Ted Light Archives - New Jersey Globe

Joseph Patero, former Assembly Labor Committee chairman, dies at 88

June 23, 2020 1:09 pmJune 23, 2020 3:38 pm

Joseph D. Patero, who served eight terms in the State Assembly and was the sponsor of landmark legislation to establish paid family leave in New Jersey, died on June 20 at his home in Manville. He was 88. He served...

William J. Hamilton, former Assembly Speaker, dies at 86

October 12, 2019 4:28 pmOctober 13, 2019 3:11 pm

Former Assembly Speaker William J. Hamilton, Jr., a skilled legislator with a reputation for integrity and independence, died on Thursday. He was 86. A product of John A. Lynch, Sr.’s New Brunswick political organization, Hamilton served six years in the...

Donald Wernik, former Middlesex freeholder, Metuchen mayor, dies at 94

August 31, 2019 4:57 pmSeptember 1, 2019 5:50 pm

Donald J. Wernik, an All-State football star at Metuchen High School and World War II veteran who became a pharmacist, mayor of Metuchen and three-term Middlesex County Freeholder, died on Friday. He was 94. Wernik began in politics in an...

Renny Travisano, former Middlesex county clerk, dies at 82

June 9, 2019 1:53 pmJune 9, 2019 9:07 pm

Raniero Travisano, a popular Sayreville Democrat who served one term as Middlesex County Clerk before losing in the 1990 anti-Florio protest election, died on June 8. He was 82. Travisano was a junior high school teacher and guidance counselor when...

The time an assemblyman won off the line

June 1, 2019 9:12 pm

It’s not uncommon for legislators to be dumped from the organization line and those who fight back hardly ever win. One of the most memorable examples of an assemblyman winning without party support was in 1979, when the Middlesex Democratic...

17th is one of eight NJ legislative districts where Dems are undefeated

March 11, 2019 12:02 amMarch 10, 2019 10:52 pm

New Jersey’s 17th legislative district has been occupied by just Democrats since the state first adopted a 40-district map in 1973. It’s one of eight districts that Republicans have never won. The New Brunswick-based district has 61,309 Democrats, 15,526 Republicans...