenton. I find this flier humorous because Assemblywoman DeCroce is anything but a conservative, which is evidenced by her “D” grade from the taxpayer watchdog group Americans For Prosperity-New Jersey. Given her few accomplishments during her tenure in Trenton, it’s also funny she’d say she “gets things done.”
The Assemblywoman claims that she is fighting to control property taxes. However, according to the Star-Ledger, New Jersey had a 2.35 percent property tax increase in 2016! What has the Assemblywoman actually done or proposed to reduce property taxes for the residents of our state?
The Assemblywoman’s mailer also says that she eliminated the estate tax. While I agree the estate tax should be eliminated, the reality is that most residents aren’t impacted by this particular tax since it only applies to estates above $675,000. While the Assemblywoman’s special interest donors might benefit from the estate tax repeal, most of us won’t.
With regards to the sales tax reduction the Assemblywoman is so fond of touting, most people won’t see any meaningful savings, unless they buy a new car every year! However, residents will pay the 158% increase in the gas tax the Assemblywoman fought so hard for.
Finally, the Assemblywoman DeCroce is arguing that she ensured money for roads and bridges will go to its intended purpose, rather than pet projects. This is a lie because we, as the citizens, went to the polls last year and voted for a constitutional amendment dedicating gas tax revenues to fix our roads and bridges. It’s unfortunate that the Assemblywoman would take credit for something she had nothing to do with.
Here in the 26th District, we have a Republican Assembly primary that offers us what President Ronald Reagan called a time for choosing. Do we let the Trenton politicians continue to waste our hard-earned tax dollars? The flier Assemblywoman DeCroce sent to GOP primary voters is an insult to the hard-working taxpayers of New Jersey.
On Tuesday, June 6, I’ll be voting for Morris County Freeholder Hank Lyon for Assembly, and not Assemblywoman DeCroce. While Chair of the Freeholder Budget Committee, Lyon froze taxes for three years and controlled spending, showing his commitment to taxpayers. I hope you’ll consider joining me in supporting Lyon for Assembly in the Republican primary.
William Felegi
