In their closely watched Essex County Freeholder tilt, Cedar Grove Deputy Mayor Joseph Chiusolo (pictured) wants to highlight how his decade plus in elected office should give him the edge with voters over West Caldwell educator Len Luciano.
In short, Chiusolo wants to debate Luciano: eight times, with four sessions in September and another four in October.
“As the representative of the party that has controlled the Essex County Freeholder Board for decades, Mr. Luciano owes it to the homeowners and business owners of the district to defend the spending decisions that his party has made,” said Chiusolo, a Republican hoping to be the first one in his party to represent the 4th in a district Democrats have smothered for six years.
“He needs to explain to the people of Cedar Grove, why we pay more than $10.24 million in county taxes annually, plus another $365,190 in county open space taxes. What do we get for that money?” asked Chiusolo. “Before people go to the polls on November 8, my opponent and I should engage in open, public forums to debate and discuss the issues that matter to taxpayers. We owe it to the people paying the bills in county government to inform them about what county government is doing with their money and why.”