Veteran Assemblyman John Burzichelli is too valuable to lose, but his recent choice of employment demands close scrutiny.
Assemblyman John Burzichelli In the Third Legislative District, voters have the opportunity to retain one of the state Assembly's best technocrats, and to return a promising legislative newcomer.
The South Jersey Times recommends the re-election of Assemblyman John Burzichelli of Paulsboro, and the election of Assemblyman Adam Taliaferro of Woolwich Township, who was appointed to his seat in January.
MORE: Taliaferro appointed to third district Assembly seat
Burzichelli, seeking his eighth term, may relish being referred to as a "policy wonk." If not, he should wear the label proudly as he dissects tax proposals and criminal statutes. Want Route 55 completed to the shore? Burzichelli says the South Jersey Transportation Authority might have to build it as a toll road. Not everybody will embrace tolls, but this shows the depth of the assemblyman's thinking.
Burzichelli should soon be able to tout one showpiece project, the Port of Paulsboro, rising from dormant Delaware River industrial property. The first ships and jobs are expected in February. On that score, it's disappointing that he took a public-sector job involving the port for which he's secured enabling legislation and funds.
Burzichelli did nothing illegal by landing a $100,000 full-time job in February as the Gloucester County Improvement Authority's director of project management. But one of those projects is the port. There's the potential for a conflict should Burzichelli - or any legislator in a similar position - funnel state appropriations to the project as proof they've earned their generous outside salary.
Assemblyman Adam Taliaferro Taliaferro, the Penn State football hero and recent Gloucester County freeholder, has no current job conflict. His full-time employer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, recently switched the attorney from a lobbying post to a policy/strategy position.
Taliaferro's comeback from a debilitating playing-field injury is well known. When first tapped as a freeholder candidate, he relied more on his celebrity than his readiness for office. But he's grown during his time as a freeholder and a Penn State trustee. One plus is his young family in Woolwich, one of the state's fastest growing municipalities.
As such, all four major-party candidates - fellow Woolwich resident Sam Maccarone and GOP running mate Leroy Pierce, as well as the Democrats - seek to correct school aid inequities that penalize districts with growing enrollment. Make that Job 1 for 3rd Dist. representatives.
Maccarone and Pierce, who runs Salem County's fire school, profess doing more with less, but the details are hazy. Both Republicans have law enforcement backgrounds. A point in Maccarone's favor is that he's dealt with his township's growth spurt on the local council for eight years, several of them as mayor.
Pierce has a geographical asset, too. It's his Salem residence. The 3rd includes all of Salem County. If Taliaferro and Burzichelli are returned, all three of its state lawmakers (with Senate President Stephen Sweeney) would be from a narrow slice of Gloucester County.
Overall, Burzichelli has shown that he can represent the entire district. We expect Taliaferro to do likewise. The Democrats are the better candidates, Burzichelli's unfortunate job choice aside.
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