NJFC Endorses Gov. Christie for Reelection

Adding to the broad base of support he has received from New Jersey's leading business advocacy organizations, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was endorsed earlier this week by the political action arm of the New Jersey Food Council.

This endorsement by NJFC’s Food Council Committee for Good Government, which was made at the Azzolina and Scaduto families' Super Foodtown in Port Monmouth, N.J., is a significant statement for the organization, which has not endorsed a gubernatorial candidate in almost 25 years.

Member organizations of the Trenton, N.J.-based NJFC on hand to support the Columbus Day endorsement rally included leaders from Wegmans, Kings Supermarkets, Stop & Shop, Quick Chek, Campbell Soup Co., Wakefern/ShopRite, Foodtown, Bimbo Bakeries, The Coca-Cola Co., Supervalu Inc. and McCaffrey’s Markets.

“This Governor has really made an impression on our members, from this immediate response during Hurricane Sandy to his pro-business policies that affect our store owners and their customers,” said Linda Doherty, NJFC president and treasurer of the Food Council Committee for Good Government.

The endorsement, Doherty added, further affirms Gov. Christie’s strong record of improving New Jersey's business climate by lowering taxes, the creation of over 142,000 private sector jobs, and his enactment of bipartisan solutions to New Jersey’s biggest challenges. The council specifically cited Christie’s support of priorities to serve working families and the retail food and distribution industry generally, including the Food to Fuel Program, WIC reform, the Economic Opportunity Act and the Unemployment Insurance Tax.

“These issues impact our grocery stores and therefore affect our customers,” continued Doherty, citing Gov. Christie’s support for “well rounded initiatives that are good for the business community and good for the consumer.”

Saker ShopRite’s Richard Saker, who serves as chairman of NJFC’s good government committee, concurred: “This Governor’s principled pro-growth policies have focused on job creation among small businesses in the private sector in order to reignite New Jersey’s economy. We are encouraged by the important progress the Governor has made in improving the climate for job creation and economic growth by lowering taxes, focusing on common sense regulation, and cutting red tape. We thank the Governor for his fiscally disciplined effort to continuously balance the State budget over the past four years by cutting spending, not by raising taxes on families and business.”

NJFC chairman Phil Scaduto’s family-owned stores were among those completely shut down without power as a result of Superstorm Sandy. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, NJFC supermarkets and convenience store members throughout N.J. pulled together to respond to immediately meet the needs of the community, including making donations of food, water and supplies, and opening on limited generator power to serve the community.

“Not only has Governor Christie provided bipartisan results to get our economy moving and support private sector businesses, he was the steady and confident leader New Jersey needed during our time of crisis,” said Scaduto. “The food distribution sector is a lifeline industry, and we recognize and accept the responsibility of getting our communities back to normalcy after such extreme events like Sandy. Without the governor’s leadership, we wouldn’t have been able to provide our customers and communities with the support they needed during that difficult time.”