Murphy nominates Zimmerman to be permanent DOBI commissioner

After just over two months as acting commissioner, Justin Zimmerman was officially nominated by Gov. Phil Murphy this morning to be the permanent commissioner of the state Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI), succeeding former Commissioner Marlene Caride.

Zimmerman had previously been Caride’s chief of staff since she took over the department in 2018. With Caride’s departure from the cabinet earlier this summer to become a Superior Court judge, Zimmerman was tapped to replace her on an acting basis; now, he’ll go through the Senate confirmation process to fill out the final two-and-a-half years of Murphy’s administration.

“Justin Zimmerman has been an asset to the Department of Banking and Insurance since day one of my administration, and I have no doubt he will continue to do an excellent job in his role as commissioner,” Murphy said in a statement. “In addition to the time he has already spent serving as acting commissioner, Justin’s prior experience as the department’s chief of staff makes him more than qualified for this position.”

Before joining DOBI, Zimmerman worked as an aide to Gov. Jon Corzine, Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells, and State Sen. Nia Gill (D-Montclair).

A Verona resident, Zimmerman’s nomination will have to get signoff from Essex County’s four Democratic state senators – Gill, former Gov. Richard Codey (D-Roseland), Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark), and State Sen. Renee Burgess (D-Irvington) – as well as from State Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-Montville), a Morris County Republican whose district includes Verona.

There’s unlikely to be serious opposition to Zimmerman in the Senate, but with only a few months left in this legislative session, it’s possible that senators simply won’t get to his nomination before the session ends in January. Since Zimmerman is able to perform the full duties of his job as acting commissioner, confirming him might not be high on the Senate’s list of priorities.

If that happens, Murphy will have to renominate Zimmerman once the new legislative session begins. Zimmerman would then have to get signoff from three new senators: current Assemblymembers John McKeon (D-West Orange) and Britnee Timberlake (D-East Orange), who are set to win two open Senate seats, and State Sen. Kristin Corrado (R-Totowa), whose district is shifting this year to include Verona.