Lance Mixes Community Outreach, Government Duties During Recess

With his Democratic opponent issuing press releases critical of him on an almost daily basis, U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th) insists he is focused on his government duties and outreach primarily. 

Lance, who is facing off for his second term against Bridgewater Democrat Ed Potosnak, said during an interview with Patch Tuesday night that he is using the month for community outreach from his government office. Congress stands in recess for the month of August, a month where members traditionally return to their districts to host town hall meetings, attend county fairs and make other official visits to meet voters. 

Lance said that while he is focused on a series of town hall meetings and other government-sponsored outreach activities, he has also been focused on the political nature of his job. On Monday he helped open the Middlesex County Fair in his official capacity as a congressman before working the fair's Republican booth as a candidate for reelection.

Lance stressed he has been putting town hall meetings and the chance to talk directly with voters at the forefront of his August agenda. He has recently sponsored town halls in Montgomery Township and Hunterdon County and will be hosting one next Tuesday in Summit. He also hosted a telephone town hall meeting Tuesday which he said attracted 5,000 callers. During the town halls, Lance said one topic keeps coming up.

"The economy, the economy, the economy," Lance said. He added that he's concerned about New Jersey's 9.8-percent unemployment rate, which is higher the national average, and what he sees as a stagnant return of the economy in the state.

A former State Senate minority leader and expert on state finances, Lance explained that he is in support of Gov. Chris Christie's property tax agenda, including the 2-percent cap along with Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno's regulatory reform agenda, saying the plans will help bring businesses to New Jersey. 

On a federal level, Lance said he is focused on small business policy, saying it is a key to lowering the unemployment level in the Garden State. He said the federal government and the Obama Administration has been slow to get information to small businesses on the cost of health care reform and other mandates which could impact small business growth. He said he is looking to get those answers and to reduce the tax burden on small businesses.

Potosnak was critical of Lance last month during his official campaign announcement in South Plainfield saying the incumbent has not been friendly to small business. During an appearance at a café that was seeking a small business loan, the Democratic challenger, said Lance voted against the federal jobs bill, which included small business programs and unemployment benefit extensions.

Potosnak has also been critical of Lance's federal spending on mail from his district office. The Democrat has issued press releases citing federal records showing that Lance has spent $131,000 in taxpayer funds in the first quarter of 2010 on 1.2 million pieces of direct mail to constituents. Potosnak is due to announce federal franking reform plans Wednesday afternoon during a press conference in Trenton. 

Lance did not directly answer a question on Potosnak's criticisms during the Tuesday night interview in Westfield. He choose to promote his record on finances, which has been a recurring theme of his reelection campaign. During this spring's Republican primary, where the moderate faced off against three conservative challengers, Lance promoted his 2008 authorship of a state constitutional amendment requiring voter approval of state borrowing.

"I am fiscally conservative and have voted in the House consistent with the belief that we have to reign in federal spending," Lance said.

Lance did take time to cite examples of bipartisanship in his first term in Congress. Lance was known during his time in Trenton for being one of the more bipartisan members of Congress. In 2004, he administered the oath of office to Democrat Dick Codey when Codey became governor following the resignation of former Gov. James McGreevey.

"I fully support the American military and when we have young men and women in a combat zone like Afghanistan we should support them with the expenditures recommended by the Democratic president," Lance said in the interview. "This is bipartisanship."