June 2, 2005 Schundler goes on "non-attack" in TV ads
By Jeff Whelan and Deborah Howlett
STAR LEDGER
Both he and Forrester continue to dispute facts
Republican Bret Schundler hit the airwaves with his first television ad yesterday, trumpeting it as a "100 percent positive" commercial highlighting the property tax plan that anchors his gubernatorial campaign.
Trailing businessman Doug Forrester in recent polls and outspent nearly 5-to-1, Schundler is trying to counter a series of Forrester ads that attack Schundler's record as former mayor of Jersey City.
Schundler's TV spot shows the candidate preaching his message of "a property tax revolution" to a cheering crowd. It makes no mention of Forrester. But it hit the air two days after Schundler confronted Forrester before a Memorial Day parade in Bergenfield and demanded that he stop telling "lies" about him and his record.
Bill Pascoe, Schundler's communications director, said yesterday that Forrester was running a campaign of "slander and deceit."
"I don't mind a good hard-hitting ad that has factual content about differences you might have with an opponent's record or vision," said Pascoe. But, he said, "When Bret Schundler was running against (Democrat) Jim McGreevey four years ago, even they didn't stoop to the level Doug Forrester has. They didn't make stuff up out of whole cloth."
At a news conference later, Forrester shot back, "I don't think it's possible to smear somebody with the truth." He also said he aired the ads to fight back against attacks Schundler made on his record as West Windsor's mayor during televised debates.
As the war of words escalates, here is a closer look at some of the claims and counter-claims made by the two leading GOP candidates and the facts behind them:
JERSEY CITY PROPERTY TAXES
Forrester's television ads challenge Schundler's claim that he got property taxes under control when he was mayor. Forrester says "tax bills increased 18 percent" under Schundler.
But during Schundler's tenure as mayor from 1992 to 2001, the average property tax bill increased by 9 percent, much less than the 36 percent average statewide increase.
To cast himself as a tax cutter, Schundler has said that the city's property tax levy -- the total amount raised locally through taxation -- decreased under his watch. But the bill paid by the average homeowner is a better yardstick.
WEST WINDSOR PROPERTY TAXES
In a TV debate and other appearances, Schundler charged that Forrester "tripled" property taxes and "doubled" spending during his four years on the West Windsor town council.
Forrester defended the tax increase as necessary to "avert a public health crisis" by building a new sewer for the township to replace failing individual septic systems. He said those improvements led to a three-fold increase in property values.
While the tax rate did triple -- from 36 cents to $1.19 per $100 of assessed value, according to township figures -- the cost to the average household was about $200 a year, raising the average share of annual property tax payments for municipal services to just under $500 a year.
PAY-TO-PLAY
A Forrester ad claims Schundler is one of the "biggest abusers of pay-to-play in the entire state," referring to the practice of awarding government contracts to campaign contributors.
To back up the claim, he cites an analysis the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group performed in 2001. It showed 33 firms that contributed $132,000 to Schundler's political campaigns between 1997 and 2000 earned $6.16 million from Jersey City and its two authorities in 2000.
Nowhere in the report, however, does NJPIRG identify Schundler as an "abuser" of pay- to-play, nor does it say he was better or worse than any other local official. In fact, the authors of the report took pains to stress that the problem was systemic.
Common Cause New Jersey Chairman Harry Pozycki has credited Schundler with being one of the earliest backers of efforts to ban pay-to-play statewide.
THE NEWARK ARENA
In a radio ad, Forrester accuses Schundler of misleading the public by denying he ever supported the proposal to build a professional sports arena in Newark. The ad quotes Schundler saying he believes it would be "the right thing to do."
The Forrester campaign has cited a February 2001 New York Times article as the source of the Schundler quote. It did not mention, as the article did, that Schundler was referring to a privately owned arena. Schundler's campaign says he supported using taxpayer money to improve infrastructure in Newark, which could have aided construction of a privately-owned arena.
When a specific plan surfaced to use tax money to finance construction of the arena, Schundler helped lead the fight against it, taking on powerful members of his own party.
PROPERTY TAX RELIEF
In a radio spot, Schundler accuses Forrester of misleading voters about his property tax relief proposal, which would have the state cover a portion of property taxes amounting to 30 percent in three years. Schundler disputes Forrester's claim that this would provide "permanent" relief and points to an April 20 Forrester press release as "proof."
"Under Forrester's plan, your tax bill would double in 10 years," Schundler's ad claims.
The Forrester press release used the taxes on Schundler's home as an example in a chart purporting to show how much money Forrester's plan would save taxpayers. It projects that Schundler's tax bill would decline 19 percent over three years, then begin climbing but remain under its current level until 2012. At the end of 10 years it shows Schundler's property taxes would be 14 percent higher than his current bill -- far from doubling.
