BY HILLARY VIDERS
SPECIAL TO NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
ENGLEWOOD, N.J. –– State Assemblyman Gordon M. Johnson of Englewood was recently reelected to his eighth term as a Democrat representing the 37th Legislative District, where he has served in a variety of leadership roles, including currently as a deputy speaker.
Before being elected to the state legislature, Johnson had a long career in public service. Raised in Englewood, he served 24 years with the Englewood Police Department, attaining the rank of sergeant, and also serving as a president of the local police union. He was also a major in the U.S. Army Reserve, who retired in 2000, having been awarded a National Defense Service Medal, Bronze Star, and other accolades from service that included Operation Desert Storm and Operation Joint Endeavor.
Johnson has a robust legislative track record that includes increasing access to education for New Jersey students, veterans and DREAMers. In 2015, Johnson was prime sponsor of legislation to enhance oversight of surplus military equipment being used by local law enforcement. Other legislative efforts include increased access to DNA testing to exonerate the innocent, improved oversight regarding high-hazard train operations and further legislative efforts to protect holocaust reparations and the Bomb Threat Bill, which is currently in the state Senate.
Johnson holds a B.S. in social science from St. Thomas Aquinas College, and he hold a master’s degree in administration and supervision from Seton Hall University. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Johnson lives in Englewood with his wife Jacqueline. He has a daughter, Stephanie, and two sons, Brandon and Stephen.
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Hillary Viders: As assemblyman for Legislative District 37, you represent 13 towns, boroughs and cities, including Englewood. How do you manage to dedicate equal time to so many municipalities?
Gordon Johnson: It’s not a matter of equally dividing your time between 13 towns. I deal with the broad issues that affect the entire district. What is usually addressed in the Assembly is either a budgetary issue or some incident that’s occurred that impacts people statewide. When towns often have issues that are affecting them they don’t realize that the same issue may also be affecting towns in South Jersey. That’s why we come together in Trenton, the capitol, and try to address and correct these situations.
HV: You’ve sponsored numerous bills in the legislature. What are some of the current bills that you are advocating?
GJ: As we go into the new State Assembly session in January 2018, I am promoting the film tax credit. What that does is attract filming and production companies to make movies or television series in New Jersey. As you know, Fort Lee is where the movie industry began. It’s a shame that we’ve let this go to other states such as New York and California. But, I am told that there are currently 60 location requests from million-dollar productions. When you think about it, New Jersey is an ideal location for films. We have the mountains and the Jersey Shore, we have urban and suburban and we are close to New York City.
But, right now, many of these production companies head to New York, Pennsylvania and other states. If we can offer tax breaks so that films and shows are made in New Jersey, it will bring the state revenue, benefit local stores like Home Depot from which set materials are bought, and create jobs.
Another initiative that I am supporting is the use of the hydrogen fuel cell to supply energy. This will be mobile and also stationary. Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and Mercedes-Benz already have hydrogen cell vehicles. It’s an electric vehicle, but you carry your fuel source with you instead of having to plug your car into an electric outlet. What’s also interesting about this technology is that if there is a blackout, you can bring a DPW truck with a hydrogen fuel cell over to a police station, or a hospital, e.g., wherever it is needed, and use it as a generator.
We may even be able to produce hydrogen from methane in New Jersey. This technology will allow us to get off fossil fuel and help sustain the environment.
HV: Have the recent mass shootings in Las Vegas and Texas strengthened your views on gun control?
GJ: My views on smart gun control legislation have always been strong. New Jersey is one of the strictest states in the country on gun ownership, but we still have people shot every day. I see no reason for a person who is not in the military to own an assault rifle, particularly with a large magazine. After these mass shootings, it seems to me that someone at the federal level should be looking at this and saying, “Hey, maybe we should be making some changes.” But it’s not happening, and that’s a problem.
HV: The opioid crisis continues to escalate, with 30,000 deaths from opioid overdoses in 2016 alone. Gov. Chris Christie made a large financial commitment to fund drug addiction programs. Now that he is leaving office, will those initiatives still go forward?
GJ: I believe that the incoming administration and the incoming legislators will be supportive of techniques that will try to curb this opioid epidemic. The money is there, but I don’t know if the programs are in place yet. We have to recognize that for years, doctors were routinely prescribing opioids, and pain management was a regular part of the patient’s hospital experience.
We are now realizing that doctors writing large refillable prescriptions is wrong, and we are trying to reverse it. Over the years, however, a lot of people who took opioids for pain management became addicted, and some went on to heroin. We are now starting to turn the corner and recognize the problem, not just in New Jersey, but nationwide.
HV: Gov.-elect Phil Murphy is in favor of legalizing marijuana. What is your position on this?
GJ: I think that if you legalize marijuana to bring in revenue, it is a bad idea. I keep hearing that it will bring in a lot of money. Yes, New Jersey could use the revenue, but there is more to it than money. I would have to see how strictly marijuana is going to be regulated. Like alcohol, there have to be regulations on who sells it, how old you have to be to buy it and where you can smoke it.
I’ve been told that in states where marijuana can be legally obtained, it greatly decreases work productivity and some kids just hang around perpetually high. I would like to take a trip out to Denver and speak with law enforcement and social workers to learn how marijuana has impacted the quality of life for people there. So, I am not taking a position on marijuana at this time, but rather, I am in an exploratory phase.
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HV: What do feel are the best assets of Englewood and how can we make them even better?
GJ: As you know, I was born in Harlem, in New York City, and my parents moved to Englewood when I was 5 years old. So, I’ve been an Englewood resident for most of my life. I love living here, which I call “living in the valley of Englewood.” Most people don’t realize that geographically, Englewood really is a valley.
Englewood has a great downtown area and great parks, such as MacKay Park and the ice rink, which unite all the city’s religions and cultures. Within Englewood’s 5 miles, we have the extreme rich and the extreme poor, and that’s a challenge sometimes, but we’ve gotten through it all these years. We’ve had our spats, but, in the end, the governing body of Englewood has come through for both sides of the railroad track.
How can we make Englewood better? The school system has a strong leader now with Superintendent Robert Kravitz. Hopefully, the new school board will work with him to improve what’s going on in our schools and put it on the right track, from pre-K on up through high school.
What will also make Englewood better is having all the residents and officials work together as a group, sitting down and discussing how to implement changes. I’d like to see more people come to council meetings and share their views. A few weeks ago, dozens of families came with the kids to a council meeting to ask that the John T. Wright Arena be repaired and re-opened. It was heartwarming to hear the kids come to the microphone and speak up about how important the rink is to them. As a result, the council found the $115,000 to make the necessary repairs. It was beautiful to see democracy at work, and it demonstrates firsthand what is so wonderful about Englewood.
Photo by Hillary Viders