Full Debate on Video. Summary Written Below: (Held by Hughes Center of Public Policy at Stockton University):
From Left to Right:
Joanne Famularo, Democratic Party Challenger: (Pleasantville City Council, former casino employee, part-time business owner)
Maureen Rowan, Democratic Party Challenger: (Retired Philadelphia Attorney, now living in Atlantic City)
Don Guardian, Republican Incumbent: (Former Mayor of Atlantic City, and retired director of its “Special Improvement District”)
Claire Swift, Republican Incumbent: (Margate resident with law firm in Northfield)
Opening Statements:
Don Guardian (01:50): 12 years ago I ran for mayor. I inherited a city that was bankrupt. I was able to trim $40 million a year off of the annual budget.And four years ago, I’ve been uh very lucky to represent Atlantic County in Trenton. Since cost of living is such a big issue, I’ve been very supportive of the issues that affect people and help them. So, ANCHOR program, Senior Free, Stay New Jersey, and then direct funding for the Boardwalk here in Atlantic City and in Brigantine and in Ventnor, paving for streets, additional funding for Stockton, additional funding for AtlantiCare. I’ve always been uh very concerned about voting for bills that are good for Atlantic County. That’s what I’ve always tried to do, putting South Jersey first.
Claire Swift: I’m happy to be running for my third term as a New Jersey Assemblywoman here in Legislative District 2. I’m born and raised here in Atlantic County. I grew up in the Down Beach area. I attended Atlantic City High School, University of Pennsylvania, and I went to law school in Delaware. (03:26) I came back after law school or during law school, and I clerked for a Superior Court judge. Then I went on to work for the Attorney General’s office. I represented DYFS (Division of Youth and Family Services, now Division of Child Protection and Permanency) right in Atlantic City. I fought to protect the abused and ne neglected children in Atlantic County. (03:46) I then went on to open up my own law firm in Northfield with my brothers and I’m happy to help all the constituents here in Atlantic County. I’m most proud of what we have done in the last four years of helping our constituents whether it be help with the ANCHOR program with unemployment and I’m looking to looking forward to my third term running with my friend Don Guardian.
Joanne Famularo: My name is Joanne Famularo. I’m running for State Assembly to represent the people of Atlantic County. I believe it’s time we get back to basics, to rolling up our sleeves, to doing the work that needs to be done. (04:23) I’m not here to play politics, to get headlines. I’m here to get make progress. We need to focus on lo local issues like ensuring that our citizens receive property tax relief, that we fully fund our schools, that we replenish our shores and create opportunities in Atlantic County. My campaign is not about left or right. (04:49) It’s about moving Atlantic County forward together because when Atlantic County does well, we all do well.
Maureen Rowan: My name is Moren Rowanne. I currently live in Atlantic City. I am a retired trial attorney. (05:13) I practice law for over 35 years. In addition to practicing law, I was the owner and operator of our own law firm where I was responsible for all aspects of running the business. Although I’ve retired from the active practice of law, I still serve as a mediator on a volunteer basis for the courts. (05:34) As a mediator, I’m able to bring people who are on totally opposite sides of an issue together in order to reach a mutually acceptable agreement. As a member of the Assembly, I will use my experience as an attorney and as a mediator to deal with issues such as the cost of living, all with the goal of obtaining results, not scoring partisan political points. (06:05) I decided to run for the Assembly because I have the experience to make me an excellent representative.
Question #1: What would your legislative priorities be in the coming term?
Maureen Rowan: My legislative priorities would be to deal with the high cost of energy. As we all know, the costs are now crippling for the people of Atlantic County. (06:30) One of the things that I would propose as a legislative priority is to have the data centers who are increasing the demand for energy at exponential rates that they be required to have a certain percentage of their own power be produced by them. Another thing would be New Jersey does export some energy. I would have a legislative priority to make sure a certain percentage of the energy that is exported remain in the state.
Don Guardian: (07:02): . So, there’s no question uh the cost of energy is on top of everyone’s list. We need to find cleaner energy, but that that’s affordable. (07:22) That means going to places like Salem where we might be able to build a a fourth nuclear reactor. It means about many nuclear reactors that we could be putting up in Forked River at the closed plant as well as solar energy. There’s no one answer but we’ve got to be concerned about how we get energy cheap for the next 20 to 30 years. Uh also you know it’s very important that we deal with the property tax. (07:47) That’s why it’s very important that say New Jersey becomes reality in 2026. And I also think we just need to get more funding from IATS from the CRDA that goes directly to building new homes and uh builds new energy here in Atlantic City. And we need more money from DCA and EDA. They’ve innovated it to other urban areas, made them successful. (08:10) We need to be getting that funding right here in Atlantic City.
Claire Swift: Well, I want to continue what we have been doing right now in Atlantic County. We have been helping all the constituents with their property tax relief, getting them the the sources that they need to get their ANCHOR rebates in effect. We have been going out through the whole county and doing mobile offices. (08:34) We had one last week in Pleasantville where we saw Miss Famulari. We also had a mobile office in Brigantine. We also provide Real ID right at our legislative office in Egg Harbor Township. So people, we’ve serviced over 250 people with their real ID, which is a real issue, going to the DMV to get your driver’s license. (08:54) So, continuing to help our constituents, continuing to pass bills that are um useful for Atlantic County, you know, doing a child tax credit bill that uh I was able to pass, the underage gambling bill, um you know, a bill to um get transportation from the airport into Atlantic City. Um a bill that helped Central Municipal Court. So, continue to do what we’ve been doing for the last four years is my priority. (09:17)
Joanne Famularo: I think my first priority would be to make sure that North Jersey does not get casinos. If North Jersey gets casinos, it’s the last person in Atlantic City, please turn out the lights because we’ve worked hard since 1977 to get where we are and we can’t go backwards. (09:42) And the Atlantic County economy depends on the casinos. It’s the largest employer. Um, Assemblywoman Swift is right. She did see me in Pleasantville when they came to do the program. I’m a sitting city council person in the city of Pleasantville, so I know what it’s like to try to get things done and how hard you have to work and it is very hard and tiresome sometimes. Um, I believe that we should work on solar energy. (10:14) uh look for brown sites for landfills to put the solar farms. I think rooftops need to be used.
Question #2: Unemployment is consistently higher in South Jersey than it is statewide, and the region is still heavily dependent on the casino and tourism industries. (10:40) What steps can the state government take to diversify the region’s economy and increase educational, recreational, or employment opportunities for young people in this district?
Don Guardian: So certainly we want to bring, uh, an expansion to AtlantiCare to bring a medical center down here, uh, for the jobs that they would create. (10:59) We also want to work with Stockton to have a full nursing school, uh, down here. We’ve had a lot of luck with Next Generation Aviation. That is a great program. We’re building the second building now that needs to continue because it’s going to be providing uh additional jobs for Atlantic County as well. (11:21) And I think we need to be supporting internet and sports gaming eventually esports. Not necessarily where they play it, but the support system that goes with it. We can be a leader because we already have the gaming industry here in Atlantic City. We can’t forget about casinos. (11:40) They provide uh uh lots of jobs uh for individuals and lots of jobs that feed the casino industry. So, we need to make sure that they stay healthy and we don’t have casinos in North Jersey or Central Jersey.
Claire Swift: That’s a great question because here we are at Stockton University and and Don and I come here and speak to the students a lot that you’re very lucky that you have a university that is affordable. (12:04) I know it’s not cheap, but you can work and you could go to school. Um I believe that we’re working in partnership with Stockton and Atlantic Care. Um there’s also a teacher shortage here in New Jersey. And what we’re trying to do is is, you know, encourage them to go to school for teaching and nursing and then when they come out of college, they can have their student loans forgiven because that’s another issue that we have a crisis in this country. (12:27) The student loan crisis is literally a multi-billion dollar industry. So be mindful of what you’re doing when you’re going to college. Don’t have grandom and mom cosign your student loans because guess what? They could potentially lose her house if you don’t pay your student loan. So, I’m working on legislation that’s going to deal with the student loan crisis, but um I believe that Stockton, you have a great opportunity to continue your education at a reasonable price. (12:56)
Joanne Famularo: More accessible with the airports. That would provide a great many new jobs. We currently have one airline that operates out of the airport. We need to make the aviation department bigger out there to have schools that can actually come here to teach aviation, to train people in fixing planes. (13:25) Those kind of things will create new jobs that we don’t already have. We also need to make our students in high school either college ready or make sure that they can go into a trade that will provide jobs and security for their families. Once again, back to the casinos. We need to put a lot more of our attention into the casinos to make them expand to create more jobs in the casinos.
Maureen Rowan: As you indicated in your question, the key to getting more jobs is the diversification of the economy. The casinos have been very valuable to the region. However, they can’t be the only game in town. You should not put all your eggs in one basket. So, we have to explore all options to diversify the economy. Governor Murphy just signed a bill allowing a manufacturing credit which will attract businesses to set up manufacturing operations. (14:30) As an Assembly person, I would lobby that those manufacturing capabilities come to Atlantic County. And one of the things that we could focus on is the manufacturing of solar panels because then basically you could kill two birds with one stone. You’d have jobs, manufacturing jobs. you would also be producing something that would help with the energy crisis, and we could also sell it.
Question #3: On June 1st, electricity rates in New Jersey increase significantly. The average residential customers saw their monthly electrical bill increase by about 17 to 20% depending on which utility company that serves them. With more increases possible, how would you stabilize the energy prices in the state?
Claire Swift: (15:21) Well, unfortunately, the last eight years under the Murphy administration, they put all their eggs in in a basket, and that was the offshore wind uh project, which is now no longer happening. They they wasted six years of our time focusing on offshore wind, and that’s not going to happen here in New Jersey. Um what we need to do is we need to pull out of RGGI (Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Co-op). (15:40) We should not make people have to have electric cars and electric stoves and electric dryers. We need to work with the BPU (New Jersey Board of Public Utilities) to see what we can do to lower the utility cost. There’s also going back to the windmills. There’s a fund out there that the state put aside for the windmills. We should be pulling that money out of that fund and giving it right back to the rate payers because of the failed energy policy that the Murphy administration uh had. They closed six facilities. (16:05) Six energy facilities, two down in Atlantic County. What did they expect was going to happen? Or we used to export energy. Now we have to import it. So we have got to get a New Jersey energy task force to get on this day one after the election in two weeks.
Joanne Famularo: I I’m totally for solar. I I think we really need to explore that. (16:32) But we do have wind will wind windmills in Atlantic County and about 30 million people see those windmills every year and they kind of like them and they’re owned by the county because it produces all the energy that the ACUA needs to run their plant and those five windmills produce enough for 20 for 2,000 homes. So there is some validity in putting in wind turbines on land. (16:59) Uh we we have to work with the EPA to do that. But we need to have nuclear sites to make our energy because we produce no energy. We buy everything from out of state. We also need to have a Board of Public Utilities that will work to reduce rates that will also see about reducing cost.
Maureen Rowan: I’d like to um address Miss Swift. (17:32) She indicated that Murphy failed on his energy policy, but I did not hear her offer any solutions, nor am I aware of any solutions that she provided during her term. And just to be clear, Governor Murphy did not close the power plants. They are private businesses. They closed because they were not making a profit. So Murphy did not close the power plants. (17:55) They chose to close themselves. As I indicated with the first question, one of my legislative priorities would be to see that these data centers are producing their own energy. It is largely because of the data centers that the demand is so high. We have to address that. These data centers get federal subsidies. They should not get off be left off the hook. (18:19) They should be producing their own energy.
Don Guardian: So the crisis certainly is part of the closing of the six plants that produced energy that we didn’t replace. Short-term, we got to take care of people that are poor. So, if you’re under $42,000 a year, there’s a federal program to help make sure that you have heat this winter. (18:43) Claire and I voted for an additional $25 million in the state to be moved in to help people between $42,000 and $92,000 a year be able to to help them. Those are band-aids. short term. Mini-nuclear is certainly uh where the the world is going. We have the ability to produce it right here in New Jersey. We certainly have the facilities for it as well. There’s no one answer right now. (19:07) 50% of all of energy comes from gas, 40% comes from nuclear. We got to keep them alive, but we’ve got to add new types of energy. I’m big on solar energy. I think all new industries should be required to have it. Homes should have the options of whether or not they think it makes sense. Aand we should be out of RGGI Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative). That’ll save a half a billion dollars a year directly for our payers. (19:27)
Claire Swift Rebuttal: I mean, look, I could tell you this. While we’ve been in office, we have done so much to help the constituents of Atlantic County. (19:45) Our um we help people with your utility assistance. We’ve helped with the ANCHOR program. We’ve passed legislation that is specifically tailored to South Jersey. We put Atlantic County first. We’re bipartisan common sense legislators that are doing what’s best for Atlantic County. Thanks.
Question #4: New Jersey’s high property taxes remain a top issue. (20:23) What policies do you support to provide residents some property tax relief?
Joanne Famularo: Living in the city of Pleasantville, I know a little something about property taxes and about high property taxes because I believe we’re number one or number two in the county for the highest property taxes. And the way to lower those property taxes is through shared services. (20:48) We have made a large inroads in using shared services. Our court system was losing about $150,000 a year. We now have a shared service with Atlantic City. We didn’t lose any of our employees, but we went to Atlantic City and now we have a savings. We also buy all of our fuel for the city from the county, which really is a big savings for us. (21:13) We have a couple other shared services with Atlantic City in terms of like machinery and things like that. So, that’s the way to reduce property taxes.
Maureen Rowan: Before I answer the question, I think we have to set the record straight. I’ve lost count of how many times Mr. (21:38) Guardian and Miss Swift said they support the ANCHOR, they support the Senior Freeze, they support Stay New Jersey. However, they voted against the budget that was passed in June of 2025 that funded these programs. They’re so they are being disingenuous. Not only are they saying this to you today, they have a commercial out claiming that they support these programs, but they voted against funding them. So, they are not in support of the programs. (22:08) So, I believe that we have to clear that record. As an Assembly person, I would obviously fund those programs on a continuous basis. With regards to the property taxes, we have to get attract more businesses and that generate income to lower the property tax burden.
Don Guardian: So we voted on three budgets because they were better for Atlanta County than they were worse. The last budget, there’s no way you could vote on it because it was a joke. It provided four new types of property taxes. (22:51) Uh Clare and I have always voted against property taxes. Even the $30,000 raise that every Democratic Assemblymen voted to give themselves, Clare and I voted against that. If we voted for this last budget, it would have meant an increase in the taxes for properties when you sold your home. It would have increased the tax on your hospital bed when you were in the hospital. (23:15) It would have increased internet and sports gaming taxes. So for those reasons, there’s no way. It’s a hundred pages or more. Every time there’s a piece of legislation, you have to look at what’s best.
All right, back to property taxes. I have to agree, you know, sharing services great way to adjust property taxes. Sharing services, looking at best practices of other states, other counties, other municipalities also very good. Our school funding just is not developed well and so all of our towns suffer from it. Uh we need to have a new type of formula. (24:04) We’re spending 13 billion dollars a year in the state to help schools from preschool right through high school graduation and also the ANCHOR, the savings, Stay New Jersey.
Claire Swift: We obviously need fiscal responsibility. (24:28) We need better leaders in Trenton and we need a new Gvernor. We need to get the state workers back to work and there’s a lot of waste going on in Trenton. We did support the ANCHOR program, New Jersey Stay. We passed legislation to help veterans reduce their property taxes on their on their tax bills, helping seniors to stay here and like Don Guardian said, the school funding is is a mess. It is not equitable. It’s not fair. (24:55) It’s not fair that some districts get less money because their property taxes are high whereas other districts their test scores are low so they get more money. It’s a mess. So we’re hoping that obviously we’re going to get a new Governor and things are going to change and we’re going to do everything we can to keep the property tax to a minimum. (25:15) Regarding the statement that Miss Rowan said: It’s funny how she is criticizing us for voting yes to a to a Democratic bill in 2022, 2023, and 2024. We voted for the budget. We were the only three Republicans that voted for that budget because it brought money in for the Boardwalk fund, money to AtlantiCare, money to Stockton, the federal the Federal Aviation park, the Boys and Girls Club. (25:42) We voted no to the budget this year because all it did was raise taxes. Taxes on real estate, taxes on payroll, taxes on online gaming. How is a legislator in District 2, can you vote to increase taxes on online gaming? It would create job loss and that’s why we didn’t vote for the budget this year. (26:04)
Maureen Rowan: I am definitely not talking about prior budgets that Mr. Guardian and Miss Swift may have voted for. I’m talking about the budget that was just passed in June of 2026 (sic). They voted not to fund ANCHOR, Stay New Jersey or Senior Freeze. There’s no question about it. They did not vote for it. (26:28) With regards to these taxes that they’re talking about on real estate, what they’re referring to that they’re so opposed to is the “Mansion Tax”. And it’s called the “Mansion Tax” for a reason.
Question #5: (26:47) The next governor could make sweeping changes to the school funding in New Jersey. A significant part of the state’s budget and a sizable portion of yearly local property tax relief. The amount each school district receives from the state is based on the school funding reform act, which dates back to 2008 and which lawmakers have long criticized for not providing stable funding to districts from year to year. (27:10) The formula is in its second year of being fully funded. What would you do to change the current school funding formula?
Maureen Rowan: The school funding for formula. I heard Miss Swift say it’s a mess. It’s terrible, but she offered no solutions. Hopefully, she will when she answers the question. (27:31) I know that there are criticisms of it. However, it appears to be relatively equitable. changes are constantly being made and tweaked. This year in the budget um that was they voted against there was 3% was the most that there could be a decrease and 6% was the most there could be an increase. (27:56) So that provided more stability as to what school districts knew that they were going to get. I think one of the biggest costs in education for school funding formula is special education. I think we have to look at that and have some possible revisions about how that may should be funded perhaps separately.
Don Guardian: The point there is special needs education of about $100,000 a year to educate a kid if he or she has special needs. It’s only $20,000 per year normally. (28:27) We’ve reached a point in New Jersey where property taxes can’t do that alone. We need the state of New Jersey to pick up those costs. The problem with the funding formula now is every town is given money for special needs education based on a statewide goal and that doesn’t make any sense. It should be on individual schools. (28:52) We definitely need to keep the limit on both increase and decreases. But I think everyone agrees that the school funding formula needs to be started from scratch and rethought so that it’s fairer across the board. We need to make sure that that all of our schools are helped. We want to make sure that we help property taxpayers. (29:11) The whole concept of the sales tax when it started was to help property tax and help schools. We haven’t done that.
Claire Swift: And I mean the school funding it is a mess because what they’re trying to do is just do a blanket approach to this when you need common sense approach to this. You’ve got to look at everything on a case-by-case basis. Look at each school. (29:30) Look at what their needs are. Special needs is a big part of the budget was the formula. But you know teachers are losing their jobs because the schools can’t gauge how much they’re going to gain or lose. So that’s not fair. That’s not a commonsense approach to it. (29:49) What works in South Jersey doesn’t work in Central Jersey or North Jersey. It should be fair. It should be equitable. And every child in New Jersey has a right to have the same rights as any other child. And as I said before, their formula is based on the values of their properties. Not it shouldn’t be it shouldn’t be based on the value of your properties. (30:07) It should be based on what is needed in that school district. So it should be case by case, not a blanket approach. That is not a commonsense approach to this. and we can get there soon to change this uh formula.
Joanne Famularo: Well, Assemblywoman Swift and Assemblyman Guardian voted against school funding in the last budget. (30:34) I come from Pleasantville. Our school district, we fund, the city of Pleasantville funds it at 8%. the rest, the majority of it comes from the State. There are so many components to school funding that you can’t just say we’re going to fund you at this, we’re going to fund you at there is such a convergence of ideas anddifferent matters that go into school funding. (31:10) Brigantine lost over 50% of their school funding, but they also lost over 50% of their school population. So that all of those things go into school fundings. When you see schools that get funded a lot, that means that they’re they can’t fund it themselves.
Claire Swift: Quick rebuttal. Don Guardian and I voted um to bring back funding right here in Atlantic County. They lost, and we brought back about two thirds of what was lost. (31:34) So, we voted for legislation to bring back funding here in Atlantic County because we do what’s right for Atlantic County. Okay. So, she’s incorrect when she said that.
Question #6: Unless extended, state oversight of Atlantic City is set to expire next year. (31:52) Do you support or oppose continued state oversight? Do you believe Atlantic City is ready to manage its finances independently? and if not, what conditions should the city meet before it returns to self-governing?
Don Guardian: I think it’s unfair that the state of New Jersey gives funding to every other urban area without taking it over, but they’ve disenfranchised the voters in Atlantic City by making believe that they get to pick a a council and a mayor. And yet the mayor and council has to report to the state. The state approves every project in Atlantic City. I don’t think we’re ready yet. (32:37) I think it’s very important that we look at at what’s going to happen with a PILOT (Payments Instead of Property Taxes) or casinos funding in some other way because the taxes in Atlantic City outside of casinos come to $50 million and the cost to run Atlantic City is $270 million. The last Governor and the last Senate President said they were going to bring in the state to lower the cost of government in Atlantic City. They have raised it by $50 million since they’ve been here. (33:02) They got to have an exit strategy to leave. Atlantic City has got to be able to run itself and the people of Atlantic City’s got to be able to vote who does it.
Claire Swift: I don’t believe Atlantic City is ready to stand on its own. They do need the state oversight. Atlantic City has its own challenges. It needs to get clean. (33:21) It needs to get safe unless and they need to support law enforcement. I don’t think I have to tell anybody in this room, when you go to Atlantic City, it doesn’t make any sense. There’s potholes on the street. The lights aren’t synchronized. The boardwalk is filthy dirty. And Don and I voted for the hundred million dollar Boardwalk fund to improve Atlantic City. (33:39) Has it been improved? Absolutely not. So, until Atlantic City, with the help of the state can get it clean, can it get it safe, nobody’s going to reinvest here. And it’s unfortunate because Atlantic City is the last seaside town that has an opportunity for people to buy second homes and people don’t want to buy over there because they don’t have any confidence in the government over there. (34:07) So until we come up with a game plan and a new Governor, the state’s going to have to oversight oversee Atlantic City for a while.
Joanne Famularo: I don’t think the people of Atlantic City have a problem with having the state in their city. The state has been able to increase the amount of money to balance the budget in Atlantic City. (34:30) It has increased the credit rating of Atlantic City to make it investment grade. I firmly believe that there are people who would give their left arm to buy into Atlantic City right now. because it is a diamond in the rough. The people of Atlantic City should have a say in how their government is run. (34:56) It shouldn’t be taken over by the State and this is not a State takeover. This is just a finance overseeing like a fiscal monitor would be in a school district. So I don’t have an issue with it.
Maureen Rowan: As a resident of Atlantic City, I take it personally when there is such extreme criticism about the city. The city is a vibrant, diverse community, and Miss Swift’s criticisms, I don’t know how she makes them because I’ve never seen her in Atlantic City. (35:29) When the NAACP invites her to an event, she doesn’t come. For both the primary and the general election. Atlantic City is thriving. Does it still have problems? Yes. But it is an urban environment. People lose sight of that. It is clean. It is safe. People are investing. (35:52) People are investing. The Kushner properties. They’re going to build town homes. So I believe that the state takeover is, I think Atlantic City is moving towards no longer needing state oversight and people should not criticize it unless they come there and live there.
Claire Swift: Miss Rowan, she’s got guts saying that I’m never in Atlantic City. I graduated from Atlantic City High School. You are a Pennsylvania resident. (36:40) You moved to Atlantic City to go after you were ousted out of Philadelphia to move to your condominium during COVID. How long have you been a registered voter in Atlantic County? Two years. And then you think you’re going to come to South Jersey and run for New Jersey assembly when you don’t even know the issues. (36:57) How many times have you been to Stockton University? When you walked in the door today, you didn’t even look like you’ve ever been here. I’ve been coming to Stockton University and throughout Atlantic County my whole life.
Maureen Rowan: I take offense to that. (37:14) First of all, I taught at Stockton, so I’m very familiar with Stockton, contrary to your representations. I moved, unlike the people on this stage, to Atlantic City to make it my home. I chose Atlantic City to be my home. I think that’s an important distinction. I did not run here move here to run for office, but I am qualified to run for office. (37:38) We need a change in the Assembly and I will be the best person to bring that change.
Question #7: Should casinos move back to paying property taxes instead of the Payment In Lieu of Taxes or P.I.L.O.T. program?
Claire Swift: The pilot program is, let’s let’s go back to 2018. We had the financial crisis in Atlantic County in 2008. In 2010 we had the highest foreclosure rates in Atlantic County. In 2012 we had Hurricane Sandy. (38:30) And you know there was a lot of instability. Three casinos closed. So they initiated the P.I.L.O.T. program in 2016. In 2021, they wanted to amend it so that online gaming wouldn’t be included. But that was because during COVID. So, the casinos needed stability in 2016 because of all those issues that went on in Atlantic County. I mean, the weather can determine the economy here. In 2021, they wanted to not include online gaming and our predecessors voted for that. Online gaming created millions of dollars during COVID in 2020. So, there needs to be stability. (39:13) We need to keep looking at it on a case-bycase basis. It can’t be a blanket law but we can’t have this on the taxpayers of Atlantic County either. They need to pay their fair share.
Joanne Famularo: If you talk to anybody in the city of Pleasantville, you’ll know that I’m not a big proponent of P.I.L.O.T. programs. (39:36) However, I am a big proponent of keeping Atlantic City moving forward. And if the casinos have to pay a P.I.L.O.T. program instead of regular property taxes, I say so be it. I’m glad that Denny Levenson took them to court to the casinos to court to be able to get what the county needed as far as their fair share because I do believe that they also, especially the casinos in Atlantic City, should contribute to the county share of their money and also to the school districts because those are two things that pilot programs do not contribute to. So, I’m (40:20) glad Mr. Levenson did that, but yes, I’m in agreement with P.I.L.O.T. programs.
Maureen Rowan: At a minimum, I think the P.I.L.O.T. pilot program should go back to what it was originally with regards to the definition of gross revenue. It should be amended again to make sure that gross revenue includes online gaming and sports betting. Because it is my understanding that now online gaming brings in more money than in-person gaming. (40:56) So at a minimum the gross revenue should be revised again to include online gaming for the pilot program.
Don Guardian: So the value of property of casinos in Atlantic City is three billion. Non-casinos, three billion. So, if we get rid of the P.I.L.O.T., we can’t go back to that because you double the cost for non- casino owners in in their taxes. The P.I.L.O.T. pays about 50 million from the casinos right now to both the schools and the city. 50 million each. (41:27) But another 125 million comes from IATS (Invest Alternative Tax paid instead of Casino Reinvestment Fund Contributions From Gross Casino “Win”). That’s the money casinos pay to CRDA and give to the city. It’s a critical part of that. I do commend Denny. He didn’t sue the casinos. He sued the state of New Jersey. The State of New Jersey said, “Yes, indeed, internet and sports gaming should be taxed and given to the county. I would say it also should be taxed and given to the city. (41:52) ” I was here 12 years ago when we talked about the P.I.L.O.T. and it was always understood that internet and sports gaming taxes would be shared by both the county and the city. We need to address those issues. We can’t get rid of the amount of money the casinos are paying.
Question #8: (42:11) Should casinos continue to be exempt from the state’s ban on indoor smoking while every other business operates under it?
Joanne Famularo: Should they be exempt from it? Yes. I believe that we should go with the Senator John Burzichelli (Democrat) bill. It ich stipulates that 25% of the casino floor would be set aside for smoking. (42:35) It would be an enclosed area. It would have their own high vac system and it would be up to the dealers to decide whether they are working there. I understand that we need to put the health of our employees first, but we also need to put the economic health of Atlantic County in there also.
Maureen Rowan: As we all know, this is a highly disputed issue. (42:59) Some people that work in the casinos absolutely want no smoking. Other workers are feared that it will affect the bottom line, the revenue if there is a smoking ban. My suggestion would be to have a study by a totally objective independent person to see whether or not banning smoking would in fact affect the revenues. If it does not, I would agree to a ban of smoking.
Don Guardian: (43:24) Secondhand smoking kills. We all know that it should not be allowed anywhere. We’ve removed it from our restaurants. We removed it from our bars. You can’t smoke on the boardwalk, in parks, on the beach. You can only smoke in casinos. That’s not fair to the people that have to work there. It’s their lives because it’s the only job that they can afford to to live in Atlantic County. We’ve banned it in every other state. (43:49) It’s just Pennsylvania, New Jersey that puts the selfish interest of casinos before the health of the individuals that have to be there and stuff. Let’s ban it in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Claire Swift: Well Assemblyman Don Guardian and myself and Senator Vince Palestina co-sponsored a bill to ban smoking in the casinos. (44:09) All employees in New Jersey should have the same rights as other New Jersey employees. If Pennsylvania bans smoking, we should immediately ban it. And we’re hoping that during the lame duck in November and December when we go back to Trenton, hopefully this come this bill comes up and we will be voting to ban smoking in the casinos.
Question #9: Galloway, Absecon, and Atlantic City have all expressed concern about homelessness. Some towns have even claimed that cities of cities in Ocean County are sending homeless to the region. (44:44) While when crafting policy related to homelessness, how do you balance the need for public safety and in the positive perception of the city and support and dignity for the homeless?
Maureen Rowan: Homelessness is a problem all across the country. It’s a tragic problem because I believe everyone in this room should realize that everyone is probably one step away from homelessness. So, first of all, we have to guide our decisions with compassion and understanding that this could happen to anyone. We need more homeless shelters. (45:14) We have to encourage the homeless to accept wraparound services such as mental health treatment, drug treatment, whatever they need because if they don’t accept those wraparound services, they will end up back on the street. (45:34) But again, our primary focus should be dealing with this issue with compassion and understanding. And we need more homeless shelters and wraparound services.
Don Guardian: We need to do a better job. It’s very unfair that we’re not providing more services for the homeless. It’s a complicated issue. Yes, we need housing. Yes, we need help with substance abuse. Yes, we need help with mental health issues there. (45:59) We have more than 40 organizations and agencies. Claire and I and Vince Palestina have met with them. We’re trying to coordinate that because the same groups are doing the same issues. We need to bring them together so that the tens of millions of dollars that the state is presenting in Atlantic City and Atlantic County can come under one group. (46:24) AtlantiCare would be seem to be the logical one because they have the medical and health background to be able to address these issues and then they can see whether it’s the different services, Catholic Charities, Jewish Family Services, the Rescue Mission, the Salvation Army to name a few that can work together. But homeless issues is something that we’ve got to be able to help with.
Claire Swift. (46:44) Um, we need to continue to work with law enforcement and the prosecutor’s office to address this issue and to provide services for the homeless. It is a big issue. We had a meeting about it today. Last year, Senator Vince Palina, Don Guardian, and I held a forum where we had all of the organizations come together and talk to talk to them about what they need. We had law enforcement there. (47:07) We had the prosecutor’s office there. We had Jewish Family Services there. We had people from the Rescue Mission. Literally it was a two-hour forum of what we can do. So we are in constant contact with all these organizations to provide services. (47:25) We like to say that our our legislative office is a place where you can come get information and then we can lead you in the right direction. So we can pass legislation to help. A lot of these organizations have red tape and they can’t get things done. We were talking to people um you know dealing with the the VA. (47:44) We are always trying to help the veterans and we’re trying to organize the veteran organizations to address this issue because it is a big issue with homelessness and alcohol and and drug abuse.
Joanne Famularo: There but for the grace of God I believe that there are plenty of places that we could house the homeless. There are hotels on the Black Horse Pike. (48:10) I don’t mean those little hotels that get flooded out, but there is a hotel that is above ground that has probably close to a hundred rooms that you could house people in. As far as red tape, look, this is an issue that needs to be dealt with and dealt with immediately. These people need help. There shouldn’t be any red tape. Do it. Get the job done. (48:31) get these people in houses so that they can get all those wraparound u things that they need to help them. One of the biggest problems is that they don’t have a permanent address so that they can even collect the things that are due to them medically to be able to vote to collect a check. They don’t have bank accounts. So whatever red tape there is, eliminate the red tape. Thank you. (48:58)
Question #10: The region was just hit with a Nor’easter and the risk of coastal flooding and beach erosion continues to rise. The federal government has not budgeted any money for beach protection in 2026. What can the state do to ensure that its dune system offers the protection that it needs?
Don Guardian: So, there’s no question that we, as in many areas of in New Jersey, live below the water level. (49:17) We have to continue with bulkheading, raising roads, raising homes. Those all issues. The beaches are very important to our economy. So, we’ve got to make sure that we continue to look to the best ways that we can protect our beaches. But, we’ve got to be prepared for flooding. (49:35) We know that we get Nor’easters and every so many years we get a hurricane. We’ve got to do better job of providing housing for everyone, being able to raise those houses so we can live in a safe environment. The concept of raising it above 12 feet above mean sea level is just foolish. would make you live on the third floor of a home before you could actually be safe. (49:57) So, I think we need to stick with the 12 feet above sea level. We’ve got to help people that can’t afford to raise their homes. We’ve got to do everything we can to to protect people, but yes, it’s a major issue that we have down here. We have to continue to address it. T
Claire Swift: (50:15) Yes, Atlantic County has a lot of a lot of water around it, whether you’re on the island or inland. Mays Landing all over this District. There’s a lot of water and we have to constantly maintain that. You know, we put the dunes on the beach in Atlantic City and Downbeach, but we never did anything about the dredging. The Back Bay has not been dredged since Hurricane Sandy. (50:34) So, when we live down here, we need to have money set aside to protect our waterways. We need to work with the DEP (New Jersey State Department of Environmental Protection) and CAFRA (New Jersey Coastal Area Facilities Review Act). You talk about red tape. It’s very difficult to get through to them. And things need to be fair and equitable. (50:53) As Don Guardian said, this law that they want to pass that makes everybody have to raise their houses a certain height. It’s not fair. It’s not equitable. It doesn’t make sense. We need a commonsense approach to that. That people are not going to lose their houses because they didn’t follow the policies that just don’t make sense. But we have to constantly maintain our waterways.
Joanne Famularo: How about people that can’t get to work and drive to their houses? Because the Black Horse Pike, we have three major roadways into Atlantic City. (51:24) The Black Horse Pike, the White Horse Pike, and the Expressway of Atlantic City. Last week, two of two of those three major roadways were flooded. I’ve heard the I think there’s a song, the same old tune. It’s the same old thing. the road is flooded. Put up the little orange cones and make the people use the expressway. It was a state of emergency. (51:50) The State Senator said use the Expressway and then charged the people when they used the Expressway because they haven’t done their jobs. They haven’t raised the roads to stop this flooding.
Maureen Rowan: The best way to stop the flooding is to solve the underlying problem which is causing beach erosion. (52:15) There has to be a recognition that Climate Change is causing the beach erosion. And I believe some Republicans, I’m not sure what Mr. Guardian or what Miss Swift’s position is, do not believe in Climate Change. We have to address the fact that beach erosion is caused by Climate Change. So we have to enact policies that address Climate Change. (52:43) This is becoming more difficult because of the current occupant in the White House who I believe Mr. Guardian and Miss Swift support is cutting credits for all clean energy projects. He just cancled a huge solar project in Nevada which was going to provide power to over two million homes. So until we come to a solution of the underlying problem causing beach erosion, we’re going to continue to have the flooding. (53:07)
Don Guardian: No, I absolutely agree. We’ve got to deal with the issue at every level and that is one of them.
Question #11: (53:26) Millions of New Jersey residents depend on mass transit for work, school, and daily errands. New Jersey Transit, the statewide bus and rail agency has struggled to maintain regular service at times, especially in South Jersey. How would you improve New Jerseys transit service to South Jersey?
Claire Swift: The transportation is pretty dismal down here in South Jersey. (53:44) Um, you know, you the school bus, the buses need to be improved. They’re they’re just too big. We need to work with the stakeholders. We need to pass legislation to maybe get them more funding. Because it is it’s upsetting that we don’t even have a decent train system here in New Jersey. (54:07) So, you know, working with Trenton, working with the other stakeholders to make sure that we can improve transportation down here in South Jersey because it is an issue.
Joanne Famularo:. Last night at the City Council meeting in Pleasantville, we just authorized the use of county roads to be part of the Access Link system so that it expands where they can go instead of narrowing it down. (54:34) Look, we don’t have trains. We don’t have planes. We do have automobiles that can’t get across roads because they’re flooded. So, we need to do something and my suggestion would be to put new people in there with new ideas to get things done in Atlantic County.
Maureen Rowan: New Jersey Transit was actually one of my former clients. (54:57) So, in this budget that Mr. Guardian and Miss Swift voted against, there was funding for New Jersey Transit both for operations and for capital and improvements. This also goes back to clean energy. Let’s get the cars off the road. Let’s improve our rail system. Let’s improve our bus system, our mass transportation system. As I indicated in the budget, there was funding for that. (55:24) Mr. Guardian and Miss Swift voted against it. So, they must not be in favor of mass transit.
Don Guardian: So, mass transit is a mess all over New Jersey and New York. We know that it almost is non-existent down here. Our buses run along the same routes that the old trolleys ran. A bus passes my house every 30 minutes. Rarely is there anyone on it. (55:47) Camden is the one city we should look for. They have what’s called affordable Uber. It’s $2. You call, they come pick you up at the house, they take you to where you need to go. That’s the type of new type of thinking that we need to provide transit for everyone in in New Jersey, South Jersey especially.
Claire Swift: (56:07) I’m proud to say that Senator Vince Palina Don Guardian and I did pass legislation. It was a transportation bill that provided funding from the Atlantic City Airport into the Atlantic City Tourism District. So, we did do legislation to help with transportation here in Atlantic County and we will continue to do that. (56:26)
Question #12: New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive limits how locals and state police can cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Some argue it builds trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement, while others believe it restricts officers from doing their jobs. (56:44) Do you think the state should maintain the current policy, strengthen cooperation with Federal authorities, or make other changes? How would you approach this issue as a member of the assembly?
Maureen Rowan: I in I am in favor of the immigrant trust directive and I’m in favor of keeping the Immigrant Trust Directive with the excesses that we have all seen of ICE pulling people out of cars, grabbing people off the streets with their masks on. And these can be citizens and non-citizens. So the Immigrant Trust Directive provides a check on the excesses that ICE is now demonstrating. (57:38) In effect, the Immigrant Trust Directive provides due process for everyone.
Don Guardian: We were able to handle 10,000 people a day when we had Ellis Island. It’s a disaster right now on a national basis. We need to close our borders. We need to actually deport people that are here illegally that have broken the law. (57:56) And we’ve got to find a way for people that have been here 10, 15, 20 years, that are living and working here to have an easy way to become a US citizens. They come here for a better life for themselves, for the grandkids that haven’t even been born yet. We need to fix immigration the way it exists right now.
Claire Swift: well, look at last summer. (58:15) They uh they tried to dump 40,000 illegal immigrants right here in Atlantic County to the airport. And even the Democrats, Mayor Small and the other Democrats did not want that to happen. Why? We don’t have the infrastructure for it. Our hospitals can’t accommodate them. It’s not feasible and it’s really not affordable. (58:35) So, you have to look at at this by a case a case- by case basis. This is something this is we need to know these people need to be held accountable. We we don’t have the infrastructure here in Atlantic County. And even the Democrats agreed with that.
Joanne Famularo: That whole airport thing is nonsense. That was never going to happen. (58:55) Atlantic City Airport was put on there as one of the places, but it was never going to happen. It was never going to receive anybody because once again, I brought it up at a city council meeting because they wanted us to vote on the bill that the Republicans had introduced. It was craziness. (59:16) There was never any substance behind it.
One Minute Summations by Each Candidate:
Don Guardian: (59:35) It’s been great to have an opportunity to discuss the issues that are important to Atlantic County. Claire and I have worked with both parties. We work with our legislators in both North and South Jersey. We have a lot of key issues coming up. (59:54) Certainly casinos outside of Atlantic City need to be stopped along with the concept of a second state convention center that they want to build up in North Jersey. Housing continues to be an issue that we have to address to make sure that we have both market rate housing and affordable housing and energy continues to be a prime source that really needs statewide intervention. (1:00:19) W need to address all these issues. I think that we’re very proud that we have two offices in Atlantic City and Egg Harbor Township. We are able to deal with about 10,000 people each year and helping to provide services to them. and with your support, we’d like to continue that for the next two years in Trenton.
Joanne Famularo: . (1:00:38) Um, I was born here in Atlantic City. I’ve lived most of my life in Atlantic County. This place is very near and dear to me. I think we need less talk and more action. Talk is cheap. Talk doesn’t get you anywhere. doing the job, rolling up your sleeves, doing the hard work that people expect you to do is what’s going to make Atlantic County a much better place for everyone to live and to enjoy as people coming here for tourism. (1:01:15) Look, we need so many things here, but we need to focus on what the citizens of Atlantic County need, and they need reduced electric bills. They need to make sure that their property taxes aren’t going sky high. They need to know that their schools are going to be funded and not to send their kids out of the county to schools, but to send them right here in Atlantic County. (1:01:43)
Claire Swift: It’s actually it’s been an absolute pleasure to serve in the assembly along with Don Guardian and Senator Vince Polestina. I’m proud of the work that we’ve done. We work as a team. We work with our county representatives that are here today. I love helping our constituents. (1:02:00) People come, you know, people come to us every day and tell us how much we’ve helped them, whether it be the ANCHOR program or workers unemployment. We do what is best for Atlantic County. We don’t go to Trenton and just vote yes, yes, yes. We look at every single bill. We make sure that it’s going to work for Atlantic County. (1:02:19) Yes, I agree we should be diversifying the economy. That’s why I’m proud that we did vote to bring in millions of dollars for AtlantiCare and Stockton. Money for the Aviation Research Park, money for roads and bridges to create jobs down here in Atlantic County. Yes, we need to get things more affordable. (1D:02:38) We have to deal with the property taxes. The utilities have to get under control. So, I’m looking forward to running in the third term with Don Guardian and continuing to do the good work that we had.
Maureen Rowan: Thank you again to the Press (of Atlantic City) and to Stockton for hosting this debate. (1:03:02) My journey as a political candidate has been interesting, challenging, and enjoyable. However, the most rewarding part of my journey has been meeting so many wonderful people across Atlantic County, most of whom shared their concerns with me that life was becoming unaffordable here. I am uniquely qualified to address these concerns because I will be able to successfully advocate for policies that will lower energy bills that will make housing affordable and attainable and that will unlike Mr. Guardian and Ms. Swift Mr. will expand property tax relief and that will expand economic development in Atlantic County. Thank you very much. I believe I will be an effective and excellent representative for the people of Atlantic County.
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