In the Assembly race, Republican incumbents Christopher "Kip" Bateman and Peter Biondi face a challenge from Democrat Robert Mack and Green Party candidate Jane Hunter.

   The district, comprising Somerset County and part of Morris County, includes Montgomery and Rocky Hill.

   A former mayor of Hillsborough and a former Somerset County freeholder, Mr. Biondi is seeking his fourth term.

   The Legislature ought to take up the responsibility for property-tax reform, Mr. Biondi said.

   Some proposals have merit, including a flat, statewide income tax or increasing the sales tax, Mr. Biondi said.

   But the reform effort is useless without a hard look at the spending side of the equation, Mr. Biondi said.

   How property-tax reform occurs is less important than the need for the changes to be made, said Mr. Bateman, who supported bills calling for a constitutional convention and a special legislative session devoted only to property-tax reform.

   "We need to come up with some new way that does not rely only on property taxes," Mr. Bateman said.

   Mr. Bateman, an attorney and Branchburg resident, is the son of former state Sen. Raymond Bateman.

   Ms. Hunter, a resident of Bound Brook, said she made her Green Party bid for the Assembly because state government could use the perspective of someone outside the traditional two-party system.

   Property-tax reform is absolutely critical, but the Legislature should not "opt out" of the debate by putting the matter before a constitutional convention, Ms. Hunter said.

   "Property taxes place the burden on people who can least afford it," she said. "The burdens should be on those who can most afford it."

   As an information systems consultant, Ms. Hunter said she has observed the flow of New Jersey's high-tech jobs out of the country to places such as India, where employment costs are lower. She said she would work to spur that industry's commitment to New Jersey.

   Mr. Mack, a resident of Hillsborough, did not return several calls seeking comment.

   State Sen. Walter Kavanaugh, a Republican, does not have an opponent.

   Bill O'Brien, a Democrat from Rocky Hill, won the uncontested party primary in June but dropped out of the Senate race to concentrate on his race for the Rocky Hill Borough Council.

   On property-tax reform, Sen. Kavanaugh would back a limited constitutional convention on the issues of property taxes.

   The most fair and equitable solution may be an income tax in place of the property tax for covering the cost of public schools, he said.

   "It seems to me the most fair way," Sen. Kavanaugh said.

   Sen. Kavanaugh objects to the current funding of the so-called Abbott District schools that require support at the levels of the most wealthy school districts.

   "We're spending over 50 percent (of the $7 billion in state school aid) on 30 districts," Sen. Kavanaugh said. "We're not getting the results we need."