James J. Kennedy (born February 9, 1953) is a Democratic Party politician who has represented the 22nd Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since taking office in January 2016. He served as Mayor of Rahway, New Jersey from 1991 through 2010, when he declined to seek a sixth term.

James J. Kennedy
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 22nd District
Assumed office
January 12, 2016
Serving with Linda Carter
Preceded byLinda Stender
Mayor of Rahway, New Jersey
In office
January 1, 1991 – December 31, 2010
Preceded byDaniel Martin
Succeeded byRichard B. Proctor
Personal details
Born (1953-02-09) February 9, 1953 (age 71)
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseLori Kennedy
Residence(s)Rahway, New Jersey
WebsiteLegislative Website

Career

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Kennedy won his first nomination in the 1990 Democratic primary election, when he contested the re-election for Daniel Martin, who at the time had been mayor for 20 years. Kennedy owns a local store, Kennedy Jewelers, that was adversely affected by the decline of the city's downtown area during the 1970s and 1980s, and he was president of the Rahway Chamber of Commerce during the later 1980s. While serving on the board of trustees for the Rahway YMCA, Kennedy befriended Jim McGreevey, a lawyer then residing in neighboring Woodbridge Township who would ultimately become Governor of New Jersey. After McGreevey became governor, Kennedy joined State Street Partners, a Trenton lobbying firm founded by Rocco F. Iossa, a former aide to Republican Congressman Dennis Gallo and counselor to GOP Governor Christine Todd Whitman. After McGreevey, resigned Kennedy started a business, Skye Consulting L.L.C., which has assisted local governments, redevelopment contractors and a foreign-owned water treatment and waste management utility company.[citation needed]

Kennedy and his wife, Lori, a kindergarten teacher who retired in June 2011, have one son, Sean, who operates the jewelry store on a day-to-day basis. The couple previously had another child, who died when he was two years old.[citation needed]

New Jersey General Assembly

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Following the retirement of incumbent Democratic Assemblywoman Linda Stender in 2015, Kennedy was chosen by the local Democratic County Committees over Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr to succeed Stender.[1] He won the general election alongside incumbent Jerry Green that November.[2]

Committees

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Committee assignments for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[3]

  • Environment, Natural Resources, and Solid Waste (as chair)
  • Telecommunications and Utilities (as vice-chair)
  • Transportation and Independent Authorities

District 22

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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 22nd District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[5]

Electoral history

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New Jersey Assembly

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22nd Legislative District General Election, 2023[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Linda Carter (incumbent) 23,710 33.3
Democratic James Kennedy (incumbent) 23,123 32.5
Republican Lisa Fabrizio 12,272 17.2
Republican Patricia Quattrocchi 12,087 17.0
Total votes 71,192 100.0
Democratic hold
Democratic hold
22nd legislative district general election, 2021[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Linda Carter (incumbent) 32,267 31.26%
Democratic James J. Kennedy (incumbent) 31,593 30.60%
Republican David Sypher 19,825 19.20%
Republican Hans Herberg 19,546 18.93%
Total votes 103,231 100.0
Democratic hold
22nd Legislative District General Election, 2019
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Linda Carter (incumbent) 18,703 40.25%
Democratic James Kennedy (incumbent) 18,099 38.95%
Republican Patricia Quattrocchi 9,665 20.8%
Total votes 46,467 100%
Democratic hold
New Jersey general election, 2017[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic James J. Kennedy (Incumbent) 27,763 32.6   2.1
Democratic Jerry Green (Incumbent) 27,284 32.1   2.4
Republican Richard S. Fortunato 14,631 17.2   3.2
Republican John Quattrocchi 13,682 16.1   3.3
Total votes '85,120' '100.0'
New Jersey general election, 2015[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic James J. Kennedy (Incumbent) 12,087 30.5   2.2
Democratic Jerry Green (Incumbent) 11,769 29.7   1.5
Republican William "Bo" Vastine 8,076 20.4   2.5
Republican William H. Michelson 7,666 19.4   1.2
Total votes '39,598' '100.0'

References

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  1. ^ Haydon, Tom (March 5, 2015). "Former Rahway mayor picked to run for Assemblywoman Stender's seat". NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  2. ^ Johnson, Brent (November 3, 2015). "Elections 2015: Democrats keep hold of Assembly's 22nd District". NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  3. ^ Assemblyman James J. Kennedy (D), New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 23, 2024.
  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 22, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 23, 2024.
  6. ^ "Candidates for General Assembly - For GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2023 Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  7. ^ "Official List, Candidates for General Assembly For GENERAL ELECTION 11/02/2021 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 30, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  8. ^ "2017-official-general-election-results-general-assembly.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  9. ^ "2015-official-ge-results-nj-general-assembly.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 30, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
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New Jersey General Assembly
Preceded by Member of the New Jersey General Assembly for the 22nd District
January 12, 2016 – Present
With: Jerry Green, Linda Carter
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Daniel Martin
Mayor of Rahway, New Jersey
January 1, 1991 – December 31, 2010
Succeeded by
Richard B. Proctor