SNJDC's 44th Annual Sound Off for South Jersey Legislative Conference
More than 200 South Jersey business leaders gathered Friday, October 16, for the Southern New Jersey Development Council’s (SNJDC) 44th Annual Sound Off for South Jersey Legislative Conference, presented by South Jersey Industries, where former Governor Chris Christie discussed the state of politics in America and how it’s shaping New Jersey’s future.
The annual conference connected local, state, and national policymakers and South Jersey business leaders. The program offered insight into policymakers’ plans for South Jersey, including welcome remarks from Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald (LD6), a legislative discussion panel featuring Senators John Burzichelli (LD3) and Michael Testa Jr. (LD1), and a congressional fireside chat with U.S. Congressmen Donald Norcross (CD1) and Herb Conaway (CD3).
SNJDC President Marlene Asselta opened by recognizing the elected officials present and the event’s sponsors before introducing Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald. Majority Leader Greenwald’s remarks set the stage for a morning focused on the State policy landscape and its impact on Southern New Jersey, including the fiscal and affordability picture, energy costs and reliability, the budget outlook, and opportunities to continue delivering meaningful results for the region.
The event’s legislative discussion panel, moderated by Virtua Health’s Joe Bisicchia, offered insight from Senators John Burzichelli and Michael Testa into how they plan to address rising energy and power costs, the influx of data center projects, the cost of doing business in the region, and the beach erosion following the recent nor’easter, among other topics.
On the topic of South Jersey’s share of resources in comparison to North Jersey, Senator Burzichelli said:
“That’s why relationships count. In dealing with our neighbors to the north, the idea is to negotiate and know what we need to do to get our piece of the pie to the extent that we’re entitled to, and maybe a little more on some occasions.”
Senator Michael Testa, whose district is home to the state’s largest data center, said that for a healthy conversation on the topic of data centers, “we must first educate people on what they are, how much energy they use, and how much pollution they cause”.
Shifting to a federal perspective, the legislative panel was followed by a fireside chat featuring U.S. Congressmen Donald Norcross and Herb Conaway, which was moderated by BINJE’s Tom Bergeron.
The congressmen discussed how federal policies and decisions made in Washington will directly impact South Jersey and its businesses. Congressman Norcross said:
“We’re in a time of change. But when you have focus, you can put aside party. Remarkable things can get done.”
On the upcoming mid-term elections, Congressman Conaway said it will help “put out the fire and get back to normalcy.” Additionally, Congressmen Norcross and Conaway weighed in on how the One Big Beautiful Bill will impact New Jerseyans who are reliant on Medicaid, SNAP benefits, and taxes.
The event concluded with a keynote address from Former Governor Chris Christie (55th Governor of New Jersey), where he discussed the state of politics in America. Following Christie’s address, South Jersey Industries’ Dominick DiRocco joined the governor for a moderated Q&A, inviting Sound Off attendees to join the conversation.
Key topics raised by attendees included Governor Christie’s likelihood of running for office again, the upcoming mid-term elections, and the needs of South Jersey that Washington and Trenton must address. Additionally, Governor Christie mentioned how, as a U.S. attorney for the state of New Jersey with an office in the city of Camden, he developed a passion for the city and formed key relationships with local leaders. These relationships greatly benefited South Jersey during his time in office as governor, during which he helped revitalize Camden.
On the topic of national politics, Governor Christie remarked, “Be ready for a tumultuous next two years.” In closing, the governor encouraged attendees to “speak up and get involved.”
SNJDC Chairman and President of Performance Marketing Glenn Davila concluded the program by recognizing SNJDC’s board members, event sponsors, policymakers, moderators, and attendees for another successful conference.
Special thanks to each of the policymakers, moderators, sponsors, and attendees who made this event possible!
Title Sponsor
South Jersey Industries
Presenting Sponsors
AT&T | Atlantic City Electric | New Jersey American Water | PSEG Nuclear | Waymo
Host Sponsors
Conner Strong & Buckelew | GEI Consultants | South Jersey Ports | Stanker & Galetto | Triad Associates
Lanyard Sponsor
ELEC 825
Supporting Sponsors
Bellia Design, Print & Mail | Cooper Levenson, Attorneys at Law | Hutchinson Mechanical Services | Inspira Health | Jefferson Health | OceanFirst Bank | Renati Solutions | Rowan University | The First National Bank of Elmer | Traffic Planning & Design | Volunteers of America Delaware Valley
Event Media Sponsor
Food Bank of South Jersey
Rowan College of South Jersey
Stokes Creative Group
Program Sponsor
Bellia Design, Print & Mail
