LEGISLATIVE DEBATE IN DISTRICT 37

LEGISLATIVE DEBATE IN DISTRICT 37  

At the invitation of the Korean American Voters Council,  all the District 37 Assembly Candidates participated in a debate on October 10th in Englewood, New Jersey.   Frank Cifarelli and Wojciech Siemaszkiewicz represented the Republican party and incumbents Valerie Vainieri Huttle and Gordon Johsnon represented the Democratic party.

The KAVC panelists were composed of small business owners, educators, and leaders of the Korean-American community in New Jersey.  After the candidates’ taped introductions were played for the audience, the moderator and panelists introduced themselves.  After this introductory period,  the format of the debate went as follows:  the panelists asked a series of questions, and the candidates were given a two minute period to answer the questions, after which each candidate was given a one minute rebuttal.  The candidate order was rotated for the purposes of fairness.

Many questions concentrated on the topic of immigration and its impact on various aspects of the Korean-American community’s business life, education and safety.  Important issues of environmental protection related to the dry cleaning industry were extensively discussed.

There were differences of opinions and approaches to the topics of illegal immigration, driving permits, day laborers and environmental clean-up in New Jersey.  Participants in the debate addressed the pressing issues of property taxes, sales taxes, state debt and spending.  The positive role and impact of the Clean Elections Program on the present District 37 election was also discussed.

Candidates Cifarelli and Siemaszkiewicz emphasized their goals of repealing the sales tax on dry-cleaning, rolling back the New Jersey State Realty Transfer Fee to its lower 2003 level and preventing municipalities  from leveling a local Realty Transfer Fee in addition to the previously mentioned State Realty Transfer Fee on Real Estate sales.

The debate was covered by the Korean-American newspapers and television from the New York Metropolitan Area and ended in a group photograph of organizers, participants, candidates and panelists.

Frank Cifarelli and Wojciech Siemaszkiewicz for Assembly

Contact:

Wojciech Siemaszkiewicz

(201) 638-8100