Bill Baroni

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Senator Bill Baroni
Senator Bill Baroni

Bill Baroni (born December 10, 1971) is an American Republican Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey Senate, where he has represented the 14th legislative district since January 8, 2008. Prior to his Senate service, Baroni served in the General Assembly from 2004-2008.

On November 6, 2007, he won election to become State Senator of the 14th Legislative District. He captured 67% of the vote, defeating Democratic Party opponent Seema Singh.[1] Baroni filled the State Senate seat vacated by Senator Peter Inverso.[2]

There had been speculation that Baroni would seek the Republican nomination for United States Senate in 2008 against Frank R. Lautenberg,[3] but his run for the New Jersey Senate effectively ended that speculation.[4]

Baroni currently serves in the Senate on the Joint Committee on the Public Schools, the Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee and the Judiciary Committee. He was the Assembly's Assistant Parliamentarian in 2004 and 2005.[5]

Baroni served on the Mercer County Community College Board of Trustees from 1998-2003. He was a member of the Hamilton Township Planning Board from 1998-2000. Baroni is an Attorney and an Adjunct Professor at the Seton Hall University School of Law, where he teaches about voting rights and campaign finance reform.[5] Baroni serves on the Foundation Board of both The College of New Jersey and Mercer County Community College. Baroni is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Greater Trenton Symphony Orchestra and on the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.[6]

Baroni served as Chief Counsel to Congressman Bob Franks' campaign for United States Senate and worked on the Presidential campaign of Senator John McCain. He has worked for numerous local officials, including Congressman Chris Smith, Senator Peter Inverso and Mercer County Executive Bob Prunetti. He was the election lawyer for candidate Doug Forrester's failed bid to prevent Frank Lautenberg's entry into the 2002 New Jersey United States Senate election, after fellow Democrat Robert Torricelli, withdrew his candidacy for reelection due to corruption charges.[7]

In his 2005 bid for re-election to the Assembly, he knocked on over 10,000 doors as he mounted an aggressive campaign.[8]

Baroni received a B.A. from George Washington University in History and was awarded a J.D. from the University of Virginia.[5]

Baroni was born in Jacksonville, Florida to an unwed Irish woman who came to the United States to have her baby. Catholic Charities arranged for him to be adopted by William Sr. and Geraldine Baroni a few days later. The circumstances of Baroni's birth became an issue in 2003, during his first campaign for the Legislature, when the incumbent, Gary Guear, charged that he had lied in his campaign biography by saying he was a lifelong resident of Hamilton Township. When Baroni responded that he had lived in Hamilton since he was a few days old and told the story of his adoption, Guear's move backfired.[9]

[edit] District 14

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 14th District for the 2008-2009 Legislative Session are:

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Indian-American Chivukula wins New Jersey Assembly polls", The Hindu, November 8, 2007. Accessed January 21, 2008.
  2. ^ "Inverso Leaving the Senate", The Trenton Times. Accessed March 28, 2007
  3. ^ Star Ledger "People to Watch in 2007: Bill Baroni", accessed January 24, 2007
  4. ^ With Baroni out, Doherty may be front runner for '08, PoliticsNJ.com, March 26, 2007.
  5. ^ a b c Senator Baroni's legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed April 24, 2008.
  6. ^ Assembly Member Bill Baroni, Project Vote Smart. Accessed August 10, 2007.
  7. ^ Supreme Court won't intervene in N.J. case: 'Let the campaign begin', CNN.com, October 8, 2002
  8. ^ Walsh, Diane C. "Getting votes one at a time: Baroni builds ties with constituents", The Star-Ledger, February 29, 2004. Accessed August 10, 2007. "Knocking on more than 10,000 doors in Mercer and Middlesex counties helped Republican Bill Baroni win the 14th District Assembly race last fall when so many of his GOP colleagues were left by the wayside.... The hostilities from the fall campaign, when Baroni ousted Greenstein's running mate, incumbent Gary Guear, have faded somewhat. Greenstein's staffers even attended the meeting at Pierre's."
  9. ^ Sullivan, John. "Bucking the Trend, One Republican Got In", The New York Times, November 23, 2003. Accessed February 21, 2008.

[edit] External links

Current members of the New Jersey Senate
This box: view • talk • edit

1: Jeff Van Drew (D)
2: Jim Whelan (D)
3: Stephen M. Sweeney (D)
4: Fred H. Madden (D)
5: Dana Redd (D)
6: John Adler (D)
7: Diane Allen (R)
8: Phil Haines (R)
9: Christopher J. Connors (R)
10: Andrew R. Ciesla (R)

11: Sean T. Kean (R)
12: Jennifer Beck (R)
13: Joseph M. Kyrillos (R)
14: Bill Baroni (R)
15: Shirley Turner (D)
16: Christopher Bateman (R)
17: Bob Smith (D)
18: Barbara Buono (D)
19: Joseph Vitale (D)
20: Raymond Lesniak (D)

21: Thomas Kean, Jr. (R)
22: Nicholas Scutari (D)
23: Leonard Lance (R)
24: Steve Oroho (R)
25: Anthony Bucco (R)
26: Joseph Pennacchio (R)
27: Richard Codey (D)
28: Ronald Rice (D)
29: Teresa Ruiz (D)
30: Robert Singer (R)

31: Sandra Bolden Cunningham (D)
32: Nicholas Sacco (D)
33: Brian P. Stack (D)
34: Nia Gill (D)
35: John Girgenti (D)
36: Paul Sarlo (D)
37: Loretta Weinberg (D)
38: Robert M. Gordon (D)
39: Gerald Cardinale (R)
40: Kevin J. O'Toole (R)
Democrat (23 seats) | Republican (17 seats)