New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill lists lower utility rates, children’s online safety and government accountability as top priorities

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As a candidate running for New Jersey’s top office, Mike Sherrill pledged that one of her first actions would be to freeze utility rates.

The Democrat, who won convincingly in November, is promising to do so when she takes office Jan. 20.

Electric bills increased about 20% last June in New Jersey because rising demand for power is outpacing supply.

During an exclusive interview with WHYY, Sherrill said she will declare a state of emergency on her first day as governor and sign an executive order to freeze rate hikes.

“I will also be working with power companies to generate more electricity,” she said. “We’re working with other governors across PJM — that’s our grid operator — to force them to push more power into our grid so we can drive down costs over time.”

Sherrill said she also intends to ramp up solar and battery storage efforts and modernize gas generation plants to help lower utility costs for Garden State residents.

Kids’ safety and affordable housing remain top priorities

The Sherrill administration plans on focusing on families. Sherrill touted her kids’ online safety agenda.

“I’ve been very supportive of Gov. Murphy’s bell-to-bell cell phone ban, and we’ll continue to look at ways we can support parents in making good choices for their kids,” she said.

The governor-elect, who is a mother of four, noted that many parents worry about their children’s safety online. She said though companies market numerous apps geared toward internet safety and security, parents are overwhelmed.

“I have a full-time job, my husband has a full-time job and it’s another full-time job to monitor my kids’ online behavior,” she said. “Parents need help, and as governor I’m going to provide that.”

She said another program that will get her immediate attention is the first-time homebuyers program.

“To help people get their foot in the door, to buy a home, create generational wealth for their families as we’re trying to drive down costs,” she said.

Holding N.J. state agencies accountable

Sherrill said she plans to launch an online dashboard “so people can see how long their permitting time is taking, a report card so people can see where their money is going, the contracts the state is running, and if they are performing appropriately.”

She said state operations need to be transparent and that there must be accountability without unnecessary red tape.

Dena Mottola Jaborska, executive director of New Jersey Citizen Action, said her organization is hopeful Sherrill will keep her campaign promises.

“We’re looking for her to be transparent in policy-making decisions,” Mottola Jaborska said. “All too often there hasn’t been transparency around how the legislature makes policy decisions, which is unfortunate.”

Sherrill said during her campaign that many in the business community expressed frustration with state policies.

“I’ve been talking to small business owners like Nadia, who was trying to open a restaurant in Hudson County,” she said. “It took her eight months and three failed permitting things [applications] with no help, no insight as to what was going on. It’s why I’m putting an online dashboard up.”

She said other business owners have shared similar complaints.

“They tell me they need this, I fix all these things, I think we’re ready to get permitted, and then they add five more things to it, and that’s unacceptable,” she said.

Sherrill said she’s also planning to “beef up” the New Jersey Business Action Center. “So if you have any problems with permitting, you can get the support you need so it’s not just constant guesswork,” she said.

Improving the Motor Vehicle Commission

The governor-elect said the need for greater accountability stretches beyond the business community and applies to state agencies such as the Motor Vehicle Commission. Getting an MVC appointment has been a source of frustration for New Jersey residents for years, and Sherrill stressed that the agency needs improvement.

She said she and her husband had an extremely difficult time getting an appointment at the MVC for a Real ID driver’s license. “It really nearly felt impossible,” she said.

Dealing with President Donald Trump

When asked how she will deal with President Donald Trump, whom she has repeatedly criticized, Sherrill did not offer specifics. She noted New Jersey is a very strong state economically.

“We are seeing at every level that Trump’s agenda on the economy is harming working families, we’re seeing the jobs numbers [weakening] and now when we’re seeing real concerns about the overall economy. He’s trying to criminally go after the [Federal Reserve] chair, [Jerome] Powell,” she said. “Here, we’re going to drive transparency and accountability with the constant focus on driving down costs for middle-class families, not lining my own pockets as Trump is doing.”

The governor-elect said she wants to emphasize to New Jersey residents that she goes to sleep and wakes up thinking about them.

“I often tell the story of my family’s history, and what opportunity has meant to my family and why I’m able to be here today, and all of the ways in which the opportunity offered by this country impacted me and my ability to thrive,” she said. “I want that for my kids, I want that for your kids, I want every child in New Jersey to have that opportunity.”

Sherrill said the American dream isn’t a guarantee for success. “It’s a guarantee that we’re constantly working to open doors to opportunity, and that’s what I want to do,” she said.

Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics, said Sherrill will be able to take quick action. “You have a new cabinet, you have new department heads, state employees are looking to please them,” he said. “This is the honeymoon period, this is the chance to strike while the iron is hot and get things done.”

He said Sherrill can lean on executive orders for changes such as freezing utility rate hikes, but that getting other things done will require cooperation with legislative leaders in Trenton.

“Some of her staff picks have deep legislative expertise while some are from Washington and have not worked in Trenton before,” he said. “It will take time for everyone to work together effectively.”

Rasmussen also noted legislators will be up for re-election in two years, while Sherrill won’t face re-election until 2029.

“So what the governor-elect has to do is to identify the common ground that she can, between what their needs are and what her needs are,” he said. “It involves coordination and consultation and I’m sure it will happen.”