I came up with these candidate questions several years ago and have been asking those running for the State Assembly, State Senate and County Freeholder ever since, if they would be kind enough to answer them. Today, I'm posting the response from Hazlet's Mariel DiDato, candidate for NJ State Assembly in 13th Legislative District. In the coming days I'll post the responses from her running mates Tom Giaimo and Sean Byrnes. I'm also hoping to have responses from Freeholder candidates Margie Donlon and Brian Wilton. - MM
What is your motivation for seeking a seat in the NJ State Assembly and can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am a crisis response advocate for victims of domestic and sexual violence, and also a grassroots organizer who has fought to get state funding restored to family planning healthcare. Since the cuts to family planning healthcare, bacterial STI infection rates in Monmouth County have risen by 50%. My motivation for running is because our current representatives in the 13th District are making legislative decisions based on party politics, and not based on science, best practices, and what is beneficial for their constituents. This is not how government should operate, and it is not how we move our state forward.
As you meet residents throughout your district what seems to be the greatest concerns they are expressing and how do you plan to address them?
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| Mariel DiDato |
The greatest concerns I have seen are economic issues (property taxes & college affordability), the opioid epidemic, and issues concerning our environment. Municipal consolidation and shared services is one of the most viable options for providing property tax relief. We must provide more financial incentives and flexibility for towns looking to consolidate. Additionally, we need to get a hold on the rising cost of tuition, and possibly impose a cap on interest rates for student loans. 7%, 8%, 11% loans are astronomically high for a group of people who are expected to work for free or in low-wage internships after college, especially with tuition becoming increasingly expensive.
In regard to the opioid epidemic, we need better quality rehabilitation centers and recovery programs that middle and working class people can access. Currently, those suffering from addiction have two options – fly down to Florida (if you have health insurance and a bit of cash) or try your luck at a sub-par rehabilitation center in New Jersey. There is no reason why we cannot have quality, highly regulated rehabilitation centers in our state. To pay for it, we can start by holding pharmaceutical companies accountable, and taxing them on the revenue that they receive from their opioid sales. We can then use that revenue to improve the quality of our rehab centers by expanding the available recovery programs, the length of an inpatient stay, and the number of beds that we have.
Lastly, we need to do all we can at the state and local levels to compensate for the cuts to the EPA by the federal administration. We need to make sure our Shore Protection Master Plan is up to date, and that our Shore Protection Fund is fully funded. We need to prohibit oil and gas companies from drilling off of the Jersey Shore, and we need to work to ensure that we lead the way in environmental sustainability.
What do you hope to accomplish once you are elected to the State Assembly?
I have a number of goals I would like to accomplish in the Assembly. First, I want to restore state funding to family planning healthcare. Additionally, we need to do more to address interpersonal violence in our state. I will to introduce legislation to start having conversations in our public schools about consent, interpersonal violence, and the local resources available to survivors. Right now, there is a big push to have these conversations on college campuses, and that is a great start. But we know that if we wait till college to have these conversations, we are waiting until it’s too late.
I would also like to introduce the legislation I referred to above; imposing a tax on pharmaceutical companies for their opioid sales and using that revenue to improve our rehab centers in New Jersey. We can also be doing more to regulate those centers, by requiring recovery programs offer additional resources other than an AA and NA-derived program. Recovery is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and our centers should reflect that while put the latest science (which considers addiction a disease) at the forefront of those recovery programs.
Lastly, I hope to make this state more affordable for all generations by encouraging municipal consolidation and creating regulations to prevent banks from taking advantage of students seeking higher education.
What is it that makes your district unique and how does that uniqueness impact your campaign?
The 13th legislative district is composed of towns that range from extremely wealthy like Rumson to those undergoing serious economic stress like Keansburg. The policy preferences and concerns of all of these towns are not always in alignment in some areas, and one of the unique challenges for this district is ensuring that all constituents have their voices heard. Our current representation has failed to balance the needs of every constituent in our district.
If elected, how would your professional background enhance your ability to be an effective State Assembly representative?
Effective legislators are people who listen to constituents in times of personal crisis while helping them navigate the, at times, difficult bureaucracy of our state. My experience as a Crisis Response Advocate has prepared me for this role.
Do you have any thoughts on how to contain the growth of state government?
We can start by consolidating municipal services and incentivizing shared service agreements between towns. I would support regular audits on the state level to see which services provided at the state, county, and municipal level are duplicative and unnecessary.
Is there any aspect of state government that you believe there is a need to be expanded upon?
I believe that our state government is big enough, and that the issue facing us in this regard is ensuring that our state government is nimble enough to respond to the issues facing New Jersey’s residents. I believe that as we cut down on wasteful duplicative spending, we can re-allocate those resources to combatting the opioid epidemic plaguing our state. We need to ensure that those who have become addicted to opioids receive treatment, but we must also ensure that state and local law enforcement have the tools they need to address this concern on the ground level.
Why should residents of your district trust you to represent them in the legislature?
I am not the typical politician. Unlike my opponents, politics has never been my career. I am running because our representatives have failed to listen or represent us. My experience as a crisis response advocate has been to listen to people in their time of need and ensure their voices are heard by those who need to listen. In Trenton, I will do the same for every voice in our district.
What does it mean to be a Democrat today?
Being a Democrat today means to support policies which provide for equal opportunity for every person in New Jersey
Is there anything that is important to you that has not been asked that you would like to address?
Yes. I believe that the Monmouth County Reliability Project is a bad idea for our towns, and a bad idea for NJ Transit. Placing steel towers as high as 210 feet tall under 100 feet from residential properties will hurt the property values of homeowners. I also do not see how the project can be completed without serious impacting the ability of NJ Transit to continue commuter rail services along the line which so many of us rely on. I understand that First Energy and JCP&L find the guaranteed rate of return promised them by our Federal Government to be attractive, but that does not give them the right to harm the quality of life of residents throughout our district.
In Trenton I will fight with every fiber of my being to ensure that this project is not completed, and that residents from our towns are protected from future attempts by companies like First Energy and JCP&L.
You can find out more about Mariel DiDato on her website didato4njassembly.com
