Testa Holds Radio Town Hall

On May 16, Sen. Michael Testa (R-1st) held a radio town hall event focused on small business reopening and unemployment issues. Using a two-hour span on Vineland’s Cruisin’ 92.1, Testa spoke with callers, responding to their questions and using the venue to continue to push for a more regionalized reopening of the state economy.
The call-in radio town hall was billed as having the first hour for addressing issues from small business owners and the second for unemployment concerns. In reality the interplay of the two issues ran through the full two hour period.
Testa, a Republican, who has been critical of the approach taken by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, remained disparaging of the Governor’s continued use of executive authority to keep people at home and businesses closed. Despite a gradual easing of restrictions in the past week, many of the callers to the town hall wanted a faster reopening, arguing that faith in business owners to restart safely would not be misplaced.
The lower contagion rates in South Jersey and the unique nature of the short, seasonal economy along the southern shore were also themes as callers spoke of potential ruin if they cannot get their businesses open and fully functioning soon.
Testa credited authorities with early actions at a time when officials could not know what they were dealing with. “That’s why they called it the new coronavirus. We didn’t know much about it,” he said. Yet, the senator kept returning to his theme that the shutdown has gone on too long and all counties are targeted with restrictions dictated by the outbreaks in the hardest hit areas of the state.
“The closedown is no longer realistic,” Testa said more than once. His callers agreed.
Mark Matreale, a business owner in Stone Harbor, argued that “a small business selling sunglasses cannot be open, but a potential customer of that business wanting a pair of sunglasses can go to Walmart and buy them.” The analogy brought Testa to another of his criticisms of the Murphy administration, that they are “picking the winners and the losers in the crisis.”
“Many mom and pop stores can practice social distancing better than the Big Box stores can,” Testa said more than once.
On unemployment, Testa was censorious of the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development. “Only about 70% of the 1.1 million people who applied for unemployment benefits are getting them,” Testa said. “When you get 70% in school, that’s a D. When you achieve 70% at work, you get fired,” he added.
Testa gave no allowance in his evaluation of the Department of Labor’s job performance for the percentage of those who apply and do meet the federal and state qualifications or for the unprecedented ramp up given the fact that the normal flow of claims was running at around 8,000 per week and then suddenly spiked to as much as 200,000 a week.
He remained critical of Murphy who has praised the Department of Labor’s attempts to meet demand in the crisis.
Testa also spoke of the uneven way in which the Governor decided what were essential services and nonessential services. He specifically defended those citizens who wanted to exercise their constitutionally protected rights to purchase a firearm or attend a religious service. “How can you declare liquor stores and marijuana dispensaries essential services and church nonessential?” he argued.
Several times through his town hall, Testa urged listeners to call his legislative office, pointing out that they have helped over 1,000 people who have called with unemployment problems.
Those who would like to hear the entire two-hour, call-in event can do so from the Cruisin’ 92.1 Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/wvltradio/.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.