newjerseynewsroom.com

BY JOSEPH CRYAN

COMMENTARY

It's quick and easy these days to simply dismiss New Jersey's horse racing industry, but anyone who does so runs the risk of hurting New Jersey's economy for decades to come.

No one denies these are tough fiscal times. Spending restraint is clearly needed, but that restraint must be done wisely. Each decision must be carefully considered, with all potential impacts thought-out before a final decision is made.

We've already seen the Christie administration make ill-advised decisions that will damage New Jersey's economy, such as canceling the new Hudson River commuter rail tunnel and eliminating vital business tax credits that created new jobs throughout our state.

And we've seen the Christie administration miraculously come up with money when needed, such as the $70 million that materialized out of thin air when Gov. Christie was forced to back off his plans to boost business filing fees and repeal Bergen County's blue laws.

Let's hope more thought is put into the future of New Jersey's horse racing industry.

Gov. Christie has, among other things, endorsed considering plans to close or sell the Meadowlands and Monmouth race tracks, but the preservation of live racing is a top concern for New Jersey's horsemen and breeders, and it should be a concern for everyone of us.

Without live racing, the jobs, the horses, the racetracks and the farms that depend on it will disappear.

Racing and related jobs like veterinarians, farmers and blacksmiths account for more than 13,000 positions, but there's more the economics at play.

Horse farms sit on 175,000 acres of open space. Of this amount, only 8 percent is preserved as open space.

New Jersey has lost 50 percent of its farmland in the past 50 years, and according to a recent report released by Rutgers and Rowan Universities, the remaining open space and farmland will be completely built out by the year 2050.

Without the horse industry, the agricultural landscape in New Jersey would be altered forever, leading to a decline in our quality of life as urban sprawl would replace these open spaces.

The Assembly has already taken steps to help the horse racing industry, approving a bill sponsored by Assemblyman John Burzichelli to expand off-track wagering and one spearheaded by Assemblywoman Connie Wagner to allow exchange wagering. They've begun to move through the Senate and I look forward to them becoming law.

Off-Track wagering, for instance, has never been fully implemented although the law allowing for it was passed in 2001.

This is not the horse industry's fault, as it has no control over expanding the OTW system.

If New Jersey's horsemen and breeders had control, I'm confident all 15 OTW sites would have been built and operational by now. The net result would have been an annual profit average of about $5 million per facility for a total of $75 million per year, more than enough to help make the industry self-sustainable.

We as a state must first fulfill the commitments made to the horse industry before we decide to give up on it.

Anything less would be self-defeating.

New Jersey horse owners and horse breeders have long been part of New Jersey's heritage.

Partial solutions that do not address today's reality and the poor implementation of prior policies can no longer stand. We all must work together to devise a modern and sustainable solution to New Jersey's horse racing industry.

It is, quite simply, to important to fail.

Joseph Cryan (D-Union) is the Assembly majority leader and represents the 20th Legislative District.

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