TRENTON – Senate President Steve Sweeney today joined hundreds of South Jersey business, industry and local leaders for the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey’s Meet the Policymakers breakfast and seminar. The Senate President delivered remarks thanking the Chamber for its advocacy on behalf of regional businesses and encouraging employers to continue their investment in South Jersey.
“I want to congratulate the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey for their straightforward, honest and dedicated work on behalf of their members and the entire region,” said Sweeney. “South Jersey is better off because of their tireless work, and I’m proud to call them a partner as we move towards growing opportunity for employers and their workers. We have continued to fight together to make sure that South Jersey gets its fair share in support of economic opportunities.”
Senator Sweeney’s remarks come just days after CCSNJ and corporate representatives from a number of South Jersey headquartered companies, including Campbell Soup Company, celebrated the preservation of the tax reciprocity arrangement between New Jersey and Pennsylvania, resulting in a tax savings for thousands of area residents and businesses.
“It was great to have him here so we could say thank you again for his work to restore the New Jersey-Pennsylvania income tax reciprocity agreement,” said Kelly Johnston, Vice President, Government Affairs, Campbell Soup Co. “That’s a big part of the economic picture. He’s exactly right about that. It weren’t for him it would never have happened”.
“He showed his ferocity when he worked so hard to get the income tax reciprocity agreement back in place,” said Debra P. DiLorenzo, President & CEO of the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey. “It was a tremendous undertaking and we appreciate how he did it. I have a lot of faith in Senator Sweeney and I enjoy working with him.”
In addition to the tax reciprocity arrangement, the Senate President congratulated businesses for partnering with regional universities in growing drone technology opportunities and detailed the ways in which the recent Transportation Trust Fund renewal would assist the construction of proven economic stimulators like freight rail and mass transportation projects such as the Camden-Gloucester light rail system.
“The great news for the people of South Jersey is, Senate President Sweeney has never changed. He’s constantly fighting for the people of South Jersey,” said Joseph Devine, President and CEO of Kennedy Health. “The good thing here today is, with business leaders in the room, he kept it focused on what their needs were and the overriding theme was it’s all about the people of our community.”