Pennacchio against ballot question; Khan supports it

BY MICHAEL DAIGLE
DAILY RECORD

Friday, October 19, 2007

http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007710190374

PARSIPPANY -- The candidates for the 26th District state Senate seat came down on opposite sides of the November ballot question on state funding for stem-cell research.

Republican Assembly-man Joseph Pennacchio said Thursday he opposed the ballot question asking voters to allow the state to borrow up to $450 million to support stem cell research. He called the work "an unproven science."

Pennacchio, 52, of Montville, voted against the enabling legislation for the referendum.

He said that the creation of three separate research centers was unnecessary, saying that one unified center would allow for better communication among researchers. He also said his opposition was fueled by a significant number of district residents who oppose stem-cell research for moral and ethical reasons. He said that there are about 70 possible medical cures that have been identified using adult stem cells, and felt there were ethical issues in the potential use of embryonic stem cells.

His opponent in the race, Democrat Wasim Khan, 52, of Parsippany, said he supported the ballot question because it is a chance for New Jersey to become a leader in a new research field that he felt was lagging in the United States. Khan said that there were potential economic benefits from the funding and that the researchers would be held to the highest ethical standards.

Khan said 60 percent of (Harvard) medical students do not practice medicine, but instead go into medical research.

"Who will pay for this research?" he asked. He said it was unfair to presume that stem cell researchers would be unethical in their work.

Asked if there are times that a government must show leadership by promoting controversial issues, Pennacchio said that "leadership can be a no vote," while Khan said supporting such issues showed leadership.

Pennacchio and Kahn met Thursday with the Daily Record editorial board.

Pennacchio, a dentist and former Morris County freeholder, has represented the 26th District in the Assembly since 2001.

Khan is a medical researcher and was active in efforts to improve health care for the poor in his native India and has been an active peace advocate in Morris County.

Eye on Washington

Kahn said that Pennacchio's examination of a potential run in 2008 for U.S. Senate is not fair to the residents of the district. It is a confusing picture for voters to have a candidate seeking a higher state office in one election while at the same time talking openly about seeking a second, even higher elected office.

Pennacchio said that he did create an exploratory committee to examine a potential run for U.S. Senate in 2008 when incumbent Democrat Frank Lautenberg is up for re-election. He said no decision has been made about entering the 2008 GOP primary for the seat.

He said he thought about the federal office when he realized that if elected to the state Senate, he would be dealing with the same issues that he has dealt with in his seven years as an Assemblyman.

Pennacchio said he does not support Gov. Jon Corzine's plan to monetize state assets like the New Jersey Turnpike, and said the governor is playing politics with the issue by not releasing his plan before the election as Republicans have demanded.

Pennacchio said it is not a good idea to sell off assets, especially to nongovernment entities. Such action would result in a loss of control and potentially rapidly rising tolls on the roadways that the state sold or leased.

Khan said he thinks the idea is worth exploring but is frustrated that Corzine has not released the plan for public discussion.

Issue roundup

Taxes, the Highlands situation and school funding issues also were addressed by the candidates:

• Pennacchio reiterated his opposition to the Highlands Act as an unconstitutional law that promotes the taking of property without compensation. Khan said that property owners affected by this law should be adequately compensated for their property.

• Both candidates said that lawmakers who are caught breaking the law should be severely punished. Khan said he had no problem with the tough application of ethics laws, and Pennacchio said that the penalties for those caught violating such laws should include the loss of their entire government pension.

• On the key issue of property tax relief, Khan said that senior citizens should be allowed relief from property taxes, especially if they have no children in the local school system. Kahn said that shifting a portion of taxes collected to support education away from property taxes to another tax like the income tax should be discussed. That would provide senior citizens relief from rising property taxes, he said.

• Pennacchio said the state must developed a more equitable and balanced school funding formula. He said that a review of the 30 Abbott or special-needs districts should be conducted to determine if each district still qualifies as an Abbott district. He said a town like Hoboken, now recovered from years of economic decline, is an example of a Abbott school district that might not qualify any longer.

He said that the state should pick up the cost of special education, which he termed a federal obligation passed down to the states, and said that the state should pick up 51 percent of school costs, which would result in lower property taxes and more state control of local schools.

Michael Daigle can be reached at (973) 267-7947 or at mdaigle@gannett.com.