GSI Briefing: Virtual Public Policy Forums

With COVID-19 forcing the cancellation of our 3rd Annual Economic Policy Forum in May 2020, GSI seized the opportunity with virtual forums to inform and engage our community by creating the GSI Briefing virtual policy forums that bring together New Jersey’s leading voices in public policy to discuss issues of importance to our state.

Scroll below to view our GSI Briefing events.

Toward a Fiscally SustAinable New Jersey (September 2021)

Former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean joins Thad Calabrese, Ph.D. and Thomas J. Healey, the authors of a new GSI report, Toward a Fiscally Sustainable New Jersey: Analysis & Recommendations, to discuss the woeful condition of state budget, its impact on taxpayers and the long-term needs to bring New Jersey back to a more sustainable, vibrant economy.

The virtual event was moderated by GSI’s president Regina M. Egea.

You can view the event by clicking at right.

A Conversation with Jason Riley (June 2021)

On June 17th, GSI hosted our latest GSI Briefing virtual forum featuring a conversation with Jason Riley, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a columnist for the Wall Street Journal, and a commentator for Fox News. His much-anticipated book, Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell, was released on May 25th.

The discussion was moderated by GSI Board Member Larry Mone, the former president of the Manhattan Institute.

You can view the event by clicking at right.

Lunch & Policy with Gov. Jared Polis (May 2021)

**Due to a last minute change with Gov. Polis’ schedule, the May 4th GSI Briefing virtual forum has been postponed. We hope to reschedule his appearance in the near future**

Join us for a complimentary virtual lunch on Tuesday, May 4th with Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO), who is building a record of cutting taxes on individuals and businesses while growing Colorado’s economy.

Learn more about the event and reserve your spot by clicking on the image below.

New Jersey’s Business Climate in 2021 (March 2021)

On March 2, 2021 GSI convened an all-star panel of business and policy leaders, moderated by ROI-NJ’s Tom Bergeron, to discuss the state of New Jersey’s business climate and what our policymakers in Trenton must do to allow business to succeed.

Our panel included:

John Boyd, Jr., Principal of The Boyd Company, a Princeton-based corporate site selection firm.
Assemblyman John Burzichelli, Vice Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee
Joe Colangelo, Founder & CEO of Boxcar, a suburban super-app with offices in Cranford, Chatham and Newark.
Jeremy Farrell, Managing Director at LeFrak, a New York based National Development & Real Estate owner.
Christina Renna, President & CEO, Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey.

To view our event summary and policy recommendations from this event please click here.

Transit & Transportation Priorities Post-COVID (January 2021)

The restructuring of traditional office arrangements and the widespread use of telecommuting are together challenging our region’s transportation authorities like at no time in our past. With this sudden reality expected to dominate for the next 2 to 3 years, what priorities and policy changes should our transportation leaders be undertaking to respond?

That was the focus of GSI’s January 26th, 2020, forum that brought together an all-star panel to discuss the region’s transit and transportation priorities:

James S. Simpson, Fmr. NJ DOT Commissioner, Federal Transit Administrator and MTA Board Member

Nicole Gelinas, Manhattan Institute & NY Post Columnist
Robert S. Gordon, NJ Transit Board Member, Fmr. State Senator and current Commissioner of the Board of Public Utilities
Jon Carnegie, Executive Director of Rutgers’ Voorhees Transportation Center

To view our event summary and policy recommendations from this event please click here.

A Conversation With Attorneys General John Degnan and Chris Porrino (November 2020)

On November 17th, 2020, our latest GSI Briefing virtual forum featured former New Jersey Attorneys General John Degnan and Chris Porrino.

New Jersey’s chief law enforcement officials under Governors Byrne and Christie offered a candid discussion of current issues facing our state, including COVID-19 impact on Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform, Marijuana Legalization, Election Integrity and the unique duties of New Jersey’s Attorney General.

New Jersey’s Fiscal Year ‘21 Budget with Rich Bagger (September 2020)

In the early weeks of the pandemic, Gov. Murphy and the state’s legislature agreed to move the end of the fiscal year and deadline for the adoption of a new state budget from June 30th to September 30th.

To help the public understand these uncharted waters, on September 15th, 2020,GSI hosted a virtual event with Richard Bagger, who served for more than a decade in the New Jersey Legislature, where he chaired the Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee, prior to serving as Gov. Christie’s first Chief of Staff. Mr. Bagger provided insights on the institutional dynamics of the Governor and Legislature during State Budget deliberations as well as the policy implications of budget choices being considered for FY ’21.

New Jersey’s COVID Economy with Dr. Jim Hughes (August 2020)

In August 2020, as New Jersey’s economy began to reopen after the first wave of the pandemic, attention turned to the impact of the pandemic on our state’s economy and job market.

Dr. James W. Hughes, a nationally known expert on demographics, housing and regional economics who served for more than two decades as the Dean of Rutgers University’s Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, presented on the impact of the pandemic on the state’s economy along with a comparative analysis of the current period to historic economic contractions such as the Great Depression and the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.