Bramnick Kicks Off Hale Speaker Series

Assemblyman Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield) kicked of the library's annual Anne M. Hale Speaker Series Thursday night presenting what he billed as an inside look at state government decision making.

Bramnick, who was first appointed to the Assembly in 2003 to fill a vacancy and serves as the Assembly Republicans' second in command, noted how when he first arrived in Trenton he was treated like royalty. He said this is common for his 119 legislative colleagues as well.

He said "there are a lot of people down there that think they are really important." 

Bramnick said they think this for good reason, he said, because they have the ability to change the lives of their constituents.  However, Bramnick said that feeling of self importance is a big problem as people can get carried away with popularity. 

He presented his talk as an inside view as what goes on in Trenton and what affects him on various issues.  Bramnick said when assessing a candidate he feels that rather than asking where they stand in regards to various issues it is better for voters to ask about their background. Bramnick used his own background as an example.

Bramnick, who runs a law practice in Scotch Plains, grew up the son of a small store owner in Plainfield.  After 50 years of service this store was ultimately put out of business by the big box stores.  Growing up around this store has a large impact on Bramnick's way of viewing the world and therefore affects how he votes on a variety of issues. 

The other factors he takes into account when weighing a matter are his wife's view, lobbyist views, constituent views and polls.  He illustrated how these factors made an impact on him in a variety of examples from recent legislation.  These issues included the death penalty, gay marriage, metal vs. wood baseball bats, making DWI's a criminal offense, and the banning of attractive or cute lighters.  For each of these Bramnick discussed his thinking process when coming to a decision of what to vote for. 

Bramnick said the amount of passion shown on each side of an issues plays a large role in which way he decides to vote. If one side of an issue shows a huge amount of passion, this often sways Bramnick to their cause.  

He touched on the role that lobbyists play in the legislative process.

Bramnick said several times that they are effective because "lobbyists give you information, but they also give you money."  Bramnick said that decisions are also affected by who is watching.  In some bills there is a big company watching and wanting a particular decision.  In other cases a member of the legislature knows someone that has a personal connection to the issue. 

During a question and answer session with the audience, many of the questions centered on Gov. Chris Christie's state budget proposal, which includes cuts to state aid for schools, towns and libraries. In Westfield, the school district lost $4.22 million in state aid, while the town government saw a in state aid. The library faces losing up to half its state aid and a variety of state library services under the governor's proposal.

Bramnick said that the state government is simply trying to "get this monster under control," meaning the mutil billion revenue shortfall confronting state government in the coming fiscal year. Bramnick, an ally of the governor who was on Christie's shortlist for lieutenant governor, said that Christie is trying to go cold turkey on many of the budget items and drop everything.

Bramnick told the audience he has been trying to research the situation in his district as much as possible during the current legislative recess to help guide his thoughts during legislative budget discussions in May and June. This has included attending Board of Education meeting throughout his district - which encompasses parts of Union, Morris, Somerset and Essex Counties - to determine the impact of the state aid cuts.

Others asked questions about offshore drilling, a recent drunk driving case in the newspapers, Union County government (and their budget), and how jobs could possibly be created. 

The Hale Series, which is being expanded to four speakers this year, is funded by the Thomas Glasser Foundation and the Anne and Lee Hale Fund. The program is administered by the Friends of the Library.

The talk ended with a question asking if Bramnick had a magic wand to change policy in New Jersey, what would be his three changes.  First he said he would change the business climate. He would want to have people think this is a wonderful place so they want to move their businesses in instead of out. 

Second he would end Gerrymandering and get rid of safe legislative districts.  Bramnick represents one of the safest Republican districts in the state. He said a competitive atmosphere keeps both sides from doing stupid things. 

Third he would want "people in government offices to be generous and concerned about the big picture.  There is lots of lost common sense.  It has turned into a terrible insider's game."