Paul Sarlo
Encyclopedia
Paul A. Sarlo is an American Democratic Party
politician
, who has served in the New Jersey
State Senate
since 2003, where he represents the 36th Legislative District. Sarlo is the Assistant Majority Leader of the Senate, a position held since 2004.
Sarlo was appointed as state senator when former District 36 Senator Garry Furnari
, an attorney and mayor of Nutley
was appointed to the New Jersey Superior Court
. Sarlo had been the choice of Bergen County Democratic Organization Chairman Joe Ferriero
to succeed Furnari.
In the 2003 general election, Sarlo was challenged by former New Jersey General Assembly
member John V. Kelly
. Sarlo outspent Kelly by a nearly three-to-one margin in a pivotal race at a time when the Senate was evenly split between the two major parties and a change in party for any one seat could tip control of the upper house. Democrats won full control of the Senate and Sarlo won election to a full term in office by a margin of 53–44%. Sarlo was re-elected in 2007 by defeating Michael Guarino and in 2011 by defeating Donald DiOrio.
In the Senate, Sarlo serves on the Labor Committee (as Chair), the Legislative Oversight Committee (as Chair), Budget and Appropriations Committee (as Vice-Chair) and the Judiciary Committee. On November 23, 2009, the New Jersey Senate Democrats chose Sarlo to replace Barbara Buono, who was chosen to be Majority Leader, replacing Stephen Sweeney, who will be President of the New Jersey Senate, on January 12, 2010. Sarlo is Chairman-designate of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. Sarlo will take office on January 12, 2010.
Before his service as State Senator
, Sarlo spent one term in the General Assembly
, the lower house
of the New Jersey Legislature
, from 2002 to 2003. He and Wallington, New Jersey
mayor Walter Wargacki sought to unseat Republican incumbent Paul DiGaetano
and take the second seat that was vacated when John Kelly
decided to challenge for the State Senate (which he lost). Although the Democrats did not gain both seats Sarlo was able to finish second in the voting and won a seat. After he was appointed to the State Senate he was replaced by Frederick Scalera
.
As an Assemblyman, he served as Vice Chairman of the Labor Committee and as a member of the Appropriations Committee. Additionally, he was a member of the Assembly Light Rail Panel and the Assembly Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility.
In the Assembly, Sarlo was the prime sponsor of the bill creating a $29 million grant to establish a statewide bio-terrorism response plan. He also sponsored legislation to restore the Office of Public Advocate and to provide benefits and incentives for members of volunteer fire departments and rescue squads. He has also taken leading roles on legislation related to the health and welfare of women and children.
Sarlo has been a long-time proponent of the EnCap
plan. He sponsored a bill in 2004 that enabled three Meadowlands
communities to negotiate their own deals with EnCap. The results were three agreements that would turn over 40% - 50% of all future tax revenues.
A judge knocked Sarlo's 2007 GOP opponent, Michael Guarino, off the ballot, ruling that the outspoken critic of the EnCap redevelopment project had not collected enough valid signatures to qualify for a ballot position. Even though Guarino was knocked off the ballot because of a lack of signatures, he got more than enough write in votes to win the GOP nomination.
Sarlo served five years on the Wood-Ridge
Borough Council (1995–2000). Since 2000 the Senator has served as the Mayor
of Wood-Ridge Borough. He has been the Borough Engineer Borough of Carlstadt
since 1998.
He simultaneously holds a seat in the New Jersey Senate and as Mayor. This dual position, often called double dipping, is allowed under a grandfather clause in the state law enacted by the New Jersey Legislature
and signed into law by Governor of New Jersey
Jon Corzine
in September 2007 that prevents dual-office-holding but allows those who had held both positions as of February 1, 2008, to retain both posts.
Sarlo received both a B.S.
and an M.S. from the New Jersey Institute of Technology
in Civil Engineering.
He is Chief Engineer at Bishop-Sanzari Heavy Construction. Sarlo has overseen more than $150 million in projects and has worked with a skilled workforce of more than 200 men and women. He worked on the Route 4 and Route 17 interchange in Paramus
, which was completed two years ahead of schedule.
and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly
. The other representatives from the 36th District for the 2010-11 Legislative Session are:
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, who has served in the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
State Senate
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
since 2003, where he represents the 36th Legislative District. Sarlo is the Assistant Majority Leader of the Senate, a position held since 2004.
Sarlo was appointed as state senator when former District 36 Senator Garry Furnari
Garry Furnari
Garry J. Furnari is an American Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey State Senate from 1998 to 2003, where he represented the 36th Legislative District....
, an attorney and mayor of Nutley
Nutley, New Jersey
2010 Census Data:*TOTAL: 28,370 or 100%*White: 23,405 *African American: 628 *Asian: 2,824 *American Indian and Alaska Native: 36 *Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 4...
was appointed to the New Jersey Superior Court
New Jersey Superior Court
The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with state-wide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The Superior Court has three divisions: the Appellate Division is essentially an intermediate appellate court while the Law and Chancery Divisions function as trial courts...
. Sarlo had been the choice of Bergen County Democratic Organization Chairman Joe Ferriero
Joe Ferriero
Joseph A. Ferriero is an American Democratic Party political leader from New Jersey and former chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Organization. Ferriero, an attorney by profession, resides in Old Tappan...
to succeed Furnari.
In the 2003 general election, Sarlo was challenged by former New Jersey General Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
member John V. Kelly
John V. Kelly
John Vincent Kelly, Sr. was an American Republican Party politician who served as Mayor of Nutley, New Jersey and served nine terms in the New Jersey General Assembly, before losing two electoral bids to win a seat in the New Jersey Senate.-Early life and education:Kelly was born in Jersey City,...
. Sarlo outspent Kelly by a nearly three-to-one margin in a pivotal race at a time when the Senate was evenly split between the two major parties and a change in party for any one seat could tip control of the upper house. Democrats won full control of the Senate and Sarlo won election to a full term in office by a margin of 53–44%. Sarlo was re-elected in 2007 by defeating Michael Guarino and in 2011 by defeating Donald DiOrio.
In the Senate, Sarlo serves on the Labor Committee (as Chair), the Legislative Oversight Committee (as Chair), Budget and Appropriations Committee (as Vice-Chair) and the Judiciary Committee. On November 23, 2009, the New Jersey Senate Democrats chose Sarlo to replace Barbara Buono, who was chosen to be Majority Leader, replacing Stephen Sweeney, who will be President of the New Jersey Senate, on January 12, 2010. Sarlo is Chairman-designate of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. Sarlo will take office on January 12, 2010.
Before his service as State Senator
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
, Sarlo spent one term in the General Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
, the lower house
Lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
of the New Jersey Legislature
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
, from 2002 to 2003. He and Wallington, New Jersey
Wallington, New Jersey
Wallington is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 11,335.Wallington was created as a borough on January 2, 1895 , at the height of the "Boroughitis" fever then sweeping through Bergen County...
mayor Walter Wargacki sought to unseat Republican incumbent Paul DiGaetano
Paul DiGaetano
Paul DiGaetano served in the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 36th legislative district from 1992 – 2006 and from 1986 – 1987. DiGaetano also served as a member of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Commission, the Legislative Service Commission and the New Jersey Commission on...
and take the second seat that was vacated when John Kelly
John V. Kelly
John Vincent Kelly, Sr. was an American Republican Party politician who served as Mayor of Nutley, New Jersey and served nine terms in the New Jersey General Assembly, before losing two electoral bids to win a seat in the New Jersey Senate.-Early life and education:Kelly was born in Jersey City,...
decided to challenge for the State Senate (which he lost). Although the Democrats did not gain both seats Sarlo was able to finish second in the voting and won a seat. After he was appointed to the State Senate he was replaced by Frederick Scalera
Frederick Scalera
Frederick Scalera is an American Democratic Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2003 to 2011, representing the 36th legislative district.-Biography:...
.
As an Assemblyman, he served as Vice Chairman of the Labor Committee and as a member of the Appropriations Committee. Additionally, he was a member of the Assembly Light Rail Panel and the Assembly Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility.
In the Assembly, Sarlo was the prime sponsor of the bill creating a $29 million grant to establish a statewide bio-terrorism response plan. He also sponsored legislation to restore the Office of Public Advocate and to provide benefits and incentives for members of volunteer fire departments and rescue squads. He has also taken leading roles on legislation related to the health and welfare of women and children.
Sarlo has been a long-time proponent of the EnCap
EnCap
EnCap was a proposal to build golf courses and homes on remediated landfills in the New Jersey Meadowlands in three communities in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States: Lyndhurst, North Arlington and Rutherford....
plan. He sponsored a bill in 2004 that enabled three Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the primary river flowing through it, is a general name for the large ecosystem of wetlands in northeast New Jersey in the United States. The Meadowlands are known for being the site of large landfills and decades of...
communities to negotiate their own deals with EnCap. The results were three agreements that would turn over 40% - 50% of all future tax revenues.
A judge knocked Sarlo's 2007 GOP opponent, Michael Guarino, off the ballot, ruling that the outspoken critic of the EnCap redevelopment project had not collected enough valid signatures to qualify for a ballot position. Even though Guarino was knocked off the ballot because of a lack of signatures, he got more than enough write in votes to win the GOP nomination.
Sarlo served five years on the Wood-Ridge
Wood-Ridge, New Jersey
Wood-Ridge is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,626.Wood-Ridge was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on December 6, 1894, from portions of Bergen Township, based on the results of...
Borough Council (1995–2000). Since 2000 the Senator has served as the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Wood-Ridge Borough. He has been the Borough Engineer Borough of Carlstadt
Carlstadt, New Jersey
Carlstadt is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 6,127.Carlstadt was originally formed as a village by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 12, 1860, within Lodi Township. It was named after Dr...
since 1998.
He simultaneously holds a seat in the New Jersey Senate and as Mayor. This dual position, often called double dipping, is allowed under a grandfather clause in the state law enacted by the New Jersey Legislature
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
and signed into law by Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
Jon Corzine
Jon Corzine
Jon Stevens Corzine is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of MF Global, and a one time American politician, who served as the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year U.S. Senate term representing New Jersey before being elected Governor...
in September 2007 that prevents dual-office-holding but allows those who had held both positions as of February 1, 2008, to retain both posts.
Sarlo received both a B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
and an M.S. from the New Jersey Institute of Technology
New Jersey Institute of Technology
New Jersey Institute of Technology is a public research university in Newark, New Jersey. It is often also referred to as Newark College of Engineering ....
in Civil Engineering.
He is Chief Engineer at Bishop-Sanzari Heavy Construction. Sarlo has overseen more than $150 million in projects and has worked with a skilled workforce of more than 200 men and women. He worked on the Route 4 and Route 17 interchange in Paramus
Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 26,342. A suburb of New York City, Paramus is located between 15–20 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan and approximately west of Upper Manhattan.Paramus is one of...
, which was completed two years ahead of schedule.
District 36
Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey SenateNew Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
. The other representatives from the 36th District for the 2010-11 Legislative Session are:
- Assemblyman Gary SchaerGary SchaerGary Schaer is an American Democratic Party politician who serves in the New Jersey General Assembly where he represents the 36th legislative district, having taken office on January 10, 2006, and on the Passaic, New Jersey City Council where he is the council president...
, and - Assemblyman Kevin J. RyanKevin J. RyanKevin J. Ryan is a U.S. Democratic Party politician who serves in the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 36th legislative district...
External links
- Senator Sarlo's Page
- Senator Sarlo's legislative web page, New Jersey LegislatureNew Jersey LegislatureThe New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
- New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms
- New Jersey Senate Democrats Website Biography
- New Jersey Voter Information Website 2003
- When EnCap money meets local politics
- More subpoenas in hospital probe
- A look inside New Jersey's pork barrel