Gottheimer outlines plans to lower costs as governor

In the eyes of Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly), New Jersey’s high cost of living threatens to change the state into something completely different: “It’s turning the Garden State into the Price Gouge State.”

At a West Orange preschool Friday morning, the congressman and gubernatorial candidate introduced his plans to lower costs in New Jersey if elected governor. Gottheimer’s 23-page platform tackles five major costs he blames for making the state unaffordable: childcare, utility bills, housing, healthcare, and food.

The congressman said 86% of New Jerseyans feel either behind financially or that they’re making just enough to stay afloat.

“The costs of living are skyrocketing on all these fronts, and families, as these numbers show, are barely making ends meet,” Gottheimer said. “It’s crushing them.”

Among Gottheimer’s top-line proposals: doubling the Child Tax Credit, further investment in energy production, restructuring housing development to increase supply, lowering drug prices through marketplace reform, and increasing in-state food production.

To increase the housing supply, the congressman said he would convert vacant office parks into housing developments.

“By building more housing, we can lower costs, especially near mass transit and in areas where we have room to build, like abandoned or underutilized office parks, something I’ve been talking about for years,” Gottheimer said.

Gottheimer acknowledged some municipalities in the state don’t cooperate with efforts to build affordable housing, but he said he believes tax incentives for municipalities that cooperate would lead to fewer holdouts.

“I really believe in incentives, because what will happen is some municipalities will get incentives and some won’t, and then they’re going to answer to their taxpayers of why they’re not getting the incentives,” he said.

Among the incentives he proposed was for local governments “to reduce lot sizes to allow for the construction of starter homes for first-time homebuying families.”

Gottheimer said he hopes to lower utility costs in the state by supporting an “all of the above” plan to produce energy in the state. He said he hopes to build more small modular nuclear plants, which he said are simpler and safer than conventional nuclear facilities.

“According to PSEG Nuclear, operator of New Jersey’s own nuclear plant, nuclear power generates 50% of carbon-free electricity in the country — and 90% of the carbon-free power in New Jersey,” Gottheimer’s plan reads. “We’re simply not going to move to 100% renewable energy without nuclear.”

The Democrat said he also hopes to boost the state’s production of solar energy.

“Producing more energy in our state is key to lowering costs, creating a cleaner future for our kids, and [creating] economic growth for our state,” Gottheimer said. “It means we don’t have to rely on other states to charge us top dollars for their energy, especially for West Virginia coal plants, the dirtiest energy on the planet.”

To lower the cost of food, the congressman said he wants to bring the fight to anti-competitive practices, including the meat processing companies that he said own a monopoly on the meat packing business.

“My recipe for taking on high food prices begins by protecting consumers from anti-competitive practices, especially in the meat and poultry spaces,” Gottheimer said. “There are four major processors in the country that control the meat. We should be adding smaller ones in places like New Jersey for processing.”

Gottheimer announced his plan at the First Mountain Preschool, which is operated by West Orange Mayor Susan McCartney, who joined the congressman Friday. Asbury Park Mayor John Moor also stood with Gottheimer during the press conference.

This is Gottheimer’s second major policy platform. The moderate Democrat, who labels himself the “Lower Taxes, Lower Costs” candidate, released an ambitious tax plan in January that would slash property taxes and increase tax credits.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop have also published detailed policy platforms on their websites, including housing and healthcare plans.