The congestion pricing apocalypse may very well be coming.
President Trump’s option to grow to be New Jersey’s subsequent governor has a message for New York: drop the congestion tolling scheme — or pay the value.
Republican Jack Ciattarelli is vowing to slap a “reverse congestion pricing” charge on all New York automobiles coming into the Backyard State if he wins the race to interchange term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.
“We’re not going to be pushed round by New York,” Ciattarelli instructed The Publish.
The 63-year-old frontrunner within the June 10 GOP major stated, if elected, he’ll arrange toll cameras alongside bridges and tunnels coming into Jersey to ID New York license plates, in order that automobile homeowners may very well be billed the identical $9 charges most drivers pay to enter Manhattan beneath sixtieth Road — until Gov. Hochul places the brakes on congestion pricing as Trump has demanded.
Revenues collected would go in direction of upgrading state-owned NJ Transit — simply as New York’s scheme is used to boost funds to enhance its dilapidated mass transit.
“We are going to replicate the New York mannequin,” he stated. “If that is what they will do to New Jerseyans, that is going to be what we’ll do to New Yorkers. New York wants to repair its subway system by itself, simply as we’re attempting to repair [NJ] Transit on our personal.”
Relating to the NJ Transit strike, he stated it must be unlawful for practice engineers to stroll off the job as a result of the general public depends upon them to securely journey – simply as it’s for federal air visitors controllers. He stated he needs to “study” the feasibility of such a coverage.
Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman representing a part of Hunterdon County in central Jersey, stated he would perform Trump’s coverage agenda, together with ending New Jersey’s sanctuary state standing and scrapping bail reform legal guidelines that assist put violent criminals again on the road.
“I feel that each governor ought to work in partnership with the president on securing our borders and never welcoming the unlawful immigrants to our states,” he stated.
Throughout the 2021 election, Trump strategically stood on the sidelines of the New Jersey gubernatorial race as a result of New Jersey traditionally leans blue. Nonetheless a stronger-than-anticipated displaying within the Backyard State throughout final 12 months’s presidential race in comparison with 2016 and 2020 now not makes his endorsement there a legal responsibility, regardless of Democrats outnumbering Republicans by roughly 800,000 registered voters.
Ciattarelli predicted Trump’s endorsement is not going to solely assist him win the first — but additionally the overall election in November after dropping the identical race 4 years earlier to Murphy by a mere three proportion factors.
“This endorsement is essential when it comes to bringing consciousness to New Jersey, actually consciousness of my candidacy,” he stated. “The president believes I’m the one one who may win in November, and I significantly respect his religion, belief and confidence.”
Ciattarelli’s essential competitors within the major are former conservative discuss present host Invoice Spadea and New Jersey Sen. Jon Bramnick (R-Union).
Ciattarelli declined to debate his GOP opponents or a lot of the six candidates operating in a hotly contested Democratic major – besides Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. He known as Baraka’s arrest final week for trespassing whereas protesting exterior a Newark immigration detention facility a “publicity stunt.”
“This can be a mayor of a city that has crime within the streets,” he stated. “He’s not displaying up within the faculties or displaying up at crime scenes. Newark Airport is within the midst of an unprecedented meltdown, . . . but he’s displaying as much as a detention middle the place the federal authorities is detaining individuals who got here right here illegally, who then dedicated crimes. I don’t perceive what it’s we’re protesting.”
Baraka’s spokesperson Kabir Moss shot down Ciattarelli’s declare that Newark has fallen on arduous occasions and insisted the mayor wasn’t trespassing.
“He didn’t go there to get arrested; he went to affix a press convention with congress members,” Moss stated. “But when Jack Ciattarelli can’t acknowledge the Constitutional disaster we’re in — the place due course of is being denied on American soil — then he’s not match to be governor.”
Hochul’s workplace didn’t return messages.
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