Loretta Weinberg

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Senator Loretta Weinberg

Loretta Weinberg (born February 6, 1935, New York City) is an American Democratic Party politician, who has served as a member of the New Jersey Senate since 2005, where she represents the 37th legislative district. Weinberg stepped down from her Assembly seat and was sworn in on November 10, 2005 to fill the Senate seat vacated by Byron Baer. Weinberg serves in the Senate on the Commerce Committee, the Judiciary Committee and the State Government Committee.

Before being named to the Senate seat, Weinberg served in the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature, the General Assembly, from 1992-2005. In the Assembly, Weinberg served as the Majority Conference Leader from 2002-2005, Deputy Minority Leader from 1996-2001 and as the Assistant Minority Leader from 1994-1995. Weinberg served as the Chairwoman of the Health and Human Services Committee, as well as the Vice Chairwoman of the Family, Women, and Children’s Services Committee. Additionally, she also served on the New Jersey Historical Commission, Legislative Services Commission and the New Jersey Israel Commission. Some of her past Committee assignments include the Community Services Committee, the Veteran Affairs Committee and, most recently, the Consumer and Regulated Professions Committee.

From 1975-1985, Loretta was the Assistant Administrator to Bergen County. She was elected to the Teaneck Township Council in 1990, completing her council term in 1994. Besides her work in Trenton, Weinberg has also been active in a number of community organizations including the American Red Cross, Shelter Our Sisters, the Bergen Family Center, AARP Teaneck Chapter, New Jersey Network of Women Elected Officials, National Organization of Women Legislators and the National Council of Jewish Women.

Her honors and awards include “Legislator Worker of the Year” from the National Association of Social Workers - New Jersey Chapter, The “Friend of New Jersey’s Children Award” from the American Academy of Pediatrics - New Jersey Chapter and the “Legislator of the Year Award” form the New Jersey Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community (COSAC). Assemblywoman Weinberg has been selected by Marquis Who’s Who for inclusion in the “Who’s Who of American Women List”.

Weinberg graduated from the University of California with a B.A. in History and Political Science and has completed all course work for a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

[edit] Run for State Senate

Weinberg ran for the New Jersey Senate after fellow District 37 legislator Byron Baer resigned from the Senate on September 8, 2005. From the outset of his term, the resignation of the often-ailing Baer had been the subject of much speculation and maneuvering. In a January 7, 2004 article for PoliticsNJ.com, political reporter Steve Kornacki wrote, “Depending on whom you listen to, the 74-year-old Baer will step down sometime between the next few months and January 2008, when his term expires.”

Kornacki identified a number of "potential successors" to Baer, including Hackensack Police Chief and former Assemblyman Charles “Ken” Zisa, who had briefly mounted a challenge to Baer’s 2003 re-nomination before withdrawing it in what some have said was a deal brokered by Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero; county Freeholder Valerie Huttle; Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes; and Weinberg. “But,” wrote Kornacki, “whether Weinberg, who backed Zisa in his brief bid to topple Baer last year, does want it [the Senate seat] is an open question.”

Sixteen months later, that question appeared to have been answered. In a May 3, 2005 PoliticsNJ.com article, Kornacki reported, “Weinberg essentially admitted to striking a deal with Ferriero. She said the chairman agreed to back her for [Assembly] majority leader, while she pledged to support a candidate of his choosing to replace state Senator Byron Barer when the 75-year old steps down...some say she also had pledged support to Valerie Vainieri Huttle, a freeholder, for the Senate spot.”

Following Baer’s resignation, Ferriero backed Zisa to fill the vacancy, as expected. Huttle prepared to challenge Zisa for the nomination. Weinberg then let it be known she was interested, and on September 11, 2005, United States Senator Jon Corzine, the Democratic candidate for Governor of New Jersey, endorsed Weinberg for Baer's seat. Huttle bowed out of the race and endorsed Weinberg.

The Bergen County Democratic Organization caucused on September 15, 2005, to select a candidate. In balloting to replace Baer on an interim basis, Weinberg lost by a 114-110 margin to Zisa. In a separate vote, by a 112-111 margin, Zisa was selected over Weinberg to be the party's candidate on the November ballot. Though she congratulated Zisa in remarks made after results were announced at the September 15 caucus, Weinberg stated that inclusion of several uncounted ballots might change the results in her favor.

Weinberg filed a legal challenge to the caucus results to have the unopened ballots included, which she believes were cast for her. On September 20, 2005, Superior Court Judge Peter Doyne refused to interfere in what was a party matter and upheld the decision of the election mediator, Rep. Steve Rothman, to exclude the five ballots. On September 23, 2005, an Appellate Court panel sent the case back to Judge Doyne, ruling that he did have the authority to address a party issue and that the five uncounted ballots cast by Tenafly Democratic Committee members could be counted irrespective of the failure to file their names within the specified 30-day window. Zisa announced on September 26, 2005, that he would appeal the Appellate panel's decision to the New Jersey Supreme Court. Judge Doyne's hearing on September 28 to readdress the issues was underway when the Supreme Court issued a ruling upholding the Appellate Court's decision and affirming that the 30-day rule for submission of new County Committee members could not be enforced. Judge Doyne decided on October 3, 2005, in Weinberg's favor, ruling that ballots from the "Tenafly Five" should be counted. Pending an appeal by Zisa and the Bergen County Democratic Committee to the New Jersey Supreme Court, the ballots would be counted on October 4, 2005.

On October 5, 2005, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that it would not hear an appeal from Ken Zisa and the Bergen County Democratic Organization. The "Tenafly Five" ballots were opened by Judge Peter Doyne, and each ballot was cast for Loretta Weinberg, thus giving her the slim margin of victory. Weinberg defeated Zisa by one vote in balloting to fill Baer's vacated seat on an interim basis, 115-114, and won the contest for the Democratic ballot spot in November, by a total of 116-112.

With Weinberg's victory, Bergen County Freeholder Valerie Huttle and Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes both announced their candidacy for Weinberg's Assembly seat. The choice was decided by yet another special convention of the Bergen County Democratic Committee on October 6, 2005, with Huttle outpolling Wildes 121-96. On Election Day, November 8, 2005, Huttle won the Assembly seat.

[edit] District 37

Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The other representatives from the 37th Legislative District for the 2006-2008 legislative session are: