Da'Shone Hughey
We the PeopleQ4 New Jersey has a longstanding history of being seriously affected by natural disasters. Recently, heavy rainfall brought a significant amount of flooding that caused damage and loss of business in commercial and residential areas of NJ. What policies, if any, would you pursue to mitigate the effects of natural disasters, and what role would state scientists and flood experts have in the policies you propose to mitigate the effects of flooding?
New Jersey needs to move from disaster response to disaster prevention and resilience. My New Thinking philosophy is simple: if science can help predict flooding, government should act before communities suffer the damage. As a representative, I would pursue a New Jersey Flood Resilience Initiative with four priorities:
- Map the risk: Create continuously updated flood-risk maps using rainfall, watershed, drainage, infrastructure, and sea-level data, with state scientists and hydrologists guiding decisions.
- Fund prevention: Direct federal infrastructure and disaster-resilience dollars toward stormwater systems, drainage, dams, roads, bridges, wetlands restoration, and green infrastructure in the communities facing the greatest risk.
- Protect property: Expand grants and low-interest financing for homeowners and small businesses to elevate buildings, install flood barriers, improve drainage, and relocate critical equipment above flood levels.
- Improve response: Establish coordinated early-warning systems and require municipalities to maintain emergency flood-response plans based on current scientific data. I would also support accelerating federal disaster assistance after major floods while ensuring that prevention receives funding before disasters occur. State scientists, engineers, hydrologists, and flood experts should have a central role in setting priorities—not politics. New Thinking means using science to anticipate tomorrow’s problems rather than simply paying to repair yesterday’s damage. Protect lives. Protect property. Protect New Jersey’s communities.
Q5 In 2025, only 26% of NJ students met proficiency in science on standardized tests. In cities such as Newark, this is as low as 7%. Furthermore the number of math and science educators in NJ is waning (9% decrease). What policies, if any, would you propose to increase access to quality STEM education across the state and to address the decline in evidence-based learning?
New Jersey cannot build a 21st-century economy with a 20th-century STEM education system. My New Thinking philosophy is to prepare students for the world they are entering—not the world we inherited. I would propose a New Jersey STEM and Future Workforce Initiative with five concrete actions:
- STEM Opportunity Grants: Direct federal and state funds to schools for robotics, AI, computer science, engineering labs, and hands-on science, prioritizing underserved districts.
- STEM Teacher Corps: Provide scholarships, loan assistance, paid residencies, and competitive retention incentives for qualified math and science teachers.
- Queriosity Learning Centers: Pilot centers that provide AI-assisted tutoring, robotics, VR, experimentation, and project-based learning after school and during summers. Successful models could be expanded statewide through public-school and community partnerships.
- STEM Career Pathways: Require participating schools to develop partnerships with universities, manufacturers, technology companies, hospitals, laboratories, and apprenticeship programs.
- Measure Results: Track science and math proficiency, teacher vacancies, STEM course enrollment, certifications, internships, and post-graduation outcomes—and redirect resources toward programs demonstrating measurable improvement. New Thinking means replacing passive learning with curiosity, experimentation, technology, and measurable results. Every New Jersey student should have the opportunity to become a creator of the future, not merely a consumer of it.
Q6 To date, there are over 80 operational data centers present in New Jersey, four more proposed, and another currently under construction. Governor Mikie Sherill has recently signed the Data Center Fair Share Act, allowing centers to offset energy demands by paying for clean energy upgrades to local homes. What other policies and regulations, if any, would you support to assess and manage the impact of these data centers on the environment and infrastructure of New Jersey?
New Jersey should not choose between leading the AI economy and protecting our communities. We should do both. My New Thinking philosophy is that transformative technology requires equally transformative infrastructure and accountability. I would support a New Jersey Data Center Impact Standard requiring:
- Impact assessments before approval covering electricity, water, emissions, noise, traffic, and infrastructure.
- Fair-share costs: Developers help fund grid, water, road, and emergency-service upgrades their facilities require.
- Clean-energy plans: Large data centers should demonstrate how they will meet new energy demand through clean generation, storage, efficiency, or other verified solutions.
- Water accountability: Require monitoring, conservation, and reuse where feasible.
- Community investment: Host communities should receive infrastructure improvements, workforce training, and local economic benefits.
- STEM workforce development: Connect data centers with New Jersey schools, colleges, apprenticeships, and innovative programs such as Queriosity. I would also require transparent reporting so residents can see the economic and environmental impacts of major facilities. New Thinking means building tomorrow’s infrastructure without leaving today’s communities with the bill. New Jersey should become a national leader in responsible AI infrastructure where innovation, economic opportunity, environmental stewardship, and community investment advance together.