My office has received strong support from 45 (with more arriving daily) South Jersey municipalities through their passage of a resolution drafted on this subject. I am also in receipt of more than 1,000 petition signatures in favor of our location. Along with state Sen. Wayne Bryant and 10 Senate colleagues, we have introduced a resolution in Trenton asking the Battleship Commission to consider our Delaware River site.

Our waterfront can provide more than the 500,000 annual tourists needed to bring the battleship here. A strong supportive transportation infrastructure is already in place, with our existing highway, ferry service and aerial tram to be built across the Delaware. We have tremendous support from interested parties on both sides of the river.

I would like to commend the USS New Jersey Battleship Commission. Under the leadership of its chairman, Assemblyman Joseph Azzolina, it has done a masterful job of raising funds and public awareness for bringing the battleship back to our great state, and we owe its members our gratitude for these accomplishments.

Camden Mayor Milt Milan and I will be appearing before the commission on July 8 to have South Jersey's voice heard as to our pre-eminent site in Camden for the berthing of the battleship.

Anyone interested in joining us in our advocacy efforts can contact my Turnersville legislative office, Mayor Milan's office at City Hall in Camden or Camden County Freeholder Pat Jones' office. We are very appreciative of everyone's interest in helping bring 'The Big J' back to her true place of birth.

SEN. JOHN J. MATHEUSSEN
Turnersville