Submitted by the candidate
Biographical Information for Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman and Campaign Positions Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman is the Majority Leader of the New Jersey General Assembly. She is the highest ranking African-American and woman in the State Legislature. She is the first African-American woman to serve as Majority Leader and the first woman to hold the position since 1964.
Mrs. Watson Coleman was introduced to public service by her father, the late John S. Watson, who served in the Assembly from 1982 through 1994. She worked in New Jersey State government in a variety of managerial capacities for more than 28 years, retiring in July 1995.
During her career in executive-branch service, Mrs. Watson Coleman initiated a number of innovative programs. In February 2004, Mrs. Watson Coleman was selected to preside as chairwoman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee – the first African-American woman to lead the State party operation. She held that position until shortly after taking the position of Majority Leader in the 212 Legislative Session in January 2006.
Mrs. Watson Coleman serves on the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Public Policy Research Institute, Museum of Contemporary Science, Leadership of Trenton and on the Governing Board for Stockton State College. She is a member of the National Congress of Black Women and the NAACP of Metropolitan Trenton.
Mrs. Watson Coleman attended Rutgers University and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Thomas Edison State College. She is accredited as a Certified Public Manager.
Campaign Position #1: Property Tax Relief The Legislature convened an unprecedented special legislative session to work throughout the summer and fall to enact reforms aimed at reducing New Jersey’s property tax burden. The special session produced $2.2 billion in direct property tax cuts with 95-percent of all homeowners receiving up to a 20-percent reduction.
However, property tax cuts must be permanent and not subject to the possibility of reduction through the annual budget process. To that end, Majority Leader Watson Coleman sponsored legislation that places a public question on the November 2007 ballot asking voters to amend the State Constitution to dedicate the revenue from one penny of the State’s seven-cent sales and use tax to property tax relief.
This public question is the cornerstone of property tax relief permanency. A constitutional dedication of sales tax revenue for property tax relief will ensure that this important program withstands attempts of sabotage by future governors or future legislatures. In addition, caps on future tax increases, efforts to control spending through the State Comptroller and encouragement of shared services will contribute to property tax relief permanency and sustainability.
Campaign Position #2: Gang Violence Over the past several months, numerous news reports and police studies have illustrated a grim picture of gang activity in New Jersey. The State Police Gang Bureau Unit estimates that the state is home to nearly 17,000 gang members, in over 700 gangs, who were responsible for at least 17 percent of the state’s homicides in 2004. State Police experts report that street gangs no longer are solely an urban problem; statistically, more than a third of gang activity is now taking place in suburbs.
Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman secured Assembly passage of a “sweeping” 17-bill package aimed at combating the growing menace of violent street gangs in New Jersey. Entitled “Fighting Gangs, Protecting Our Youth” – the legislative initiative was the most expansive package of gang-related bills considered by any of the nation’s 50 state legislatures.
