Joseph Cryan

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Joseph Cryan (born September 1, 1961) is an American Democratic Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2002, where he represents the 20th legislative district.

Cryan serves in the Assembly as Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee. Previously, he served on the Regulatory Oversight Committee (as Vice Chair), the Appropriations Committee and the Budget Committee.

Assemblyman Cryan has served on the New Jersey State Democratic Committee since 2002, as Vice Chair. In 1996, Cryan was elected as the Township of Union’s Democratic Municipal Chairman. He is an Undersheriff with the Union County Sheriff’s Office. On February 17, 2006, Mr. Cryan was selected to be the head of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, succeeding Bonnie Watson Coleman.

Cryan garduated with a B.A. in 1983 from Belmont Abbey College in Business Administration.

Cryan received considerable media attention in 2006, a year his son was charged with failing to fulfill requirements of probation imposed after he attacked a man with a baseball bat and when more than a dozen detectives from the Union County Prosecutor's office zeroed in on the State House to arrest the lawmaker's former girlfriend, lobbyist Karen Golding.

Carol Segal, a Union Township landowner, alleged that Cryan extorted $2,000 in cash as a campaign contribution and then orchetrated a local government move to seize property under eminent domain. Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine held up Cryan's election as chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee until New Jersey Attorney General Zulima Farber said she found no proof to substantiate the charges.

[edit] District 20

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 20th Legislative District are:

• Senator Raymond Lesniak, and
• Assemblyman Neil M. Cohen

[edit] External links

• Assemblyman Cryan's Legislative Website
• New Jersey Voter Information Website 2003
• New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure form for 2005 (PDF)
• New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure form for 2004 (PDF)

Preceded by: Bonnie Watson Coleman

Chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee 2006 – present

Succeeded by: Incumbent