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M R EP O RT | 41 FEATURE Commercial & Specialty Lending Commercial Real Estate Treasury Management Know-how that wastes no time moving you forward. understand that the government needs to take a more active risk management role, in ensuring that both taxpayers and their residents are protected. Should we get to Congress, that's something I do want to make sure of: that we're walking comfortably that line between providing homeowners who understand that homeowner- ship is a privilege, renting is also a privilege, and keeping the taxpay- ers' best interests in mind. If you win the election, what are your priorities in this area of housing, and building off your industry background? W ell, homeownership is a privilege, not a right, but also, I've been in the industry long enough to know that look on someone's face, that look in their eyes when they close on their home, when they close on their first home, and they first move in. There's nothing like homeowner- ship. Most of the long-term wealth in this country has been real estate ownership. I think there's an opportunity, if I get into Congress, to make sure that we're always thinking outside the box but also keeping an eye on risk manage- ment. Here, in the state of New Jersey, this is the third year in a row that we are the number-one exited state. The reason we're the number-one exited state is our ridiculously high property taxes. We're one of the highest in the nation. We have one of the lowest business environments. As a result of having both high property taxes and a terrible business environ- ment, people are leaving the state. When people leave the state, they're generally leaving because they want to go someplace where their tax burden is less, but they're also leaving because corporations are leaving. When corporations leave, they don't just take the company; they take people with them. In New Jersey, particularly in District Five where I'm running, that's one of the worst districts, not just in New Jersey, but in the country, for being at risk for negative equity. We all know negative equity is one of the leading causes, not necessarily of default, but of risk of loss from those defaults. Leadership in this state, from Trenton to a lot of the leaders that we see at the congressional level here in New Jersey, is not providing corpora- tions with opportunities, either through tax breaks, tax advantages, or other things to bring companies back or cause companies who may want to leave, to stay. It's not just the company that stays. People who are living in their homes, and renting around that corporation, or around that company, they also stay. I know another priority that you've worked with in the past has been working to combat veteran homelessness. What would you plan to pursue on that front, should you win? A bsolutely. Fortunately, in my district, veteran homelessness is not a large problem. A lot of the veteran organizations have had a lot of outreach. They've had a lot of reach out to the private sector, and to individuals, to help provide funding and other opportunities for veterans. It certainly is an issue across the state. It's an issue across the country. I can't fathom a country that turns their back on