Schundler takes aim at Forrester with ads

He may 'go negative' in campaign's last days

Friday, June 03, 2005

BY DEBORAH HOWLETT

Star-Ledger Staff

A day after trumpeting his first television ad in the Republican race for governor as "100 percent positive," Bret Schundler offered a preview of three much sharper spots he may use in the days leading up to the June 7 primary election.

The ads target Doug Forrester, Schundler's main rival, and his record as mayor of West Windsor in the early 1980s, as well as his plan to reduce property taxes. The tag line of one ad calls Forrester "just another big tax and pay-grabbing millionaire liberal."

Bill Pascoe, Schundler's communications director, conceded the ads were negative, but wound not equate them with recent TV spots from Forrester.

"There's a big difference between a negative ad and a smear campaign," Pascoe said. "It's a hard hit, but it's above the belt."

Forrester spokeswoman Sherry Sylvester said the campaign anticipated that Schundler would attack. "We expected this all along," she said. "It's not a surprise."

The race for the Republican nomination for governor has intensified in its closing days. Recent polls show Forrester widening his lead over Schundler but many voters say they could change their minds at the last minute.

Earlier in the week, Forrester declined an invitation to appear on an New Jersey Network public television news affairs show with Schundler. Forrester tried to cancel out of a long-scheduled joint appearance before the Garden State Schools Coalition two days ago, citing a scheduling conflict. Yesterday, he agreed to appear in the last half hour of the two-hour forum -- after Schundler addressed the group.

"We had hoped it would work out that they would be in the same place at the same time," said Lynne Strickland, director of the coalition, which had billed the event as a "one-on-one" with the candidates. "The candidates couldn't work that out so we have what was the best arrangement we could work out."

Sylvester said Forrester had a scheduling problem, and is not trying to duck one-on-ones with Schundler.

"That's absurd," she said. "Doug would be and has been happy to talk about property tax with Mr. Schundler anytime, anywhere -- as we have for the past five months from High Point to Cape May."

All seven Republican candidates will have a final debate in New York on Sunday.

The Forrester campaign also took exception to the new Schundler ads, which point out that Forrester doubled his own salary and tripled property taxes.

West Windsor was forced to build a new sewer system, Sylvester pointed out, and the tripling of property taxes still left the average tax bill at less than $500. Forrester also doubled his own salary to $2,400 a year -- an amount meant to cover expenses.

The new Schundler ads were first posted as an advertisement on the Web site politicsnj.com, a news source for campaign junkies. The ads have not yet aired on television, although they are in the mix with several others for use in the final weekend of the campaign.

Pascoe said the campaign bought the Web site ad -- which cost more than a 30-second spot on the Food Network -- as a sort of survey to see what drew the most response. "It was a pretty cost-effective buy," Pascoe said.

The Forrester campaign also unveiled a new ad yesterday. Slated to run in the campaign's final days, the 30-second spot touts Forrester and does not mention any of his opponents