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Bob Smith (New Jersey politician)

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Bob Smith (born March 25, 1947) is an American Democratic Party politician, who has been serving in the New Jersey State Senate since 2002, where he represents the 17th Legislative District. Smith was elected to his first Senate term in November 2001 to fill the seat vacated by the retirement of John Lynch.[1] Smith serves in the Senate on the Environment Committee (as Chair) and the Judiciary Committee.[2]

Bob Smith
Member of the New Jersey Senate
from the 17th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 8, 2002
Preceded byJohn Lynch
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 17th district
In office
January 14, 1986 – January 8, 2002
Preceded byAngela L. Perun
Succeeded byUpendra Chivukula
Joseph V. Egan
Mayor of Piscataway
In office
January 1, 1981 – January 14, 1986
Member of Piscataway Township Council
In office
January 1, 1977 – December 31, 1980
Personal details
Born (1947-03-25) March 25, 1947 (age 77)
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseEllen
ResidencePiscataway, New Jersey
Alma materB.A. University of Scranton (History)
M.S. University of Scranton (Chemistry)
M.S. Rutgers University (Environmental Science)
J.D. Seton Hall University School of Law
OccupationAttorney
WebsiteLegislative Website

Early life

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Smith received a B.A. degree in 1969 from the University of Scranton in History, an M.S. in 1970 from the University of Scranton in Chemistry, an M.S. in 1973 from Rutgers University in Environmental Science and was awarded a J.D. in 1981 from the Seton Hall University School of Law. Smith taught environmental science and chemistry at Middlesex County College for 15 years. By profession, Senator Smith is an attorney.[2] Smith served as Mayor of Piscataway, New Jersey from 1981 to 1986, served on the Piscataway Township Council from 1977 to 1980, its Planning Board from 1975 to 1986 (as its Chair in 1976) and on the Piscataway Environmental Committee from 1971 to 1975.[2]

New Jersey Assembly

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Before being elected to the State Senate, Smith served in the General Assembly, the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature, from 1986 to 2001. In the Assembly, Smith served as the Deputy Minority Leader from 1994 to 1995 and as the Parliamentarian from 1988 to 1989.[2]

New Jersey Senate

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Smith sponsored and passed laws dealing with such matters as increasing penalties for violations of environmental laws, repairing outmoded combined sewer systems, and reforming the state's oil spill prevention efforts. Senator Smith's legislative accomplishments include authoring the Ocean Pollution Bounty Act, Sludge Management Act, Oil Spill Prevention Act, the Worker and Community Right to Know Act and the Clean Water Enforcement Act. He has sought the enactment of laws affording greater protection to child victims of abuse and sponsored bills to increase the penalties for carjacking.

In 2020, he was one of the co-sponsors of Assembly Bill 4454 (now N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.36a) which requires that a curriculum on diversity and inclusion be part of the school curriculum for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.[3]

Committee assignments

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Committee assignments for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[2]

  • Environment and Energy (as chair)
  • Judiciary

District 17

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Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly.[4] The representatives from the 17th District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[5]

Electoral history

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Senate

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17th Legislative District General Election, 2023[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Smith (incumbent) 20,643 72.8
Republican William P. Mikita Jr. 7,718 27.2
Total votes 28,361 100.0
Democratic hold
17th Legislative District general election, 2021[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Smith (incumbent) 32,455 69.11
Republican James A. Abate 14,505 30.89
Total votes 46,960 100.0
Democratic hold
New Jersey general election, 2017[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Bob Smith 29,816 71.4   11.6
Republican Daryl J. Kipnis 11,921 28.6   11.6
Total votes 41,737 100.0
New Jersey State Senate elections, 2013[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Smith (incumbent) 22,920 59.8
Republican Brian D. Levine 15,403 40.2
Democratic hold
New Jersey State Senate elections, 2011[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Smith (incumbent) 15,507 64.0
Republican Jordan Rickards 8,715 36.0
Democratic hold
New Jersey State Senate elections, 2007[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Smith (incumbent) 16,898 61.7
Republican John Costello 10,506 38.3
Democratic hold
New Jersey State Senate elections, 2003[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Smith (incumbent) 17,438 61.0
Republican Jeffrey M. Orbach 11,168 39.0
Democratic hold
New Jersey State Senate elections, 2001[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Smith 29,290 68.9
Republican Matthew "Skip" House 13,216 31.1
Democratic hold

Assembly

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New Jersey General Assembly elections, 1999[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Smith (incumbent) 11,946 37.2
Democratic Jerry Green (incumbent) 10,963 34.2
Republican Tracy Ford 4,727 14.7
Republican Daniel N. Epstein 4,463 13.9
Democratic hold
New Jersey General Assembly elections, 1997[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Smith (incumbent) 27,802 34.5
Democratic Jerry Green (incumbent) 26,135 32.4
Republican Phyllis A. Mason 13,310 16.5
Republican Daniel N. Epstein 11,803 14.6
Independent Pat M. Iurilli 802 1.0
Independent Joy Norsworthy 778 1.0
Democratic hold
New Jersey General Assembly elections, 1995[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Smith (incumbent) 17,068 33.6
Democratic Jerry Green (incumbent) 16,611 32.7
Republican Michael De Nardo 7,367 14.5
Republican Michael Ullnick 7,043 13.9
Independent Richard Rutkowski 1,441 2.8
Independent Erich Sturn 1,201 2.4
Democratic hold
New Jersey General Assembly elections, 1993[17]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Smith (incumbent) 26,480 32.0
Democratic Jerry Green (incumbent) 25,633 31.0
Republican Al Smith 15,463 18.7
Republican John H. Bresnan 15,217 18.4
Democratic hold
New Jersey General Assembly elections, 1991[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Smith (incumbent) 17,206 26.1
Democratic Jerry Green 16,449 24.9
Republican Barbara "Bobbie" Weigel 15,165 23.0
Republican Frank A. Santoro 14,827 22.5
Independent Moses Williams 818 1.2
Independent Al Olszewski 759 1.2
Independent Joseph S. Ginn 728 1.1
Democratic hold
New Jersey General Assembly elections, 1989[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Bob Smith (incumbent) 26,999 33.6
Democratic David C. Schwartz (incumbent) 26,720 33.3
Republican George B. Gore 13,155 16.4
Republican Csilla Soproni 12,270 15.3
Independent Joseph F. Scalera III 1,210 1.5
Democratic hold
New Jersey General Assembly elections, 1987[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David C. Schwartz (incumbent) 18,455 31.9
Democratic Bob Smith (incumbent) 18,047 31.2
Republican Dorothy Sonnenberg 10,780 18.6
Republican Peter J. Selesky 10,529 18.2
Democratic hold
New Jersey General Assembly elections, 1985[21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David C. Schwartz (incumbent) 21,174 28.1
Democratic Bob Smith 19,556 26.0
Republican Angela L. Perun (incumbent) 19,104 25.4
Republican Francis J. Coury 15,503 20.6
Democratic hold

References

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  1. ^ Ackerman, Spencer. "To fill Lynch's big shoes, Smith stresses education"[permanent dead link‍], The Daily Targum, October 30, 2001. Accessed April 23, 2008. "Now, Assemblyman and former Piscataway Mayor Bob Smith is looking to take over for retiring State Sen. John Lynch, the powerful democrat castigated by his detractors as running 'the Lynch machine'."
  2. ^ a b c d e Senator Bob Smith (D), New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 23, 2024.
  3. ^ Bill A4454 AcaSca (2R) Session 2020 - 2021, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed April 27, 2022.
  4. ^ New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
  5. ^ Legislative Roster for District 17, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 23, 2024.
  6. ^ "Official List, Candidates for State Senate for GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2023 Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  7. ^ "Official List, Candidates for State Senate For GENERAL ELECTION 06/08/2021 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  8. ^ "2017-official-general-election-results-state-senate.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 November 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  9. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2013 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 4, 2013. Accessed December 4, 2013.
  10. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2011 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 14, 2011. Accessed June 22, 2012.
  11. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2007 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 3, 2007. Accessed June 22, 2012.
  12. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2003 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 2, 2003. Accessed December 11, 2013.
  13. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2001 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, April 17, 2008. Accessed December 11, 2013.
  14. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for General Assembly For November 1999 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, January 11, 2010. Accessed December 11, 2013.
  15. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for General Assembly For November 1997 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 2, 1997. Accessed December 11, 2013.
  16. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for General Assembly For November 1995 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 4, 1995. Accessed December 11, 2013.
  17. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for General Assembly For November 1993 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, November 24, 1993. Accessed December 11, 2013.
  18. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for General Assembly For November 1991 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 6, 1991. Accessed December 11, 2013.
  19. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for General Assembly For November 1989 General Election, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed December 11, 2013.
  20. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for General Assembly For November 1987 General Election, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed December 11, 2013.
  21. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for General Assembly For November 1985 General Election, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed December 11, 2013.
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New Jersey Senate
Preceded by Member of the New Jersey Senate for the 17th District
January 8, 2002 – present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
New Jersey General Assembly
Preceded by
Angela L. Perun
 Member of the New Jersey General Assembly for the 17th District
January 14, 1986 – January 8, 2002
With: David C. Schwartz, Jerry Green 		Succeeded by
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