>> Funding provided by the members of the New Jersey education Association.

Making public schools great for every child.

And by RWJBarnabas health.

Briana: Running for governor, former president Steve Sweeney Throwing his hat in the ring for the gubernatorial election.

>> The more the merrier.

Because that creates more lanes.

He is going to try to dominate the moderate Lane.

Briana: Lowering the voting age to 17 but only for primary elections if you turn 18 by November.

Also, arrive together, the state attorney general expands the program pairing officers with health specialists in Patterson.

>> Some have concerns or if they do not know how to deal with these issues without it going to shooting.

Briana: The application deadline is fast approaching for the latest round of property tax relief.

You do not want to miss out.

>> Tis the season for the last call of anchor benefits.

There is up to 1750 and benefits for a senior citizen homeowner who meets the income qualifications sitting on the table.

704 renters if you are a senior with the right income.

Briana: NJ Spotlight News starts right now.

>> From PBS studios, this is NJ Spotlight News with Briana.

Briana: Thank you for joining us.

Former state Senate President Steve Sweeney is officially running for governor in 2025.

A longtime Democratic lawmakers looking to make his political comeback after a stunning loss in 2021.

When his two decade long run in the legislature was abandoned by Republican newcomer Ed the trucker.

His campaign launch was expected.

Especially after his former running mate reclaimed their seat in November's general election.

He has a long list of accomplishments to run on from his time in Trenton.

As a correspondent reports, Sweeney is not the only Democrat in the race and he has been in a similar position before.

>> I was a union worker for year.

>> His launch a video was a reboot for the once powerful state Senate President.

His story told through his relationship with his daughter, positioned the ironworker as a champion for the most vulnerable.

>> I have got a lot done for working people in New Jersey.

A bare minimum wage is indexed so that when cost goes up, pay goes up.

Family so that parents can be there for their kids when it is most important.

Their sons and daughters can care for their elderly parents.

I made marriage equality legal.

Love is love.

>> Steve follow-up is poised for a battle of the Steve's, your kind of right.

Except there is not a millionaire ready to step in and big everyone as Phil Murphy did back then.

>> You never know, it could happen in New Jersey.

>> Full up is the only announced candidate in the race says he welcomes Steve Sweeney, adding that he and the former Senator have a good relationship.

He said that their paths to the governor's race is different.

>> The inside of Trenton is not necessarily an asset I think.

I am coming from a different perspective on the ground.

Making decisions as an executive.

Knowing how Trenton interacts with cities woman principalities in a way that is not productive.

I think thing inside of Trent you are in a bubble.

>> Sweeney is a moderate who voted against marriage equality.

The teachers union once famously spent millions opposing him.

And progressives have never been a fan of his reforms on spending and the millionaire's tax.

Then there was the whole losing to an unknown trucker thing back in 2021.

>> Tuesday's elections are in.

All those have been fairly counted.

I of course except the results.

>> This is 2023 with a whole new cast of characters.

Including most likely a New York Mayor and maybe even representatives Josh Gottheimer, Mikey Cheryl, and who knows who else?

With a wide open field, Steve Sweeney's presumed base is a big asset in hand.

>> In a crowded field, this one is shaping up to be, there will be a lot of different lanes.

You do not need to win with 50% of the vote, you may win with 30% of the vote.

The mass is the same as -- math is the same that kept him in the Senate chair longer than anyone else.

Solid South versus a divided North.

If that is the way it plays out for him, he does have a chance in this race.

>> Is worth noting that the election is two years away.

A lot can happen in that span.

There is also the history of Jersey voters propensity for mixing it up.

Republicans are counting on the slogan that no party is good three times.

Another is excited to announce his candidacy early next year.

>> No matter how great your Democrat is, they have some decent candidates.

I will not argue with that.

You want balance.

You want two sides and when you have two sides, you get really good balanced legislation.

Good guy, wrong person for the job.

>> It is all Steve's at the moment, but the Democrats should expect the field to expand very soon.

I'm David Cruz, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: Both Steve Sweeney and Steve Bullock are power players in their parts of the state where they will be well funded as New Jersey grows more democratic.

The race is still two years away.

That is an eternity in political timekeeping which means plenty of curveballs could be ahead.

I asked Patrick Murray and Ashley Koning how the gubernatorial race is shaping up.

Thanks you so much for joining the.

What does this say about the state of New Jersey politics when we have two of the same candidates running as presumed to be six years ago?

>> It is because they did not get a chance six years ago.

Basically, for whatever reason Steve Bullock pulled out, Phil Murphy swooped in and got more than enough of the north Jersey and Central Jersey backing from the party leaders that basically squeezed Steve Sweeney out.

He saw the riding on the wall.

We have two candidates, the two Steve's who definitely wanted to run last time around.

They have taken that shot.

I think it says a lot and we are seeing this as a lot of debate is going on around the senate seat.

Who is running for that.

About our system here in primarily -- primaries.

It is easy with someone with a lot of money to come in and cleared the field.

-- clear the field.

We are still talking about a 2025 election.

Hopefully we will see a competitive primary for governor, that would be a nice thing.

Briana: That is what is expected to be the case.

I am wondering how Steve Sweeney 's footprint plays into this and maybe the political help that he will get?

>> We are revisiting this geographic divide that we would have seen if we saw this the first time they were possibly going to run.

This is going to be more as Patrick had mentioned, asking New Jerseyans.

You have to keep in mind that even though we know who these political players are, most New Jerseyans do not.

The last time we pulled Steve Sweeney In 2019, 2/3rds did not have an opinion or know who he was.

He has gone to a national -- nationally known loss.

He will have some support to rebuild in South New Jersey.

This will be geographically divisive.

This will come down to probably seeing a lot of division among the different counties and county chairs.

Briana: Which is something I presumed Steve Sweeney would want to say?

-- see?

More lanes opened up for a path for himself?

He has an endorsement from the carpenter's union.

We saw that one coming in the state building and construction trades Council.

Not officially, but they are behind him.

How will this shape up in terms of getting the coveted County line support?

>> The union story has been a part of his background and he has said that with his announcement.

Almost hinted at in his announcement he has work to do to come back from that devastating for him loss a few years ago.

It will really be interesting to see how George may come into play.

He has said that if Sweeney decided to run for governor he might come back into the political Arena.

In South Jersey, how this shakes out especially if we know him as any other North Jersey or Central Jersey candidates who may enter this race on the Democratic side.

It looks more crowded and we are not even into 2024 yet.

Briana: Who do we expect to jump in and do you agree with Ashley's Assistant about the County line?

>> The county lines are key.

I think this is why Steve Sweeney's gambit is basically get the entire South Jersey organizations behind him.

Count out about a third of the vote coming out of South Jersey -- on about a third of the vote coming out of South Jersey.

If you have other candidates coming into this race from the northern part of the state, as we are talking about people like Josh Gottheimer and are members of the congressional delegation.

People are talking about this speaker of the assembly Ted Kaufman who comes from Middlesex County.

I am not sure how serious he is or if this is a stalking horse.

Allowing Middlesex County to keep their powder drywall this is all shaking out.

If you have candidates running, it is likely that the county endorsements are going to be spread among those different candidates.

That is what will lead to a competitive primary.

Briana: The Democratic machine is researching.

A lot of conversations ahead.

Thank you so much.

>> Thank you.

Briana: Some state lawmakers believe one way to boost voter turnout during elections is by lowering the voting age.

A proposal moving through Trenton would allow some 17-year-olds to cast a ballot in primary elections if they turn 18 by the general election.

A Senior correspondent reports New Jersey could join a number of other states that have already enacted a similar law.

It would not be until after our next big election.

>> We are allowing them to participate in democracy.

They are not just voting for people who are selected for them in the primary.

They get to actually choose for themselves.

>> That would be the result of a bill sponsored by Senators and it clears the center allowing for a young voters would turn 18 by the general election to vote in the primary election while they are still 17.

>> We do not get a lot of turnout in primary votes as it is, New Jersey has so many non-contested districts that the winner of the primary goes on to win the general.

By not being involved in the primaries you are being left out of a very important step.

>> They testified in a hearing of the state government wagering tourism and historic preservation committee last week where they reminded Senators that 19 other states and D.C. have passed similar laws insisting that allowing younger people to vote early actually has a lasting impact on democracy.

>> We see that in that age group, 18 to 24, there is low voter turnout, it is a transitional time of their lives.

If you introduce it in their schools, it becomes a part of Civics education and research shows once you start voting, you vote once, you are 10 times more likely to vote in the next few elections.

>> This bill is nothing new, it was introduced eight years ago when a senator was serving in the assembly.

>> I wrote the bill in 2018.

It was vetoed by then-Gov.

Chris Christie and his message he called it unconstitutional.

That is not true.

We had checked to make sure.

Of course it is constitutional.

>> When he moved to the Senate, he allowed Whitaker to take the bill that just cleared committee unanimously.

It did pass through the assembly this may come along party lines.

Why they were from Republicans to expand the voting age?

>> There have been concerns back then that younger people tended to vote Democratic.

We have seen some shift in young people.

There is no partisanship to this.

It is purely an age thing.

>> Research does not show that 17-year-old or more likely to vote for one party over another.

This is completely about getting the young voters involved.

>> The governor says he will sign the bill if it reaches his desk but he asked that it be delayed until 2026.

>> What has he told you about delaying until 2026?

>> There is some concern that adding something to our voting process and our computer systems , we have done early voting, expended vote by mail, they wanted to make sure that they get this right.

>> That means that the pain-year-olds have to sit out on the 24 presidential primary and 2025 gubernatorial primary.

>> These are two important elections happening back to back.

It would be -- it is shameful that they are not trying to enact this as quickly as possible.

>> Despite the disappointment, advocates are hopeful this bill clears the full Senate during the lame-duck session.

No vote has been scheduled yet.

Briana: You can add Patterson to the growing list of cities now using the Arrive Together Program.

Or certain 911 calls involving mental health issues are handled by police and mental health experts.

The move announced today by the state attorney general calms nine months after the fatal police shooting of partisan violence intervention worker -- of a violence intervention worker and cries for help from these crises.

>> The family wants to call the police but then they are afraid what happens if let us say the person, I do not know, reaches for a broom?

Then the officer says I felt threatened.

So they start firing off on the person.

That is a scary and real scenario.

>> Concerned community activistss say that many in Paris ensure that when it comes to -- activist say that many share concerns when it comes to police.

>> See Brooks was out here trying to bridge the gap between the police and the community.

When they saw that the police took him out, it sent shockwaves through the community.

>> He is hopeful a new initiative will turn things around.

The state Attorney General announced the expansion of the arrive together program that will handle mental health and emotional distress calls.

>> We started in Cumberland County and expanded to municipal departments in Union County.

It is going tremendously well.

We have seen approximately 2000 people helped by this program.

These are the incidents and the calls and the interactions that are most likely to result in a bad outcome whether it is an injury or an arrest.

We know that.

No injuries to officers or civilians.

Better mental health treatment for individuals who need it.

Importantly, we are building trust with communities as we are doing this.

>> The program is designed to cater to the need of each community.

>> In some places it is a co-responder model where law enforcement and professionals are arriving at the scene together.

In cases like in Patterson, it is a mental health led solution.

When an individual encounters law enforcement in Patterson, a referral can be made to cbh care and the response will be just from the mental health professional.

There will not be a law enforcement component.

>> This comes after the takeover of the police department.

The mayor says the city is continuing to work on its own program known as connect and protect which received a federal grant.

The initiative was in the works long before the takeover.

>> It was two years ago where I made the announcement that we recognized that police officers are not always trained to deal with people who are emotionally disturbed.

That is why I looked at a best practice which had been implemented in Los Angeles and invited them to Patterson and made an announcement to let people know we are serious about co-response.

It cannot fall on the shoulder of police officers.

You have to have the professionals in the room that are trained.

Mental health conditions are on the scene -- counselors are on the scene along with police.

>> It is expected to launch next summer.

There is no work yet on how this will work with arrive together but the Attorney General says he is open to a conversation.

>> If the community sees that the police are trying to it, -- trying to do it, and they have the mental health professionals and they are doing what they need to do, we as a community have to make them -- meet them halfway.

See if we can turn the table.

>> Arrive together is excited to operate in all 21 counties by the end of the year -- expected to operate in all 21 counties by the end of the year.

Briana: In our spotlight on business, two weeks left for the latest round of property tax relief from this state.

The application deadline for the anchor program is December 29th.

Treasury official site 1.6 one million residents received their benefits.

The payouts are higher in part because the legislature voted to give out a $250 boost for seniors.

You do not need to own a home to qualify.

Our writer has more on how to get your share.

Good to see you as always.

You do not want to leave money on the table here.

Is what you are doing if you have not already applied?

>>'tis the season for the last call for anchor benefits.

It is up to 1700 --$1,750 And benefits for a senior citizen who meets the income qualifications sitting on the table here.

$700 for renders if you are a senior with the right income.

-- renters if you are a senior with the right income.

This is all for property taxes you paid in 2020.

If you have not applied for it yet, a lot of people have already applied and received benefits.

The last call is December 29.

Briana: Out of that big part of folks, 1.6 one million, how many of those are renters versus homeowners?

In the first round you when I talked about renters being unaware that they were eligible for this?

>> For about a decade the state had stopped providing these types of benefits as property tax relief and renters do pay property taxes through the rent that they paid the landlord.

Based on the latest numbers, there is nearly 500,000 renters who have already received anchor benefits in this latest round.

Over one million homeowners.

They already applied and received benefits.

Over 1.6 one million in all.

A big share of that is the homeowners.

They are trying to also make it known to renters that if you rented in 2020, you may did not at age qualifications, you can get a benefit from anger as well.

Briana: This is either a check or direct deposit in your account?

Is not like where you would see -- it is not like where you would see a property tax deducted from your tax bill?

>> In this case, you are either getting a paper check or you are getting a direct deposit into your bank account which some people may prefer to have it that way.

It is intended to offset what your property tax bill.

This is based on 2020.

You know what you made last year.

It is based off of where you live and what you made in 2020.

Briana: If you have not already applied or had it auto renewed which was the case for a lot of folks this year.

How you go about it?

What if you need help with your application?

>> The easiest is probably to go online.

It would help to get some of your 2020 tax materials together.

Call the hotline, the number gets very busy.

You can print out a paper application.

There are also division of taxation field offices throughout the state where you can go in person and make an appointment online to meet someone to go over it.

The anchor application.

There is plenty of time.

If you put it off in tone and you think you do qualify, it is a lot of money to take the initiative to get before the end of the year.

Briana: Especially at the holiday time went a little extra cash is always welcome.

Get your anchor check.

We will be talking to you soon.

Thank you.

>> You are welcome.

Briana: Turning to Wall Street, stocks were mixed heading into a weekend packed with a crucial inflation update and the Federal Reserve's last meeting of the year.

Here is how markets reacted.

Briana: Finally, the mystery of the tarballs discovered along the Jersey shore is finally solved.

U.S. Coast Guard confirms the pollution is linked to a November 22nd spill that happened during a transfer and oil facility.

Tarballs were found on beaches from Asbury Park to Sea Bright.

More pollution was identified on the shoreline in grace and they proclaimed.

Tarballs washed ashore in Ascension Island.

Tests run by the Coast Guard results from Staten Island are still pending.

Tarballs were removed from the beaches.

They are small, sticky balls of oil that had to be sifted through all of the sand.

Cleanup was underway in Long Branch this weekend.

Federal officials say that they company that is represented by Gallagher marine systems is responsible for the pollution and is taking responsibility for any environmental damage.

That will do it for us tonight, do not forget to download the NJ Spotlight News podcast you can listen anytime.

For everyone at NJ Spotlight News, thank you for being with us, have a great evening and we will be back here tomorrow.

>> NJM insurance group, serving residents and businesses for over 100 years and by the PSEG foundation.

>> Serving New Jersey businesses for over a century.

As part of the Garden State we help companies keep their vehicles on the road.

Employees on the job.

And projects on track.

Working to protect employees from illness and injury, keeping goods and services moving across the state, we are proud to be a part of New Jersey.

We have New Jersey covered.

>> If you need to see a doctor, we have two easy ways to do it from anywhere.

You can see an urgent care provider 24/7 on any device with our tele-med app.

Or use our website to book a virtual visit with an RWJ Barnabas health medical group provider or specialist.

Even as a new patient.

You have taken every precaution and so have we.

Do not delay or care any longer.

Let us be healthy together.

♪