Pub. 15 2016-2017 Issue 4

N E W J E R S E Y C O A L I T I O N O F A U T O M O T I V E R E T A I L E R S 25 new jersey auto retailer W W W . N J C A R . O R G Q1: Email is the best way to initiate contact with our office. Un- less it is a very urgent issue, inwhich case, a phone call to the dis- trict office is always appropriate. We use the one listed email legislative address and all of my staff and I open and review the emails. My staff “flags” urgent emails for me and I frequently respond myself via email or phone call depending on the subject or timeliness. Email allowsmost individuals to express their thoughtsmore thoroughly and if neces- sary, provide detail or examples. Avoid template, boil- erplate or “blast” emails as they are least likely to get the attentionof staff because they are not personalized. We also take all of ourmeeting and scheduling requests via email so that there is no confusion about dates and times. Everyone is busy and my office respects sched- uled appointments with constituents. Q2: I think themost persuasive argument a constituent canmake is the personal one. How is this issue unique to them, their family, their business, or even their com- munity? Howwill the issue impact them in a positive or negative way? It is also helpful when I hear ways in which an issuemay be improved or changedwith their suggestions. Some of the best ideas legislators get for new initiatives or for improvements to initiatives are from constituents. Q3: Ultimately, an issue must stand on its own policy merits, including weighing if an initiative will have any impact on the State Budget or have other impacts such as an economic impact on a specific industry or on the environment. Of course, I also weigh in the stories I have heard from my constituents about how a particular issue may change their lives. There is always weight given to knowing that a specific group of peoplemay benefit or suffer as a result of something done in Trenton. Q1: In our office, I’m proud to say that we have an excellent staff that is always available for any constituent that needs assistance.We’vemade it a goal in this age of tech- nology to be accessible in every way possible. A constituent can certainly call or email our office, butwe’re also available onFacebook, Twitter and Instagram to ensure that we are reachable by anyone at any time, including after hours or on theweekends. While there is nopreferredmethod for business or individual constituents to reach out, I always appreciate when I can in- teract with residents of the district at street fairs, community events or even in Shop Rite on Sunday afternoon. To me, that’s the greatest benefit of being a state legislator: we are afforded the opportunity to communicate with members of our community from all walks of life every single day. Q2: It is always helpful to know our constituents’ positions on issues important to them. When they call or write our office, they always bring a background that is useful and informative to the issues we are tackling in the Legislature. There are somany instances inwhicha resident of our district writes toour officewith an approach to a subject that widens our worldview and gives us a greater understanding of the impact legislation can have on the people we represent. The most persuasive and informative instances are always the personal stories of constituents. Q3: My legislative philosophy has always been that no one person has a monopoly on good ideas. I believe that if we aren’t hearing from all sides on an issue, we are not going to get a great product; I always make it a goal to ensure that I’m hearing every viewpoint before moving forward with public policy, no matter how large or small the issue. Given the complexity of many subject matters we tackle, data and background information is always important to make sure that we are crafting the right solution to a policy problem. Assemblyman Louis D. Greenwald (D-06) Assembly Majority Leader Senator Thomas H. Kean , Jr. (R-21) Republican Leader Senator Paul Sarlo Senator Robert W. Singer Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon Senator Bob Smith Assemblyman David P. Rible Senator Nellie Pou