Sherrill moves quickly on campaign promises

The basics:

• Mikie Sherrill sworn in Jan. 20 as New Jersey’s 57th governor
• Pledges to lower costs and boost affordability
• Sherrill signs executive orders freezing utility rate hikes
• Vows to push back on actions she opposes at the federal level

Before a packed house at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, Mikie Sherrill was officially sworn in Jan. 20 as New Jersey’s 57th governor.

“Let me tell you plainly what my administration stands for: Lowering costs. Taking care of our kids. Making government accountable to the people,” Sherrill declared emphatically in her inaugural address. “As we get to work charting out success, I have listened to you, and I have heard you.”

Sherrill shared her backstory, from her family background, history and experiences, to her time serving in the United States Navy, as she stressed what makes Jersey so special, what she plans to focus on during her administration, and the challenges that we face both here in the Garden State as well as nationally.

“New Jersey never gets enough appreciation,” said Sherrill. “So, as the newest leader of our great state, for all these artists, battles and innovations, I wanted to take a moment to say, ‘You’re welcome, America.’

“And I’ll also assure you that our state will continue our great history of standing in the breach when our nation needs us.”

Sherrill said when she is asked whether her resounding win in November surprised her, she stressed “not in the least.”

“Because I know the people of New Jersey. Yes, we are loud and brash, sometimes we tan like it’s 1980, our Giants, Jets and Eagles don’t even claim our state despite our rabid devotion, and there are an inordinate number of young men who wear chains (including my two sons!),” said Sherrill. “We go home and speak different languages. You know, in this election I learned that in South Jersey, they pronounce Taylor Ham ‘pork roll!’

“But we all go home at night and hug our kids and worry about them,” she continued. “We worry about our parents. We worry about ourselves and our future. But because we live here, we refuse to give in to fear or despair. That spirit – defiant yet always looking to the future – has always defined us.

“In fact, not too far away, in the greater Camden metropolitan area, in a place called Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson wrote a Declaration of our Independence, marking the birth of our great nation.”

Trump pushback

During her speech, Sherrill stressed her focus on lowering costs and making New Jersey less expensive.

“I am going to spend every minute trying to make New Jersey more affordable and open doors to opportunity across the state,” said Sherrill.

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She also took aim at the Trump administration, promising to push back and not be tight lipped about actions she opposes that are taken at the federal level.

“We refuse to be silent as doors are shut on too many of our friends and neighbors,” said Sherrill. “Too many children and seniors who don’t have enough to eat, people who work too hard and still can’t get ahead, communities living in fear, children who are afraid that their parents will disappear in an ICE raid while they are at school.

“As we see Washington trying to shut the door on opportunity, on your safety and security, on education, on health care, on access to good jobs, on innovation, and investments in energy and infrastructure, as we are seeing doors shut for families, for working people, for vulnerable communities, as they attempt to roll back the tide of progress. Not here,” she stressed.

We refuse to be silent as doors are shut on too many of our friends and neighbors.
– Gov. Mikie Sherrill

“We are made of stronger stuff here. We are going to keep the doors open for your family. The doors that were opened for my family that led me here today.”

She said the key is opportunity.

“Opportunity is not a guarantee of success,” said Sherrill. “It’s a guarantee at a shot. New Jerseyans know that.”

No. 1 concern

But she noted that affordability, a key focus on her campaign, is critical as well. Because for families to be able to succeed, she said they need to be able to afford to live here and thrive here.

Sherrill, the first woman Democratic governor and second woman ever to assume the governorship in the state, said that as she campaigned, being able to pay high costs was the number one thing she heard from voters — from mortgage or rent payments to child care to health care to utility bills and more.

“These concerns are not abstract,” said Sherrill. “They are not ideological. They are an everyday reality for the people of this state.”

She stressed that she heard New Jerseyans as they voiced these concerns. And then took immediate action, which stuck to a campaign promise, by declaring a Day One State of Emergency on utility costs, signing two executive orders in the midst of her inauguration speech.

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“I’ve heard you, New Jersey – we are facing an affordability crisis, and you want costs to come down. And you want that to begin today,” said Sherrill. “You don’t want a strongly worded letter, you don’t want a 10-year study, and you don’t want empty words. In short, you are sick of the status quo.

“Well, guys, I am too.”

Hitting the ground running

Sherrill continued, “So, right now, yes, before I even finish this speech, I am going to sign my first in a series of executive orders to declare a State of Emergency on utility costs. First, I am issuing an Executive Order giving the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities the authority to pause new utility requests for additional rate increases, and I will freeze rate hikes to finally provide families with real relief on their energy bills.

“Second, I am issuing an Executive Order directing the Board of Public Utilities to open solicitations for new solar and storage power generation, to modernize gas and nuclear generation, so we can lower utility costs over the long term,” Sherrill continued. “This is just the beginning. We are going to take on the affordability crisis, and we are going to shake up the status quo.”

On her first day in office, Sherrill would sign four more executive orders, including ethics standards for her administration; establishing the Office of the Chief Operating Officer – a role that Kellie Doucette will assume; establishing a Cross-Agency Permitting Team; and taking steps to protect kids online and improve their mental health,  including establishing the Office of Youth Online Mental Health Safety and Awareness.

An Inaugural Ball, held at American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, capped off the new governor’s busy first day.

‘Results, not rhetoric’

Sherrill’s administration is rapidly taking shape, as she has made a series of appointments and nominations in key roles. And she is gearing up to give her first Budget Address in the next few weeks, a process that will really set the course for her administration’s first year.

“Under this administration, agencies will be judged by results, not rhetoric,” said Sherrill. “We will work to make government more transparent. We will work to save you time and money. You may not agree with every decision we make, but you will know why we made it.

“And you will know that all of our decisions are made putting you, the public, first.”

Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell, who also serves as secretary of state, thanked the voters for placing their confidence in the Sherrill-Caldwell administration.

“My parents taught me that we must support those who too often go unseen or unheard,” said Caldwell. “They taught me to champion small organizations, small businesses, and hardworking families who carry the weight of our communities on their backs.

“Proverbs 31:8-9 tells us to: ‘Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves … defend the rights of the poor and needy.’ This verse is more than scripture to me – it is a promise I make to you today,” said Caldwell, the first pastor elected to the state’s second-highest office. “It will be my guiding principle as your lieutenant governor.”

Murphy bids farewell

The beginning of the new administration, of course, also marks the end of the Murphy administration. It made for a very busy few days around the Garden State, as Gov. Phil Murphy wrapped up his second and final term — including delivering his final State of the State Address Jan. 13 in Trenton.

“The fact is: I have never been more optimistic about New Jersey’s future than I am today,” said Murphy in his final address. “Not just because it is my nature. But because our state is in good hands. At a time of great uncertainty, we have a superhero waiting in the wings.

“Our great governor-elect, and the pride of Montclair: Mikie Sherrill, along with her right-hand man, the outstanding lieutenant governor-elect: Dale Caldwell. Mikie has done it all. Like a true Naval aviator, she has navigated the chaos in Congress with grit and grace. She has inspired millions of New Jerseyans,” Murphy continued. “And Mikie and Dale are going to be amazing.

“This job is not easy. But it is the journey of a lifetime. Because to lead our state is to love it.”

‘Liberty and Prosperity’

Murphy also noted the important year ahead.

“With the dawn of 2026, we mark the beginning of one of the most iconic chapters in our state’s history,” said Murphy. “A chapter in which our New Jersey will pride will be on full display, with the 250th anniversary of American Revolution and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. These will be two of the most defining events of the century. Period.

“And each of them will play out right here in the Garden State – in front of the entire world. But, beyond the spectacle and the excitement, there is something deeply meaningful about these two marquee moments unfolding at the same time,” Murphy continued. “Because together, they are a bridge between New Jersey’s PAST and our FUTURE.”

As Sherrill wrapped up her first speech as the state’s governor, she reflected on the dawn of the nation and how the people of New Jersey chose a state motto.

“They were among the first to do so. On the heels of a horrible war, they narrowed in on these two things that they felt their countrymen had fought and died for: Liberty and Prosperity,” said Sherrill. “Today, I take up their work once again. Protecting liberty, ensuring that power is not placed in the hands of a few, but rather that the universal rights of all New Jerseyans are protected.

“And prosperity, through opening the door to opportunity. That is my commitment to you as your 57th governor.”