By Allison Perrine
MIDDLETOWN – Some may only know New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy as a political leader who speaks routinely about COVID-19 during weekly press conferences. But to many others, he’s a dedicated philanthropist and activist who supports his community. Murphy, a Middletown resident and Democrat, is looking to continue his work and is seeking reelection to office this November. He shared a reflection on his first term as governor with The Two River Times, along with his future goals, COVID-19 response, volunteerism and a look at his life in Monmouth County. “The job is the honor of a lifetime,” Murphy said in a phone interview. “I feel like we’ve done a lot but we’ve got business yet to finish and that’s why I’m running again.”
Murphy and his administration have been able to accomplish or start “most of” the things he committed to do when running for office four years ago – like criminal justice reform, clean energy initiatives, creating a “stronger and fairer state,” raising the minimum wage and much more, he said. But unbeknownst to him – or anyone else at the time – he would later face a major challenge during his term: the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the day after Murphy underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor on his kidney (he said everything is “so far, so good”), the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in New Jersey. The Middletown resident shortened his planned recovery and got right to work – and never stopped. He has spent countless hours on phone calls and video conferences with White House representatives, medical experts and team members, he said, and did everything he could to “show up” for New Jersey. He signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency and introduced lifesaving measures including social distancing mandates, mask requirements and mandatory closures. “The state has overwhelmingly done the right thing,” said Murphy. “We’ve come together as one New Jersey family and I think, unlike really almost any other American state, I think we can be incredibly proud – all 9.3 million of us.”
Fast forward to today, over 27,000 New Jerseyans have lost their lives to the virus and the pandemic is not yet over. It’s partly why some businesses are still struggling to find workers. To help, Murphy recently announced a new Return and Earn incentive program which offers $500 to unemployed New Jerseyans to reenter the workforce and additional funds to businesses to hire new employees in need of training. More information about the program can be found at nj.gov. “We’re not unique. All of America is going through this crazy labor market and recovery process. We’re not immune to it, but I want to make sure that we recover as well as anybody and we recover it in an equitable way,” said Murphy. “We put a lot of money on the street for small businesses. I think we’re No. 3 in America in terms of dollars for small businesses behind only California and New York, who are both a lot bigger than we are.”
The Massachusetts native and his wife Tammy moved to New Jersey in 1998. Together they raised their four children in the area and brought them up in local schools. It was the “best decision” they ever made, Murphy said. “My wife grew up (in Virginia Beach) sort of off the water as we are and near the ocean as we are. And that’s a particularly special part of the county. We love living there,” he said. “We’ve got great neighbors. Our kids have made lifelong friends from the area who are really good OCTOBER 21, 2021 people from good families. It’s a very special area in a very special state.” The Murphys show their appreciation to various organizations that make Monmouth County a special place. That includes the 180 Turning Lives Around nonprofit which supports victims and families of domestic and sexual violence survivors. Murphy was its board president and Tammy was chair of its advisory board for some time. Together he and Tammy founded the “2nd Floor” teen help hotline, a statewide initiative that allows individuals to call or text the hotline at 888-222-2228 and receive support, advice and comfort from trained volunteers 24/7, its website states. “That’s still a very successful resource for teens,” Murphy said.
Tammy has also been involved with Monmouth Medical Center as the chair of its Foundation Board, served on the board of Count Basie and has been active with the Fulfill food bank and JBJ Soul Kitchen, alongside her husband. In their spare time, the Murphys like to support local businesses and order food from local restaurants. They also partake in various Monmouth County-based 5K races, most recently in Little Silver. An ideal Saturday for Murphy would start with a run and possibly a walk around Thompson Park later in the day. It would also include a local bite to eat, watching sports on TV and doing “some kind of work” since he effectively works seven days a week, he said. And if it were a Saturday in the summer, it would ideally include a trip to the beach.
With the general election coming up, Murphy reminds New Jerseyans that early voting is still an option for those interested – including early in-person voting for the first time ever in the state. Early in-person voting will be held Saturday, Oct. 23 through Sunday, Oct. 31. More information is available at nj.gov/state/elections/vote-early-voting.
This article originally appeared in the Oct. 21-27, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
