Raymond Lesniak
Encyclopedia
Raymond J. "Ray" Lesniak (born May 7, 1946) is an American
Democratic Party
politician
, who has been serving in the New Jersey
State Senate
since 1983, where he represents the 20th Legislative District
. Before entering New Jersey's upper house, the Senate, Lesniak served in the General Assembly
from 1978 to 1983. Lesniak is considered a major power broker in the Democratic Party in Union County.
Lesniak was defeated by incumbent Elizabeth Mayor Thomas G. Dunn, whom he challenged in the 1980 Democratic primary election. Dunn scored about 7,100 votes to Lesniak's 6,600 while about 2,000 went to David Conti, the challenger who came 276 votes away from toppling Dunn in 1976 and was (in 1980) endorsed by the Regular Democratic Organization of Union County. As a result of Conti's poor performance in Elizabeth, three incumbent freeholders were denied the nomination but Democrats suffered wide losses in the fall.
Subsequently, Dunn orchestrated Lesniak's removal from the 'party line' -- a preferred ballot position aligned with almost all other incumbents -- when it was time for the lawmaker to seek re-election to the General Assembly in 1981. Party leaders did not inform Lesniak about his loss of support until two days before the petition filing deadline. Elizabeth Health Director John Surmay was selected to replace Lesniak on the ballot between Sen. John T. Gregorio
and Assemblyman Thomas J. Deverin
, his prior running mates.
Building on the organization assembled during his race for mayor, the Elizabeth Democratic Association, Lesniak waged an aggressive campaign with support from organized labor, environmentalists, minority communities and others. On June 6, 1981, Lesniak won renomination with twice the number of votes cast for Deverin and four times as many ballots as Dunn's proxy, Surmay.
In a June 1983 special election, Lesniak won the Senate seat of John T. Gregorio
who was forced to vacate his office after being convicted of hiding his ownership of a pair of Linden go-go bars.
Currently, Lesniak serves on the Economic Growth Committee (as Chair), Commerce Committee (as Vice-Chair), the Legislative Services Commission, the Judiciary Committee and the Legislative Oversight Committee.
Lesniak has also been involved in national politics over the course of his tenure. In 1996, he was Chairman of the New Jersey Clinton-Gore Presidential Campaign, and in 2000 he was a key insider in the Al Gore campaign
. Lesniak served as Chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee
, and Chairman of the 1997 Jim McGreevey
campaign for Governor of New Jersey
.
Lesniak received an A.B.
from Rutgers University
in Economics and a J.D.
from St. John's University School of Law.
He is an attorney with the firm of Weiner Lesniak.
Lesniak is ethnically Polish
. Although he was raised a Roman Catholic, he is now an evangelical Christian.
and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly
. The other representatives from the 20th District for the 2008-2009 Legislative Session are:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, who has been serving in the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
State Senate
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
since 1983, where he represents the 20th Legislative District
20th Legislative District (New Jersey)
New Jersey's 20th Legislative District is one of 40 in the state, covering the Union County municipalities of Elizabeth City, Kenilworth Borough, Roselle Borough and Union Township...
. Before entering New Jersey's upper house, the Senate, Lesniak served in the General Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
from 1978 to 1983. Lesniak is considered a major power broker in the Democratic Party in Union County.
Lesniak was defeated by incumbent Elizabeth Mayor Thomas G. Dunn, whom he challenged in the 1980 Democratic primary election. Dunn scored about 7,100 votes to Lesniak's 6,600 while about 2,000 went to David Conti, the challenger who came 276 votes away from toppling Dunn in 1976 and was (in 1980) endorsed by the Regular Democratic Organization of Union County. As a result of Conti's poor performance in Elizabeth, three incumbent freeholders were denied the nomination but Democrats suffered wide losses in the fall.
Subsequently, Dunn orchestrated Lesniak's removal from the 'party line' -- a preferred ballot position aligned with almost all other incumbents -- when it was time for the lawmaker to seek re-election to the General Assembly in 1981. Party leaders did not inform Lesniak about his loss of support until two days before the petition filing deadline. Elizabeth Health Director John Surmay was selected to replace Lesniak on the ballot between Sen. John T. Gregorio
John T. Gregorio
John T. Gregorio, Sr. is an American Democratic Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1976 to 1978 and in the New Jersey Senate from 1978 to 1983. Gregorio represented the 21st Legislative District until 1978, when redistricting following the 1980 United States Census...
and Assemblyman Thomas J. Deverin
Thomas J. Deverin
Thomas J. Deverin was an American Democratic Party politician who served 11 terms in the New Jersey General Assembly, from 1970 to 1992, where he represented the 21st Legislative District until 1982, when redistricting following the 1990 United States Census relocated him to the 20th District...
, his prior running mates.
Building on the organization assembled during his race for mayor, the Elizabeth Democratic Association, Lesniak waged an aggressive campaign with support from organized labor, environmentalists, minority communities and others. On June 6, 1981, Lesniak won renomination with twice the number of votes cast for Deverin and four times as many ballots as Dunn's proxy, Surmay.
In a June 1983 special election, Lesniak won the Senate seat of John T. Gregorio
John T. Gregorio
John T. Gregorio, Sr. is an American Democratic Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1976 to 1978 and in the New Jersey Senate from 1978 to 1983. Gregorio represented the 21st Legislative District until 1978, when redistricting following the 1980 United States Census...
who was forced to vacate his office after being convicted of hiding his ownership of a pair of Linden go-go bars.
Currently, Lesniak serves on the Economic Growth Committee (as Chair), Commerce Committee (as Vice-Chair), the Legislative Services Commission, the Judiciary Committee and the Legislative Oversight Committee.
Lesniak has also been involved in national politics over the course of his tenure. In 1996, he was Chairman of the New Jersey Clinton-Gore Presidential Campaign, and in 2000 he was a key insider in the Al Gore campaign
Al Gore presidential campaign, 2000
Al Gore, the 45th Vice President of the United States under Bill Clinton, announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Carthage, Tennessee on June 16, 1999. Gore became the nominee of the Democratic Party for the 2000 presidential election on August 17, 2000...
. Lesniak served as Chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee
New Jersey Democratic State Committee
The New Jersey Democratic State Committee is the New Jersey state affiliate of the United States Democratic Party.New Jersey Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski is the Chairman and Camden Mayor Dana Redd is the Vice-Chairwoman. They were elected on January 27, 2010.-Party structure:The NJDSC is the...
, and Chairman of the 1997 Jim McGreevey
Jim McGreevey
James Edward "Jim" McGreevey is an American Democratic politician. He served as the 52nd Governor of New Jersey from January 15, 2002, until he resigned from office at 11:59 pm on November 15, 2004. His term was set to expire on January 17, 2006...
campaign for Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
.
First BankAmericano directorship, bailout request & FDIC report
On February 9, 2010, the Wall Street Journal published a copy of a letter from Senator Robert Menendez to the Federal Reserve pushing for approval of a deal for the sale of First BankAmericano of Elizabeth where State Senator Lesniak served on the Board of Directors. A media controversy arose due to BankAmericano’s political connections. Its board members included several major campaign contributors to Menendez — among them State Senator Lesniak. Following the media controversy over the bailout request, it was disclosed that Lesniak had also received "insider loans" from the bank. . Prior to the bailout request, First BankAmericano had been under financial pressure for more than a year because of mounting loan losses. A highly critical report by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.(FDIC) also found the institution had engaged in unsafe or unsound banking practices, including "operating without adequate supervision by its board of directors", an excessive level of delinquent or bad loans, inadequate earnings and insufficient coverage of its assets.Lesniak received an A.B.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in Economics and a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from St. John's University School of Law.
He is an attorney with the firm of Weiner Lesniak.
Lesniak is ethnically Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
. Although he was raised a Roman Catholic, he is now an evangelical Christian.
District 20
Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey SenateNew Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
. The other representatives from the 20th District for the 2008-2009 Legislative Session are:
- Assemblyman Joseph CryanJoseph CryanJoseph Cryan is an American Democratic Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2002, where he represents the 20th Legislative District...
, and - Assemblywoman Annette QuijanoAnnette QuijanoAnnette Quijano is an American Democratic Party politician, who was selected by Union County Democrats to fill a vacancy to represent the 20th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly and has since been re-elected twice to her Assembly seat. Quijano succeeds Neil M...
External links
- District 20 Webpage
- Senator Lesniak's legislative webpage, New Jersey LegislatureNew Jersey LegislatureThe New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
- New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms
- New Jersey Senate Democrats biography of Senator Lesniak