Veteran lawmakers face a challenge in the 17th District

Two veteran assemblymen with a combined 16 years in the state Legislature are facing challenges from two Republicans in the Nov. 3 contest for two seats in the 17th District, straddling Middlesex and Somerset counties.

Democrats Upendra Chivukula, a former Franklin Township councilman, and Joseph Egan, a longtime New Brunswick city councilman, are running against Republicans Anthony Mazzola, also a former Franklin councilman, and Salim Nathoo of Piscataway, a one-time candidate for his municipal council.

Nathoo, 54, who manages a company that runs clinical tests on oral health care products, wants the state to increase opportunities for more business owners, who, he said, are hampered by cumbersome regulations.

Nathoo is also a professor of dentistry at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and has proposals for cutting waste and making schools more efficient, which he said could be done in other parts of government.

"The government has a responsibility to create jobs," he said. "If we don't control spending, we are all going to be hurting. I think it's unfair that our children are going to be stuck with our debt," said the candidate, who ran for a Piscataway Township Council seat in 2003.

Mazzola served on the Franklin council from 2001 through 2003, resigning when his Air Force Reserve unit was called to active duty. Mazzola has since retired from the military after 32 years of active and reserve duty. He has also served on other municipal boards in Franklin.

A financial adviser, Mazzola is making his second bid for a 17th District seat, having run in 2001. Like many candidates, Mazzola wants to ease the tax burden in the state.

"You control spending and you control taxes," the 52-year-old candidate said.

Both GOP nominees joined Citizens for Assembly, a group of 40 Republican, conservative and independent candidates running for legislative seats this year. Each member of the group signed a pledge to pursue 10 issues, among them reforming property taxes and the state pension system, promoting private-sector job growth, increasing penalties for corruption, and providing choices and reducing costs for education....