The Hall Institute recently asked several questions of the NJ gubernatorial candidates. The dialog between the Hall Institute and Ken Kaplan follows.

Hall Institute:

Perhaps, the most daunting long-term economic challenge confronting New Jersey  is the fiscal condition of the state's public pension system.  Given today's economic and political climate, what steps would you take to meet the state's growing pension obligations?

Ken Kaplan Responds:

By Lisa Fleisher
September 18, 2009, 4:45PM

TRENTON -- The Libertarian Party candidate for governor and five New Jersey voters joined independent candidate Chris Daggett in filing a lawsuit today challenging the state's balloting system, a Daggett spokesman said.

Daggett, who has qualified for public funding in the governor's race, charges it is unfair for the Republican and Democratic parties to automatically get the two top spots on ballots in the general election.

Read more...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kenneth Kaplan announced today that he has chosen John Paff as his Lieutenant Governor. Paff has chaired the New Jersey Libertarian Party’s Open Government Advocacy Project for the past 5 years. Praising his work in that capacity, Kaplan said, “Paff has served as a watchdog for New Jersey citizens, assuring that the workings of local government are properly recorded and made available for public scrutiny.  If we are elected, I will appoint him as Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs, where his expertise on local government will stand New Jersey residents in good stead. He will only draw one salary.  There will be no double dipping in a Kaplan administration.”

Paff is a 1979 graduate of Rutgers University, where he majored in economics. He was president of City Line Insurance, Inc from 1979 – 1988, and currently manages rental real estate.  A resident of Franklin Township for the past 23 years, he  has been a member of the Middlebush Volunteer Fire Department in Somerset for 17 years and has been president of that fire company since 2008.  He and his wife, Diane, are the parents of 2 children.

Said Kaplan, “I cannot be happier that John has agreed to be my running mate. I have admired his long time volunteer work on behalf of open government in our state, and I am excited about what he would be able to do as the head of the Department of Community Affairs.

For more information contact the campaign.

At his desk in Parsippany, Kenneth Kaplan reviews talking points for his Libertarian Party campaign for governor. Photo by Robert Wiener

Libertarian candidate’s fusion of Right and Left

by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
NJJN Staff Writer

May 21, 2009

Ask Kenneth Kaplan why he is the Libertarian Party’s candidate for governor of New Jersey and he’ll tell you he’s a “child of the ’60s” who “believes in individual liberties.”

In the category-defying case of the Libertarian Party, those range from doing away with most taxes and opposing gun control to approving same-sex marriage and legalizing the medical use of marijuana.

“Most Republicans and Democrats would say they believe in individual liberties, too, but they really don’t,” Kaplan said as he sat in his real estate office in Parsippany.

“They believe in bigger government that controls more and more of what we do, and I don’t believe in that. I believe in voluntary relationships between individuals rather than relationships imposed by the government.”

Read the full article at NJ Jewish News...

Full petitions for Ken can be found at http://www.lpcnj.org. Smaller petitions have been posted HERE.

The hardest part of petitioning is overcoming the self‑consciousness about doing it. Once you decide to get started, the rest is easy.

What You'll Need

1. To be registered to vote in the area where your candidate will be on the ballot. (You have to be one of the signers of the petition, although it can be on the copy someone else is circulating. and you can sign only one petition for each office.)

2. A properly filled out petition. Get the name(s) of the candidates right. On the "party or party principle" line, put "Libertarian Party."

3. A ball‑point pen. The ideal one that will write easily on non‑horizontal surfaces, such as a Papermate Power Point. But a trusty Bic is okay.

4. A clipboard.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , NJLP Press Coordinator

New Jersey Libertarian Party

732-606-6712

NJ Libertarian Party Nominates Kenny Kaplan for Governor

New Brunswick, NJ - On Sunday, the NJ Libertarian Party State Committee unanimously selected Kenneth Kaplan to be the party’s candidate for Governor. Born in Newark, the 61 year old Kaplan grew up in West Orange but currently resides in Parsippany. He is a graduate from Brandeis University and NYU Law School. For twenty-two years, he was associated with the Archie Schwartz Company but currently serves as President of KenKap Realty Corp., a company he founded after a six year term at Edgerton Realty.

As Governor, Kaplan’s priorities are to phase out the state income tax and reduce the size and cost of government. Addressing affordable housing is one way he plans to solve this problem. Kaplan offers a creative solution to the decade’s long quest to create affordable housing in New Jersey.  He wants the state to enact legislation to supersede local zoning ordinances, removing zoning barriers.

When one election is over, the next one has already begun.  Operation ELECT-US is a program by the Libertarian Party to recruit as many candidates as possible for winnable local offices in 2009.

In odd numbered years, most elections are local and quite a few of them take place in the spring.  For example, filing deadlines for local elections have already begun in Maryland, and take place in Illinois in December.

If you are already registered to vote, but have not declared a party, download this form. Fill it out and mail or deliver it to your county board of elections listed below.They do not accept faxed copies!