You left 561 comments on the Stay NJ piece — here’s what you said

I did not expect 561 comments.

I have been writing about New Jersey affordability — a lot. I know when a piece hits a nerve. But the response to the Stay NJ cuts story was something different. The comments kept coming for days. The shares kept going. My inbox filled up with people who wanted me to know exactly how this landed in their house, on their street, in their town.

I read them. Here is what you told me.

The one thing most people agreed on

In 561 comments, genuine agreement is rare. But one position kept appearing across the thread from people who were otherwise nowhere near each other politically.

Sandy Bufanio Porzio said it cleanly: the $250,000 income limit is fine, but the $6,500 benefit should be kept.

JP Thompson said the same thing and went further: "I have no issue with the reduction of income cap to $250K, I thought $500k was excessive. BUT, they need to keep the $6,500 abatement and not reduce it to $4K. I've already called and emailed her office and my reps. Do the same or you can't complain."

Robin Grounds Clem from North Jersey put it in personal terms: "I agree with the $250,000 but please don't cut the $6,000 — it really does help offset your taxes when on a fixed income even though my north Jersey taxes are more than double that."

Three different people. Three different corners of New Jersey. One clear message: cut the income cap if you have to, but leave the benefit alone.

That is not a partisan position. That is a New Jersey position.

The question nobody in Trenton has answered

Sammy Turner cut through the politics entirely: "I want to know WHY people who meet all criteria aren't receiving this help? I even called a Congressman, but never got an answer."

That one stopped me. The program is already in its first year. Checks are going out — or supposed to be going out. And there are seniors sitting at home who qualify, who applied, who did everything right, and are still waiting. Before Trenton starts cutting a program that isn't fully working yet, maybe someone should explain why eligible seniors aren't getting what they were promised in the first place.

SEE ALSO: The Stay NJ cuts hit some NJ towns much harder — is yours on the list?

The fear underneath all of it

Mary Roskowski said what a lot of people were thinking but didn't say out loud: "I think it is only the beginning of her cuts in the future."

That is the real anxiety in the comments. Not just this cut. The pattern. New Jersey has a long history of promising property tax relief, delivering it briefly, and then finding reasons to scale it back. Stay NJ arrived. The first checks went out. And within months the program was already being reduced. People have seen this movie before.

Eileen Funck Rose asked the question that exposes the policy contradiction at the heart of this: "Stay NJ is supposed to keep people from moving out of NJ. Isn't the idea to keep higher income people from leaving so their income taxes support state programs?"

She is right. The entire premise of Stay NJ is that keeping seniors in New Jersey — seniors who own homes, pay taxes, spend money locally — is worth the investment. The moment you start cutting the benefit you start undermining the argument for the program's own existence.

Where things stand right now

The budget is not final. The June 30th deadline is still weeks away and the Legislature is pushing back on several of Sherrill's proposed cuts. Republican Senator Declan O'Scanlon, who oversees the state budget, has already said publicly that cutting property tax relief is the last thing that should happen. Lawmakers on both sides have indicated they want to restore funding if savings can be found elsewhere.

That window is still open. But it closes on June 30th.

JP Thompson already called and emailed. If you haven't, now is the time. Find your state legislators at njleg.state.nj.us and tell them exactly what you told me in those 561 comments. They need to hear it from you directly — not just from the comment section of a radio station website.

The math is still working against New Jersey seniors. But the budget isn't signed yet.

That is not nothing.