BY LAUREN MATTHEW
Staff Writer
With the state Assembly Democratic primary out of the way, victors William Flynn and Michael Dasaro are focusing on their campaign.
“The issues are hard and fast,” Dasaro said.
He and Flynn cited property tax relief as one of the main issues for District 13.
“Everyone is feeling the effects of that,” Dasaro said.
Property taxes can be reduced, he said, and regardless of who is elected to the Assembly, voters will want to see those tax rates drop.
Dasaro said he’d like to see a system allocate funds from one source of revenue, such as the lottery, to pay for something else, such as education. This system has been effectively implemented in other states, he said.
“At least it gives everyone a target to work for,” he said.
That way, he said, voters will know what their money is going toward, and will know what to expect.
“For too long, the state has not micro-managed the budget,” Dasaro said.
The best way to get the government back in the hands of the people, Flynn said, is to change the Assembly’s constitutional convention regarding taxes, turning it into a “citizens’ tax convention.” This, he said, would include two elected residents from every district, and no elected officials — though delegates would have access to tax experts.
“I want the citizens to decide it,” Flynn said.
Citizens, he said, are less likely to have “an ax to grind.”
Flynn and Dasaro would also like to see corruption in New Jersey curbed, and are focusing on ethics and integrity.
Republicans, Dasaro said, are not focusing on this problem.
In the past few months, Flynn said, New Jersey has seen numerous arrests on corruption charges. Jail terms for those who are convicted should be mandatory, he said, as well as forfeiture of their benefits.
“A lot of these people are just getting slaps on the wrist,” Flynn said.
Another way to stay corruption, he said, would be to implement term limits for more politicians. This, in turn, would “tighten loopholes” and pare down pay-to-play.
Term limits, Dasaro said, would not allow career politicians to “get comfortable,” becoming more susceptible to bribes. This would also allow for fresh ideas in the government, he said.
Both candidates would like to see the positions of state treasurer and state auditor become elected posts.
“You really want the person [in those positions] to answer to the voters, not a party,” Dasaro said.
Local issues won’t be lost in the shuffle, Dasaro noted. He cited drainage issues in the Bayshore area, traffic problems, and viable business options for Bayshore clammers and fishermen as problems that will get the attention they deserve.
“A lot could be corrected with minimal effort,” he said.
Overall, Flynn and Dasaro are confident they can win Assembly seats.
“I really am concerned about the district,” Dasaro said.
And though much of District 13 is in Monmouth County, neither candidate expects a problem in the portions located in Middlesex.
“I think we have a great opportunity there,” Dasaro said, noting that Flynn is well known in Old Bridge and has been highly involved in the community for years. “I think we’re going to do well there.”
“If Jon Corzine runs as strongly as he appears to be running, and voters in the Monmouth district are fed up with one-party rule, my chances would be about 60 percent,” Flynn said. “If none of those things happen, they’d be 40 percent in the other direction.”
Flynn, of Old Bridge, and Dasaro, of Keansburg, defeated Middletown’s Leonard Inzerillo among Democratic voters in the June 7 primary. Flynn received the most votes (2,711), followed by Dasaro (2,481) and Inzerillo (888), according to unofficial results released by the Middlesex and Monmouth County clerks’ offices.