The race for Assembly and Senate in Legislative District 6 pits Republicans against veteran Democrats who have won nearly twice the vote of challengers in the past.
District 6 covers the Camden County municipalities of Berlin Township, Cherry Hill, Collingswood, Gibbsboro, Haddon Township, Haddonfield, Hi-Nella, Merchantville, Oaklyn, Pennsauken, Somerdale, Stratford, Tavistock and Voorhees. Maple Shade, Burlington County, also is included.
Democrat James Beach, 77, of Voorhees, has served in the State Senate since 2009 and has held the position of assistant majority leader since 2014. His challenger is Republican Mark Doogan.
Neither candidate returned the 70and73.com election questionnaire.
In the General Assembly race, the Democratic incumbents are Louis Greenwald, 56, of Voorhees, who has served in the Assembly for 27 years, and Pam Lampitt, 62, of Cherry Hill, who has been an assembly member for 17 years.
Their Republican challengers are Danielle M. Barry and Brian McRory.
Voters select two choices for Assembly candidates in the election.
McRory, 51, a scrum master for FreedomPay, lives in Haddon Township. Barry did not return the questionnaire.
McRory said veterans would be at the top of his list of concerns if he is elected.
“My dedication lies in the well-being of our veterans and how we can get them the best care they deserve; raise more awareness on veterans’ suicide,” he listed as his top issue on his questionnaire.
The Republican said he also is concerned about converting to 100% renewable energy “right now.” He said the nation still needs natural energy resources and “the cost of conversion is astronomical and unreasonable.”
Parental rights also is one of the issues he would focus on.
Those rights, he said on the questionnaire, “have been stripped by the current government; we need to eliminate overbearing government mandates infused with social manipulation/political bias from our educational institutions,” he said.
Democratic incumbent Greenwald said the “growing housing affordability crisis” was at the top of his list of issues. The other two of the top three are “ensuring that everyone has the same access to high-quality affordable health care” for families and continuing to lift the property tax burden through the ANCHOR and StayNJ state tax relief programs.
Tax burdens also were listed by Democratic incumbent Lampitt as one of her three main issues.
“We must continue to work on innovative ways to reduce tax burdens on our older and most vulnerable residents,” she said.
At the top of her list was the state’s public education system.
“It is crucial that we continue to address the way we fund our schools, as this not only directly affects our students, but also our individual taxes,” she said.
Her third issue was coming up with effective ways to make sure that every resident has access to both physical and mental health care if needed.
In the 2021 election, the Democrats swept over their Republican challengers.
Beach took 65.49% of the vote against 34.41% by the Republican candidate.
Greenwald won 33.42% of the vote and Lampitt received 32.8%. The Republicans received 17.03% and 16.69%.
The 70and73.com questionnaires returned by candidates
Louis Greenwald
Democrat, Assembly (incumbent)
Place of Residence: Voorhees
Place of Work, Role/Title: Attorney- self-employed
Family information (spouse, children and ages): wife and three children
Louis Greenwald
Educational information (high school, college and degrees): Cherry Hill East High School, Moravian College for undergrad and JD from Seton Hall.
Hometown/How many years in New Jersey: Voorhees 26 years. Cherry Hill born and raised.
Hobbies and pastimes: Philly sports, family, and great food.
Previous elected or appointed offices: NJ Assembly is the only elected office I’ve ever held.
What are your qualifications to hold this elected position?
27 years of elected service in the General Assembly serving our working families, seniors, and residents here in the 6th legislative district and throughout the state.
What makes you the best candidate?
- Authored the only education formula that has stood up in the courts and fairly provides funding to all school districts,
- Made the auto insurance industry viable and competitive, benefiting consumers for the last 20 years,
- Brought the Cancer Institute of New Jersey to South Jersey, making it easier for people to get high quality treatment closer to home,
- Proven record of fair negotiation on tough legislative issues resulting in laws that benefit the entire state of New Jersey.
What are the top three issues New Jersey will face in the coming few years and where do you stand and what will you do to address those issues?
Addressing the growing housing affordability crisis, ensuring everyone has the same access to high quality affordable health care for their children and families, continuing the progress of lifting the property tax burden here by continuing to invest in the ANCHOR property property tax relief program for our New Jersey residents and families, and fully implementing STAYNJ to ensure our seniors can afford to remain in their homes close to friends and family.
(For incumbents) What were your top three accomplishments in this elected office?
See above.
Taxes, particularly property taxes, have always been top of mind for New Jersey residents. Can anything be done to reduce those taxes? Please be specific.
I’m proud of the the ANCHOR property tax rebate and STAYNJ Senior property tax programs that have taken a massive bite out of the property tax burden and both have put real dollars into the pockets of New Jersey families — there is still more work to be done and I stand ready to take on this challenge.
How can the state support (or continue to support) the state economy and stability and growth in jobs?
Reforming taxes to support businesses—the sunset of the CBT will continue to spur New Jersey’s economy. Efforts have been made to make New Jersey more appealing to businesses, including the expiration of the 2.5% corporate surcharge and streamlining corporate tax filings.
We are at near full employment in this state, the state has seen a meteoric rise in business friendliness rating. We still have more work to do and I’m committed to seeing us reach number one.
We’re attracting new film studios with expanded tax credits for studio production facilities, aiming to establish greater regional dominance in the film industry. And we’re investing in our tourism industry. Recognizing the significant economic benefits of tourism we’ve made investments in beach replenishment, boardwalk preservation, and supporting various tourist attractions across the state.
Many residents in South Jersey have complained about the pace of commercial and new residential development in their areas, particularly in the suburbs. Is this an issue for you? If it is, how would you address it?
We are currently in the midst of a housing crisis. Without addressing this growing concern our children and new graduates won’t have access to the same housing opportunities many of us did. It is important that we encourage the next generation to establish roots here in New Jersey. In the next legislative session we will address the housing crisis and ensure affordability. We must ensure our cities and towns do what they can to foster smart growth in a way that meets the growing needs of the community without overly taxing the infrastructure or impacting the character of our neighborhoods.
New Jersey has been proud of its educational system. How can the system be improved across the board? How can the state address urban areas like Camden to improve the academic opportunities for students and ensure their roles in the economy when they graduate?
New Jersey has enjoyed the number one status in the country for public school standards for the last three years. With that said, there is always more we can do to continue to make this the best place to educate our children. Easing the pathway for highly qualified teachers to enter and remain in the field is essential for maintaining our ranking going forward.
I’m particularly proud of our budget that makes progress in addressing learning loss through additional assistance to school districts in implementing summer learning programs and other initiatives to help students catch up, and provides additional support for special education and English Language Learners.
Brian McRory
Republican, Assembly
Place of Residence: Haddon Township, NJ
Place of Work, Role/Title: FreedomPay, Scrum Master
Family information (spouse, children and ages): two sons/four stepsons (between 29 and 22) total. Donna Holloway-wife
Brian McRory
Educational information (high school, college and degrees): Haddon Township HS-1989; Camden County College A.S.-1992; Rowan University B.S.-1994
Hometown/How many years in New Jersey: Haddon Township 52
Hobbies and pastimes: Baseball/Soccer coach, American Legion volunteerism
Previous elected or appointed offices: N/A
What are your qualifications to hold this elected position?
I want to make a change in LD6/NJ and I can do that with my background as a Scrum Master (Agile Methodologies)
What makes you the best candidate?
My determination to make this state a better state to live in. Stand up for veterans rights and well-being.
What are the top three issues New Jersey will face in the coming few years and where do you stand and what will you do to address those issues?
- First - My dedication lies in the well-being of our veterans and how we can get them the best care they deserve; raise more awareness on veterans’ suicide.
- Second - We still need natural energy sources; we are not equipped as a country to go to 100% renewable energy right now. Also, the cost of conversion is astronomical and unreasonable.
- Third - The rights of parents have been stripped by the current government; we need to eliminate overbearing government mandates infused with social manipulation/political bias from our educational institutions.
(For challengers) What would you seek to change – if anything – in what the legislature has done in the last few years?
- For vets, ensuring access to evidence-based care for mental health
- For vets, reduce suicide risk among those with behavioral health problems, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction.
Taxes, particularly property taxes, have always been top of mind for New Jersey residents. Can anything be done to reduce those taxes? Please be specific.
Eliminate the Exit Tax for residents trying to leave the state for either family, work-related situations, or any situation.
How can the state support (or continue to support) the state economy and stability and growth in jobs?
Keep jobs in the state
Many residents in South Jersey have complained about the pace of commercial and new residential development in their areas, particularly in the suburbs. Is this an issue for you? If it is, how would you address it?
Not an issue
New Jersey has been proud of its educational system. How can the system be improved across the board? How can the state address urban areas like Camden to improve the academic opportunities for students and ensure their roles in the economy when they graduate?
It can be improved by parental rights and notifying parents of their children’s choices in school. Fix the tenure system along with the NJ Teachers Union. Address urban areas…continue to encourage students to move forward with their education and giving them the tools to seek higher educational opportunities.
Pam Lampitt
Democrat, Assembly (incumbent)
Place of Residence: Cherry Hill
Place of Work, Role/Title: Director of Business Services, Hospitality Services
Family information (spouse, children and ages): husband and two children
Pam Lampitt
Educational information (high school, college and degrees): AA, Johnson & Wales
Hometown/How many years in New Jersey: Cherry Hill over 40 years. Born and raised in Natick, Mass.
Hobbies and pastimes: Cooking & family
Previous elected or appointed offices: Zoning board in Cherry Hill, Councilwoman in Cherry Hill, NJ General Assembly
What are your qualifications to hold this elected position?
17 years of elected service in the General Assembly serving working families in the 6th legislative district and throughout the state.
What makes you the best candidate?
My demonstrated commitment to the residents of the sixth legislative district and the state of New Jersey. I sponsored policies that have resulted in ease of transfer credits from county to public four-year colleges, brought funds home to help alleviate the tax burden on our residents, and supported several pieces of legislation that increases support and access to physical and mental health care.
What are the top three issues New Jersey will face in the coming few years and where do you stand and what will you do to address those issues?
It is crucial that we continue to address the way we fund our schools, as this not only directly affects our students, but also our individual taxes. We must continue to come up with effective ways to ensure that every resident that needs both physical and mental healthcare has access to both. Finally, we must continue to work on innovative ways to reduce tax burdens on our older and most vulnerable residents. I intend to be directly involved in discussions on each of these.
(For incumbents) What were your top three accomplishments in this elected office?
- Transfer credit law - ensuring credits earned at county college transfer seamlessly to public four year schools, reducing time and money spent by students.
- Allowing access to telemedicine for people who cannot get to a physical location and for mental health, helping to reduce the stigma surrounding these services
- Worked to increase the state minimum wage to $15/hour enabling people to earn a living wage
In addition, I was the prime sponsor of the equal pay legislation that ensures women in New Jersey earn equal to their male counterparts.
Taxes, particularly property taxes, have always been top of mind for New Jersey residents. Can anything be done to reduce those taxes? Please be specific.
We worked hard to implement the ANCHOR property tax relief program in the 2023 budget cycle, then expanded it in this most recent cycle. This, in combination with the StayNJ program, are two significant steps towards relief. As noted above, we continue to work collaboratively to develop new ideas to address this issue.
How can the state support (or continue to support) the state economy and stability and growth in jobs?
In the latest session my colleagues and I in the Assembly continued to help small business owners access the necessary tools to overcome cost barriers, better advertise their products and services, and achieve scalable growth.
We’ve invested in our shore communities, an industry that contributes economically and culturally to our state.
We’ve improved workforce and worker protections, pushed the unemployment rate further down, and grew the labor force. New Jersey outperformed our regional peers and the national average. Various measures have been taken to promote job security, protect workers during employer transitions, and establish training programs to support the workforce.
Many residents in South Jersey have complained about the pace of commercial and new residential development in their areas, particularly in the suburbs. Is this an issue for you? If it is, how would you address it?
Development in our communities is a delicate balance. It is crucial to maintain the integrity of our neighborhoods while meeting the increasing demand for affordable housing. As we have all seen in the past few years home prices have skyrocketed and for many of our young people just starting out, home ownership is out of reach. We need to ensure that we have safe affordable housing available to help keep folks in New Jersey. One way to address that is through carefully planned affordable housing development in combination with commercial development which helps to defray the tax burden.
New Jersey has been proud of its educational system. How can the system be improved across the board? How can the state address urban areas like Camden to improve the academic opportunities for students and ensure their roles in the economy when they graduate?
As chair of the Education Committee, I am often at the forefront of some of the most impactful and meaningful discussions in education. Currently, I am the primary sponsor on a package of bills designed to bring more qualified teachers to New Jersey classrooms — especially in our neediest areas. I am also working on legislation to address responses to post-pandemic learning deficiencies and to help expand access to programs for student wellness and mental health. All will directly impact districts like Camden but will also go a long way to helping all districts respond to the unique needs of their students.
