Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Step into the heart of the conversation with FACE to FACE, the podcast where compelling stories meet sharp journalism. Hosted by our team of highly skilled journalists, each episode features in-depth, face-to-face interviews with influential guests from all walks of life. Expect informative questions, honest dialogue, and powerful insights that go beyond the headlines.
You know, Jack, really it's an honor to have you here in ITV Gold Studio. But for our listeners, let me talk a little bit about Jack. I'm sure you all know him very well. He's running for the governor's race. And he is a seasoned public servant and entrepreneur who has recently received a significant endorsement from President Donald Trump in his bid for New Jersey governor.
Speaker 1:And, you know, he has a history of those close races and commitment to addressing the state's challenges. Jack is definitely here to share his vision for New Jersey's future. So I would like all of us to welcome Mr. Jack Cittarelli, businessman, former assemblyman, and two time Republican nominee for governor of New Jersey. Welcome again, Jack.
Speaker 2:Pia, thank you. It's great to be with you. Looking forward to sharing my vision, with all of the, Indian Americans, from New Jersey in particular Mhmm. Who watch this important show.
Speaker 1:So of all, let's start. I want you to share, like, your key aspects of your twenty twenty five governor's campaign.
Speaker 2:So there's a number of crises that we have across New Jersey. There's an affordability crisis because our individuals and our businesses pay the highest taxes in the country, and we need to lower taxes. And I believe we can do that by lowering the spending in our state government Mhmm. But also having a more equitable distribution of state aid to our schools. There's a public safety crisis in New Jersey.
Speaker 2:We see nonviolent crime is rising significantly, break ins, car thefts. We need to get back to supporting our local police and allowing them to do their job well by taking the handcuffs off, as we'd like to say, to keep our community safe. There's a public education crisis in New Jersey. The current administration and the Democrats in our state capital shut our schools down for two years during the pandemic, two full years. There was significant learning loss.
Speaker 2:And we've also done certain things to the curriculum to get away from teaching critical life skills. I believe there are things being taught at school that really belong at home, as we like to say at the kitchen table with mom and dad, and let's get back to the basics in our schools, which is teaching critical life skills and providing vocational training opportunities for those children that don't want to go to college. So we have this affordability crisis, public safety crisis, public education crisis. There's also an energy crisis across New Jersey. We don't have enough electricity right now and that's why people's monthly bills are increasing so significantly.
Speaker 2:So we need to get back to a rational energy plan, we can get into the particulars of that if you'd like, but we need to start supplying more energy so that we don't ruin the monthly budget for people with these high skyrocketing monthly electric bills.
Speaker 1:And you know the question that's coming to my mind of course is the big thing like you know endorsement by President Donald Trump. So tell me like what sets your campaign apart for securing his support?
Speaker 2:I'm honored, to have his endorsement. He's given me his complete and total endorsement.
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:The president wants to win. He knows how close my race was in 02/2021. We came very close to winning. He ran very well here in New Jersey last year. New Jersey is kind of his summer home.
Speaker 2:As we all know, he spends a great deal of time in Somerset County, in Bedminster, that town in Somerset County all through the summer months. He's very much in tune with what's going on in New Jersey. And I've told him that as governor, we will not be a sanctuary city or sanctuary state status. We're not going to allow that. That only encourages illegal immigration.
Speaker 2:And I'm going to work in partnership with him to keep our country and New Jersey safe. And that's a big difference between myself and the current administration and the Democrats that run our state government.
Speaker 1:So tell me, how are you, like, reaching out to the voter base, like, which is outside of your supporters as well as, like, Trump supporters?
Speaker 2:So of all, that we spend a great deal of time raising money so that we can be on mass media markets through TV and radio and billboards. But then you have to go into individual communities. And no candidate, in New Jersey has ever spent more time in the Indian American community, than I have. We did a lot of that back in 02/2021. I look forward to doing that again.
Speaker 2:Just this past weekend, I was at that magnificent spiritual, cultural center and temple in Robbinsville. The Hindu temple is the wonder of the world.
Speaker 1:I saw the pictures. Those look gorgeous.
Speaker 2:Yes. And this isn't the time I've been there, but there was an opportunity that day to speak before nearly 5,000 Hindu Americans, all from New Jersey. Pia, you have to go and spend time in the community, and that's exactly what I do.
Speaker 1:All right. So let's talk about your vision and, of course, your leadership. And if you win in 2025, which I'm sure you will. Tell me what are the three things you will do as a governor and what's your long term vision?
Speaker 2:Well, on day one, what I will do is issue an executive order that prevents any city in New Jersey from being a sanctuary city, nor will we be a sanctuary state. That only encourages illegal immigration. The next thing that I do on day one is I appoint an attorney general. The attorney general of New Jersey is the number one law enforcement officer in the state. All the police chiefs and the prosecutors report to the attorney general.
Speaker 2:And we need an attorney general who's going to support our local police. Let them do their job to keep our community safe. The other thing I'm going to do on day one is replace all those that serve on the State Board of Education and replace them with people who believe, as I do, that our schools need to get back to teaching critical life skills and taking some of that other more sensitive subject matter that I believe belongs at home, getting it out of the public school curriculum, and getting it back at home between mom and dad and their children. So those are three things that we do on day one.
Speaker 1:All right. So moving on from there, let's talk about economy, taxes, and business. And when we talk about taxes, New Jersey is one of high property tax states. So tell me and I know you have talked a lot about lowering property taxes too. So tell me, how would you do that without hurting like schools or even public services?
Speaker 2:So people's property tax bill is comprised of three parts. There's the municipal tax, the county tax, and the school tax. The school tax is usually anywhere from 50% to 70% of your property tax bill. And the reason why it's so high is because the state, in a very inequitable way, distributes state aid to schools that isn't fair in my mind. And so if we have a new more equitable distribution of state aid to all of our school districts in all of our towns, we can lower property taxes.
Speaker 2:The more state aid a school district receives, the less it has to tax its local residents to pay for the school. So again, a more equitable distribution of state aid to schools will lower our property taxes. I also have to lower income taxes and we do that by downsizing the size of our state government. Our state government is bloated, it's inefficient, and it's wasteful. Spending is up $22,000,000,000 60% in Phil Murphy's eight years in office.
Speaker 2:And so the Trenton Democrats have allowed this to happen. I have to downsize our state government. If I'm able to do that, I will. I'm an MBA CPA and a two time successful business owner that knows how to run an enterprise. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:If we make this a less expensive state government, we can lower income taxes and business taxes too.
Speaker 1:So you're talking about like, you know, being a business owner and of course a successful business owner. So tell me how would you help the small business owners grow and succeed, especially after COVID? You know, things have become really bad.
Speaker 2:So three generations of Cheddarllis have all achieved their American dream right here in New Jersey. We were all small business owners. My grandfather worked his way up as a laborer to own his own contracting company. My parents were restaurant bar owners. I owned a small medical publishing company.
Speaker 2:And so I have a real soft spot in my heart for small businesses who truly are the backbone of our state economy. And we know a great many people of the Indian American community are very entrepreneurial, very enterprising and own their own businesses. So number one, I want to make it easier to establish your business. There should be one page at the state website, you go, you check off all the boxes, you're in business. Number two, the $100,000 of business income for a small business should be tax free.
Speaker 2:The $100,000 of payroll should be exempt from employer payroll taxes and when you go to sell a small business, there should never be a tax on the gain on the sale of a small business. These are all things that would make small business so much more successful here in New Jersey and rid us of that reputation of being one of the worst places in the country to do business.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. So, you know, moving on from there, let's talk about healthcare and even infrastructure. So my question to you is, how would you make like health care more affordable and easier to access for, you know, people across the state?
Speaker 2:So number one, I think we need more competition. Because New Jersey is not a business friendly state, many companies have moved out of New Jersey. And when companies move out, less competition. Less competition, prices will go up. So we need to have more health insurance companies that come to New Jersey.
Speaker 2:We also have to look at different models, whether it's reference based pricing or the like, but people need access to more health insurance options and they need more access to quality health care. We're not seeing that across New Jersey and all of that drives up the cost.
Speaker 1:And let's talk about our roads, you know, talking about infrastructure, roads, public transportation, etcetera, especially this New Jersey, you know, it's always there is a strike going on or there's something going on. So tell me how what kind of help would you do for that?
Speaker 2:Yes. I mean, New Jersey, transit is a perfect example of what you're speaking about, where the infrastructure is failing us. We hear every day, every week about things that are going on with New Jersey transit. And I've never seen our roads in worse condition. So we need to recommit.
Speaker 2:Every governor needs to come in with his or her own priorities. I have mine, and mine are public health and safety, public education, pro business policies, and improving our infrastructure. There's more than enough fiscal flexibility in Trenton and in our budget to provide the funds that are necessary to keep our infrastructure in great condition so it can support our economy.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about diversity and community leadership. And you know, New Jersey is incredibly diverse. So tell me how would you bring people together and represent everyone as a governor?
Speaker 2:So number one, I mean, are correct. New Jersey is the most diverse state in the country. I believe there's power and beauty in that diversity if we embrace it. I just don't want to see tolerance, show tolerance, or see tolerance for diversity. I want us to celebrate our diversity.
Speaker 2:And a lot of that has to do with a governor that goes anywhere and everywhere. Mhmm. And as a Republican, I've always been somebody that goes places other Republicans don't or won't. And the power of social media, like, for example, you acknowledge the fact that this past weekend, was at the temple in Robbinsville. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:That was all over social media. I think it's really important for New Jerseyans to see their governor celebrating every community, every minority, every faith, every culture. The other thing that I will do as governor is reinstate the interfaith council. That's kind of gone away, it needs to come back. As governor, once a quarter, I will sit down to breakfast at the Governor's Mansion with the leaders of all the individual faiths that are practiced here in New Jersey.
Speaker 2:Because we all have a common bond and that is to strengthen our community. So that's another way for us to work together to make things better in our community. I've also pledged myself as governor to attend a different house of worship at least twice a month all across New Jersey. I think that's another way to celebrate our diversity and to bring us all together.
Speaker 1:And you know, New Jersey has big, huge, I would call it, Indian American community Huge. And even Asian population.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:So how do you plan to include them in your campaign or leadership team?
Speaker 2:One, I want to get them excited about the changes we need to see in New Jersey. I have found that Asian Americans, South Asian Americans, Indian Americans here in New Jersey are very, very pro family. They're pro public education, they're pro public safety, they're pro business. I need to share with them that currently policies are not promoting those values and that my administration will in fact be pro family, pro business, pro public safety, pro public education and in so doing get them excited not only about my candidacy but about participating in the electoral process. We want to see more Indian Americans participate in the election process by voting.
Speaker 1:And you know there is, I would say, big concern about the hate crimes and safety. And so tell me, what would you do to protect all communities and make sure that they are treated like fairly?
Speaker 2:Number one, the Attorney General will help us get back to being a law and order state where all citizens feel safe. All 21 county prosecutors that I also appoint have to be of that same philosophy. So together, we make sure New Jersey is a safe community where all people feel safe. And also, as governor, I need to call out hate when we see it. If we see any type of bigotry, if we see any type of hate being practiced, if we see intolerance, if we see prejudice and the like, and people are being disadvantaged or not getting their fair opportunity, we need to call that out when we see it.
Speaker 2:Right. We can't be shy about calling that out. But also, me spending significant time in every one of our communities all across New Jersey and through the power of social media, people seeing that, they'll understand that we're all in this together.
Speaker 1:All right, so finally let's talk about your campaign and final thoughts. And you came close in 2021, so what did you learn from that race and what are you going to do differently this time?
Speaker 2:So the question I get asked most often is what will you do differently? Actually, the issues, Pia, have not changed. The issues are still taxes, public safety, public education, and now we have even energy crisis on top of that with the shortage of electricity. What has changed is the landscape. People now believe that Republican can win because of the closeness of my race.
Speaker 2:I like to say we were the spark that lit the fuse. President Trump, he ran so well in New Jersey last election day. He's endorsed me. We're on the same page in terms of keeping our communities safe and getting our public education system back on track. So the issues haven't changed.
Speaker 2:There's no pandemic at this time, no shelter in place order. We're not running against an incumbent this time. And there's a lot less indifference because people now understand that New Jersey can turn red with a Republican win this year.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. So my one more question that's coming to my mind is, what would you say to young voters or even time voters about why this election matters and how can they get involved?
Speaker 2:That I I would say this to him. I don't want you at all feeling insecure or fearful about whether or not you could achieve your American dream right here in New Jersey. Leadership matters. And three generations of Chatterellis have achieved their American dream right here in New Jersey. And I want people feeling confident, today's New Jerseyans and future generations, that they too can achieve their American dream right here in New Jersey.
Speaker 2:That means the education they want, the job they want, raising a family, starting a business, being able to retire here. Those are the things that people feel insecure about. But leadership does matter. And I wouldn't be doing this unless I felt that my leadership could make a difference.
Speaker 1:So, you know, knows you as a politician, a businessman, public servant. So what is something that most people don't know about Jack Ciccarelli and your closing thoughts?
Speaker 2:Well, they may not know that I like to cook very, very much.
Speaker 1:Oh, really? So what do you cook?
Speaker 2:Italian dishes, we call it in our Gravy, meatballs, sausage, macaroni. We just love that dish. And we love sitting down to Sunday dinner, as we just did this past Sunday. And we don't just eat. We sit there and talk.
Speaker 2:We sat there for nearly three hours. And that's great family time. And I think it also sends an important message. One of the things that I admire so much about the Indian American community is how they celebrate family. We need to get back to that.
Speaker 2:And I try to set the right example. There are so many things that families should be responsible for that government is never going to be able to do as well as families. And so I celebrate the family, we enjoy our family, and I'm going to promote that as governor as we go throughout the state here. The the the important role that family serves in keeping our community strong.
Speaker 1:And I will I need you to talk about your final thoughts about the race.
Speaker 2:Well, my final thoughts are these. Too many governors, Republican and Democrat, over the last forty years have used the governorship to try to get to Washington DC. I'm not going to Washington DC. I don't want to be a congressman. I don't want to be US Senator.
Speaker 2:I don't want to be president. I just want to be governor of the state I love. And when something that I love is broken, I'm determined to fix it. And New Jersey is broken in a number of ways, we've talked about that today. I believe they can be fixed, we just need the right leadership.
Speaker 2:I'm a Jersey guy, I'm an MBA CPA, I'm a two time business owner, I'm somebody who's raised a family here, whose family has been here for a hundred years. I have specific ideas on how to fix New Jersey for all New Jerseyans.
Speaker 1:And you know what, I would like to wish you all the best and thank you so much for coming.
Speaker 2:Pia, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you.
Speaker 2:I look forward to coming back as governor.
Speaker 1:Yes.