Jeffrey A. Warsh

Jeffrey A. Warsh (born September 21, 1960) is an American Republican Party politician who served two terms in the New Jersey General Assembly, from 1992 to 1996, where he represented the 18th Legislative District, which covers portions of Middlesex County. He later served as Executive Director of New Jersey Transit.

In the 1991 statewide Republican landslide, triggered in the wake of Governor of New Jersey Jim Florio's $2.8 billion tax increase package, Warsh and running mate Harriet E. Derman were elected to the General Assembly, knocking off Democratic incumbent George A. Spadoro and his running mate Michael Baker, while Jack Sinagra took the Senate seat vacated by Democrat Thomas H. Paterniti.[1][2] Derman and Warsh won re-election in 1993, defeating former Assemblymember Thomas H. Paterniti and his running mate Matthew Vaughn.[3]

Warsh grew up in New Milford, New Jersey.[4] An attorney with the Eatontown firm of Ansell Zaro Bennett & Grimm, Warsh earned his undergraduate degree from Franklin & Marshall College and was awarded a law degree from Emory University School of Law.[5] While in office, in June 1995, Warsh married Amy Frances Loeb, a producer of television and radio commercials.[5]

A resident of Edison, New Jersey, Warsh and Stephen A. Mikulak sponsored a bill in 1992 that would ban the use of radar-equipped traffic enforcement cameras by law enforcement agencies in New Jersey, arguing that the system was "nothing less than a full, frontal assault on the system of American jurisprudence" that would replace "the tradition that we are innocent until proven guilty."[6] Warsh served in the Assembly as chair of the Regulatory and Oversight Committee.[5]

Warsh's running mate Harriet Derman left office in February 1994 after being appointed to head the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. Democrat Barbara Buono knocked off Republican appointee Joanna Gregory-Scocchi in a November 1994 special election.[7] Both parties had targeted the 18th District in the 1995 elections, with Republicans outspending Democrats in the district by a 2-1 margin. In a race characterized by strong negative campaigning and low turnout, described by Buono as the lowest turnout in 75 years, Warsh lost with running mate Jane Tousman to Buono and her running mate Peter J. Barnes II, recovering both seats for the Democrats.[8]

In July 1999, Governor Christine Todd Whitman nominated Warsh to serve as the executive director of New Jersey Transit.[4] A self-described train buff, Warsh oversaw the third-largest transit agency nationwide, and earned an annual salary of $165,000 in 2002 for the post.[9] In March 2002, Governor of New Jersey Jim McGreevey forced Warsh to resign from his position at New Jersey Transit.[10]

As of 2010, Warsh was employed by MBI GluckShaw, a state and local government relations firm, and was a resident of Westfield, New Jersey.[11]

References

  1. ↑ NJ Assembly 18 - History, OurCampaigns.com. Accessed July 9, 2010.
  2. ↑ NJ Senate District 18- History, OurCampaigns.com. Accessed July 4, 2010.
  3. ↑ Sullivan, Joseph F. "THE 1993 ELECTIONS: New Jersey Legislature; Cut Taxes 30 Percent? Whitman's Top Statehouse Allies Say Not So Fast", The New York Times, November 4, 1993. Accessed July 4, 2010.
  4. 1 2 Page, Jeffrey. "EX-LEGISLATOR PICKED TO DIRECT NJ TRANSIT", The Record (Bergen County), July 3, 1999. Accessed July 9, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 Staff. "WEDDINGS; Amy F. Loeb and Jeffrey A. Warsh", The New York Times, June 11, 1995. Accessed July 9, 2010.
  6. ↑ King, Wayne. "Legislators Vote to Ban Photo Radar For Speeders", The New York Times, June 12, 1992. Accessed January 31, 2013. "Another sponsor of the bill, Assemblyman Jeffrey Warsh, Republican of Edison, called the device 'nothing less than a full, frontal assault on the system of American jurisprudence' that would overturn 'the tradition that we are innocent until proven guilty.'"
  7. ↑ Edge, Wally. "How Barbara Buono got to the Legislature", Politicker Network, July 22, 2009. Accessed July 9, 2010.
  8. ↑ Sullivan, John. "POLITICS; Why a Swing District Swung to the Democrats", The New York Times, November 12, 1995. Accessed July 9, 2010.
  9. ↑ Kennedy, Randy. "PUBLIC LIVES; Keeping the Crowds and the Complainers Moving", The New York Times, January 11, 2002. Accessed July 9, 2010.
  10. ↑ Staff. "NJ Transit Executive Director Jeffrey A. Warsh forced to resign", Railway Age, March 1, 2002. Accessed July 9, 2010.
  11. ↑ Jeffrey A. Warsh, MBI GluckShaw. Accessed July 9, 2010.
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