Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) is expected to be named chairman of the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee. The post became available in July when Neil Cohen resigned his Assembly seat after being caught with child pornography on his state computer. A formal announcement from Speaker Joseph Roberts is expected to come later this afternoon.
With jurisdiction over the banking and insurance industries, the committee is considered to be one of the most powerful assignments in the Legislature. Schaer, a two-term Assemblyman, has a background and career in the financial services industry and has formed a solid relationship with Roberts. For now, Schaer will retain his vice chairmanship of the Assembly Budget Committee.
Ironically, this is the second time this year Schaer has been the beneficiary of a resignation. He became the Acting Mayor of Passaic when Sammy Rivera resigned follwing his criminal conviction.
Schaer does not currently serve on the Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee, and was chosen over four Democrats currently on the panel: Jack Conners (D-Pennsuaken), John McKeon (D-West Orange), John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville) and Grace Spencer (D-Newark). All but Spencer, a freshman, already chair full Assembly committees.
The race for governor helped give PolitickerNJ.com our best month since the site launched on February 1, 2000.
As compared to the four weeks ... >
The contest for Governor of New Jersey might be the most visible but in the long term it might not be the most important. Long after our youngest ... >
Political discourse in America contains much in the way of intellect or intellectual honesty. One considers the Federalist Papers with wistful awe: ... >
Governor-elect Christopher J. Christie. How sweet it is for the thousands of volunteers who worked since February to support this great man for NJ ... >
With a convincing win in defeating an encumbent Governor, why were there no coattails? >
Within 24 hours after the election of Chris Christie as Governor, the battle was joined between the Governor-elect and the New Jersey Education ... >
I am often asked by my students, friends and even reporters why campaigns in New Jersey are so nasty and why candidates rely so heavily on negative ... >
It was a dark and stormy November night. An icy wind whistled through leafless moonlit trees. A loud thud is followed by a piercing scream. A ... >
OK, aside from the governor’s race, the House Health Care Bill (H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act). was the big news of ... >
According to the latest SurveyUSA and Rutgers Eagleton polls, independent gubernatorial candidate Chris Daggett has the support of 19% and 20% of ... >