Full schedule at the ballpark. New Jersey political update.

0:00 Speaker 1 With us today is Eric Shuffler, and he’s a good friend, a partner in the ferry hooks and one knowledgeable guy. What’s going on in New Jersey? And Eric, good morning and fill us in. First of all, I understand there’s some new laws going on in New Jersey. Give us an update on the Senate race, the governor’s race.

0:24 Speaker 2 Eric, you start, Thank you, John.

0:27 Speaker 3 Never a dull moment in New Jersey politics and never a dull moment in New Jersey government.

0:31 Speaker 2 A lot going on.

0:32 Speaker 3 Let’s start with electric vehicles, a topic that you know, we talk about a lot. It’s getting more expensive to have an electric vehicle in New Jersey. Under a recent plan by the governor and the legislature to fund the state’s roads, electric vehicles will now have a two hundred and fifty dollars registration fee. I think a lot of

0:49 thinking makes sense. Cars pay a gas tax to help pay for roads upkeep and repairs. Electric vehicles use the roads they need to do it. Also, they’re on the roads using it. I think that’s common sense. The governor has also proposed that the sales tax exemption for electric vehicles would be phased out as a way.

1:07 Speaker 2 To help generate revenue.

1:08 Speaker 3 So I think you see, New Jersey’s been a leader on electric vehicles, a leader on global climate change, but the economic realities of electric vehicles also use the roads, and we need to get revenue from them to help upkeep our roads.

1:21 Speaker 1 Wow, I under say, you know, it seems logical and and it just well, whatever will be will be. Uh, give us an update on the Senate race.

1:35 Speaker 2 Yeah, that is the big news.

1:36 Speaker 3 And it’s just not Senate race news, John, it is, you know, kind of transformational news on the New Jersey political scene. And New Jersey has been one of the only state really where your position on the ballot line is determined by different counties and their leadership. They select where you appear, the people in the county governmental political

1:56 system get together and decide that. It’s been challenged in court and a court has ruled that it is illegal for New Jersey to do that. So this changes the entire way New Jersey runs and supports candidates, where now all the candidates for Senate need to get put together as opposed to saying I’m running aligned with Joe Biden.

2:15 So this is a humongous change on the New Jersey landscape. It hasn’t been settled yet how it’s being done. But it really started as challenges to Tammy Murphy’s Senate race by Andy Kim, who was running against her. But the ramifications of this for New Jersey politics, very wide, very deep, will be felt for a long time and it’s still

2:34 being figured out now.

2:36 Speaker 1 Tell me, it was surprising to a lot of people that Tammy Murphy left the race. What happened? And was it embarrassing to her husband, who even had visions of running for president someday.

2:55 Speaker 3 You know, I think losing is never what you want. He never want to be on that side of it. You know, Tammy Murph, He’s a really strong Senate candidate. She’s very substantive, very independent, and very knowledgeable. I think at this one got caught in the wrong time, in the wrong place, and she felt and they felt that

3:11 with the governor’s position, her profile, they would have a lot of the political leadership with them, and they did. But that’s why we run elections and the grassroots movement in New Jersey. There was almost an anti establishment effort that the voters said, you know, Andy Kim, who is a congressman, they didn’t want that necessarily chosen for and

3:29 they gravitated her. And I think Tammy made the right choice in saying this race is going to get tough, it’s going to get ugly. The likelihood of victory wasn’t as high as she thought, and for the good of the party, the Solidify pulled herself out.

3:42 Speaker 2 But definitely a step back.

3:44 Speaker 1 Menendez, what’s going on with him?

3:47 Speaker 3 He’s still out there trying John He has indicated that he will not run in the Democratic primary, but he’s indicated he’s still considering running as an independent. So he’s still facing charges of variety, have different legal charges, but he’s keeping his name in the race, probably for strategic reasons.

4:04 Maybe that helps him with negotiate a deal, helps him with leverage with political leadership. But he’s still in the race for now, but just not as a Democrat.

4:14 Speaker 1 So he’s still still threatening to run as a third party.

4:17 Speaker 3 Kendiate, he is saying, you know, he is holding his option open to run as an independent. The only thing he said is he will not run as a Democrat. So that’s well.

4:25 Speaker 1 Is that part of the negotiation to wipe out any charges.

4:31 Speaker 3 It would seem that once you say you’re not running, you lose a lot of leverage as long as you’re willing to stay in the race. It’s a card you can play or give up.

4:39 Speaker 1 Understood. Now, who is there a Republican person running for You.

4:45 Speaker 3 Know, I think the leading Republican candidate for the center race is Curtis Bayshaw. Who is you know, someone I’ve known a long time, very common sense john, you know, strong on economic growth, comes out of South Jersey, a background as a hotel developer, done some work in New York City, a lot of work in Kate May That’s

5:02 been his base.

5:03 Speaker 2 But you know, he’ll be a good candidate.

5:04 Speaker 3 But this is still the Democrats race to lose with Andy Kim, Congressman Andy Kim. Now with the Democratic nomination really his.

5:13 Speaker 1 Wow, okay, and governor’s race is not coming on to the next.

5:18 Speaker 3 Year, twenty twenty five. But that is the big that is what the big focus in New Jersey is. So the jockeying for that is underway. And you know what happens with this court decision about how county lines are awarded really has an impact on that. So that is going to be heating up very very soon.

5:37 Speaker 1 Let’s go back to the Staten Island. Our favorite topic, favorite topic, and me and you have a lot of fun with the FerryHawks. Give us an updown in the Ferryehawks.

5:47 Speaker 3 Now we are like three and a half weeks from a home opener on May third. We have a great opening weekend plan home opener May third. I know you’ll be there. I’ll be there May fourth, that’s Saturday, our first fireworks. It’s a special We’re doing faith and family honor all of our spiritual institutions, followed by a night

6:06 of fireworks. We got one of our little leagues out there, Snug Harbor Little League, who’s our neighboring little league. But we got to something really cool coming up on Monday, John, We’re having a solar eclipse watch party at the stadium from twelve to noon. We’re opening up the stadium to the public. Come on in, having Nathan’s hot dog, having

6:25 an ice cream, have a pretzel. You know, we’re expecting five hundred, one thousand people to come to the stadium for a real community viewing of the solar eclipse.

6:34 Speaker 1 Now, I hope they have the right glasses, otherwise I don’t want anybody hook themselves. Very serious.

6:41 Speaker 3 Having the right glasses We’re partnered up with several nonprofits on Staten Island who are going to be selling glasses, you know, at the stadium with the donations supporting nonprofits. You know, this is you know what you and I envisioned the team, a community asset, community responsibility, the stadium open, serving the community.

6:58 Speaker 1 Well, I look forward to it. And I can’t believe we had an earthquake here today. It’s crazy.

7:06 Speaker 3 I was here with you as in the office going through some fairy Hawk and other items, and you could feel it a little shaken.

7:13 Speaker 2 But we’re New York. We’re tough, we’re resilient. We move forward. Well.

7:17 Speaker 1 Eric Schuffler, thank you so much, and thanks for the update for all New Jersey Heights, the Staten Islanders, New Yorkers and everybody. And we’ll catch up again real soon.

7:27 Speaker 2 Thank you, John God bless