N.J. still searches for perfect slogan

TRENTON, N.J., Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Once upon a time in the 1980s, New Jersey had a slogan that really sang.

"New Jersey and You -- Perfect Together," purred in former Gov. Thomas Kean's upper-crust accent was easy to mock. But it also stuck in the mind.

Since then, slogans for the Garden State have come and gone. Four years ago, the state Department of Commerce began using "Get Away Without Going Far Away" as a temporary tagline while officials thought of something else.

Now, acting Gov. Dick Codey has rejected "New Jersey: We'll Win You Over," the Star-Ledger of Newark reported.

"It starts with a negative connotation," Codey said. "Why win you over? We're a great state. People want to come here."

Codey wants input from New Jersey residents as well.

In 2001, a Star-Ledger/Eagleton Poll offered respondents a slate of slogans. "New Jersey: A Garden of Diversity" won a plurality, beating the old "New Jersey and You" by 2 percent.

In the meantime, state Sen. Thomas Kean Jr. has sponsored legislation that would make his father's old slogan the official and permanent one. The bill remains bottled up in committee.