To the Editor:
Laura Fortgang is running for a seat in the New Jersey Assembly (AD 26) on a platform of common-sense, forward-thinking change. It’s basic common sense to expect that our representatives will look out for our interests, and fight against legislation and policies that would cause us harm. But there is nothing sensible about the radical record of Assemblyman Jay Webber, who has openly and vigorously supported Trump’s regressive and devastating Tax Plan. Webber’s misguided support for the Plan was committed notwithstanding the undisputed fact that every credible analysis rightly predicted that New Jersey property owners would get fleeced. In addition to the significantly increased fiscal burdens imposed on middle-class taxpayers as a direct result of Trump’s plan (which limits our SALT deductions to $10,000), Essex County has suffered the single biggest loss of home values in the nation as a direct result – The GOP tax law supported by Webber reduced the value of the average home in Essex county by 11.3%. But we are hardly the only ones suffering: all 21 counties in our state have seen a reduction in home values. While most NJ GOP politicians opposed the plan, putting the needs of their constituents above their craven need to march lockstep with Trump, not Webber – he lavishly praised the tax scheme, telling an interviewer: “No district benefited more from that tax plan than this one.” When you filled out your taxes this past Spring, did you feel that way?
Webber’s blind obedience to Trump and his harmful policies is something we can no longer afford. We need to return Webber’s “favor” and vote him out of Trenton. Instead, we need to elect Laura Fortgang, who lives here, sent all her children to our incredible public schools and knows first-hand of the struggle to find affordable health care. She understands that those SALT deductions are crucial to home affordability and that the Trump/Webber property tax increases have been devastating to our families. Laura has pledged to stand up and fight for all of us, including doing all she can to reverse the Trump/Webber deduction limits. She is committed to implementing instant, sensible property tax relief for our most vulnerable residents, like our Seniors. In contrast to Webber, who enthusiastically supported the GOP Tax scheme that moved hundreds of billions of dollars from working Americans into the pockets of the richest 1%, Laura wants to prioritize investment in education, healthcare, transportation and infrastructure, helping ALL New Jerseyans, not just those at the very top. She opposes using NJ taxes to subsidize other states and is committed to ending Trump’s petty policies that continue to punish us. Laura Fortgang is a fresh new face. She doesn’t owe anyone allegiance or favors, not in DC and not in Trenton. A vote for for her is a vote for ALL of us.
Sincerely,
Eric Schechter
Verona
