Fulop and the Platkin Option

Steve Fulop is looking ahead to January, 2026, when he hopes to be entering the governor's office.

He already has a 10-point plan on what he will do in his first 100 days.

One of Fulop's main arguments is that he's a "different" candidate and therefore, would be a different type of governor. To that end, he picked a lieutenant governor candidate months before knowing if he would even need one. That is Sheena Collum, the mayor of South Orange.

Still, Fulop is not really alone in looking ahead.

On the other side of the aisle, Jack Ciattarelli always talks about "coattails" and winning a whole bunch of Assembly seats this year. Now, after getting the blessing of Donald Trump, Ciattarelli figures to be more emboldened in assuming he has the GOP nomination sewed up.

Bill Spadea has plans too - boldly talking about ignoring the state Legislature and governing through a series of executive orders.

Now, back to Fulop, who just unveiled his 10-point wish list. Fulop is squarely in the liberal camp, but not all of his proposals would be considered left wing.

For example, he wants to reinstate the Cost of Living Adjustment or COLA  for retirees receiving pensions. This is a big issue for retirees of all political persuasions.

Regarding transportation, Fulop would end plans to widen the New Jersey Turnpike through Jersey City and stop fighting New York City's congestion pricing, which he calls "silly."

Fulop is on an island here. Other Democrats and Republicans throughout the state have condemned charging motorists an additional fee to enter Manhattan.

Some of his points do lean left.

He would implement the Immigrant Trust Act, which protects undocumented individuals, use the corporate business tax to fund mass transit and "add tax brackets" for high-earners.

Fulop also wants "ranked choice voting," which would allow voters to select a second or third choice.

An intriguing proposal is Fulop's plans to reappoint Matt Platkin as Attorney General, which is a point Fulop often makes on the campaign trail.

Attorneys General normally change when the administration changes. And who knows if Platkin wants to stay.

Fulop also wants a moratorium on warehouse construction. This has become a major issue throughout New Jersey with residents contending that huge warehouses mean noise, pollution and loads of truck traffic.

Last, but certainly not least, Fulop says he will "re-implement" the Open Public Records Act, or OPRA, which was very much gutted by Legislative Democrats and the Murphy Administration. That presumably means he would support repealing the recent OPRA legislation.

 

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