New Jersey businesses have been through a lot in the last two years, and much of it has come from the state government—$15 minimum wage, expanded paid family leave, mandatory sick leave and a host of other new laws that will raise the state’s already high cost of doing business.
NJBIA’s Government Affairs team works tirelessly to promote the interests of New Jersey employers, but ultimately, we, like you, are at the mercy of the people in the Statehouse.
We only get one shot at making sure our opinions count, and that comes Tuesday.
On Nov. 5, New Jersey will be one of four states to hold state-level legislative elections. (Louisiana, Mississippi and Virginia are the others, in case you were wondering.) All 80 seats of the General Assembly will be up for grabs, and it’s more important than ever for business leaders and those that care about small businesses to vote this year. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Yeah, I know many of you think your vote doesn’t matter. But consider this: Just over 3 million people cast votes for New Jersey Governor in 2017, so we are being represented by leaders who were chosen by about one-third of the state’s population. If you weren’t one of them, then you are letting other people choose who will make the laws that we all will have to live with in the future.
One of the reasons NJBIA and the 23 participating business organizations formed ChamberLink is raise the volume on businesses’ voices when it comes to public policy. Local chambers of commerce are excellent resources for businesses that want to educate themselves on the candidates running for state and local office. Many hold candidate nights or other events that allow businesses to meet and interact with them before the election.
NJBIA is also on the board of NEW JOBS PAC, the state’s premiere business political action committee. NEW JOBS has endorsed 58 candidates for Assembly and one for a special Senate election after interviewing all candidates statewide and carefully reviewing their records. To view the list of endorsements, go here.
For broader information, the website Ballotpedia has information on all of the candidates running in New Jersey this year. Go here to access it.
Of course, networking happens whether it’s Election Day or not, so here are a few upcoming networking opportunities from ChamberLink partners. Remember, NJBIA members are entitled to member prices for events held by our ChamberLink partners.
- The Westfield Chamber will hold a breakfast networking event Nov. 5.
- Go shopping Nov. 6 with the Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce, which will visit outlets for Old Navy, Brooks Brothers, and Banana Republic.
- The Cape May County Chamber’s AMRush Networking event is Nov. 6.
- The Hudson Chamber will host an online grant-writing course 3 as part of its Hudson Hub partnership.
- Find out about the businesses of Hunterdon County Nov. 7 at the Hunterdon Chamber’s 31st Annual Business Expo and Food Showcase.
- The Newark Regional Business Partnership will hold a panel discussion on technology and healthcare 7.
- The Somerset County Business Partnership will hold a seminar on Living with Stress in Today’s World on Nov. 7.
- The Camden County Chamber’s Business Card Exchange Breakfast is Nov. 7.
- The Meadowland Chamber of Commerce is hosting a night of horse racing and networking 8.
- The North Jersey Chamber will hold Leads and Lunch on Nov. 8.
