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Paul Sarlo

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Paul Sarlo
Member of the New Jersey Senate
from the 36th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 19, 2003
Preceded byGarry Furnari
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 36th district
In office
January 8, 2002 – May 19, 2003
Serving with Paul DiGaetano
Preceded byJohn V. Kelly
Succeeded byFrederick Scalera
Personal details
Born (1968-08-31) August 31, 1968 (age 56)
Passaic, New Jersey, U.S.
Spouse
Concetta Maria
​
(m. 1997)​
Children2
EducationNew Jersey Institute of Technology (BS, MS, D.S.)
WebsiteOfficial website

Paul Anthony Sarlo (born August 31, 1968) is an Italian-American construction industry executive and Democratic Party politician who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2003, where he represents the 36th Legislative District. Sarlo is a former Assistant Majority Leader of the Senate, a position held from 2004 until 2007, has been Deputy Majority Leader of the New Jersey Senate since 2008, and is also mayor of the borough of Wood-Ridge, New Jersey.

Personal life

[edit]

Sarlo was born in Passaic on August 31, 1968 at St. Mary's General Hospital[1] to pipefitter and construction supervisor Anthony Sarlo and Providence Munofo, along with his siblings Diane, Charles and Tom.[2] He grew up in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey and graduated from Wood-Ridge High School in 1986 where he was a scholar-athlete earning varsity letters in football, basketball and baseball. He was named First Team All-Division and All-County in Baseball and was inducted into the WRHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.[3]

Sarlo studied civil engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, earning both a B.S. in 1991 and an M.S. in 1993.[4]

He is chief operating officer of Joseph M. Sanzari, Inc., a general contractor specializing in heavy construction, site work and utilities located in Hackensack near Interstate 80.[5] Sarlo has overseen more than $150 million in projects and has worked with a skilled workforce of more than 200 employees. He worked on the Route 4 and Route 17 interchange near Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, which was completed two years ahead of schedule. He has been a supporter of the construction of LG Electronics USA's headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, abutting The Palisades near the George Washington Bridge.[6]

He married Concetta Maria Sarlo in 1997 and has two sons named Michael and Anthony, who was appointed to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association by Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy. Sarlo serves as an Executive Board Member on the NJSIAA as an ex officio member.[7][3][8] His brother Thomas has been a councilman in Little Ferry and was appointed to the New Jersey Superior Court in January 2024.[9]

Mayor of Wood-Ridge, New Jersey

[edit]

Sarlo has served as Mayor of the Borough of Wood-Ridge since January 1, 2000. He was re-elected in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and most recently 2023. He was a Councilman from 1995 to 2000 and served as Fire Commissioner.

As Mayor, Sarlo has overseen the redevelopment of the former Curtiss-Wright aircraft manufacturing site in Wood-Ridge, which is now known as Wesmont Station. The project includes a new train station called Wesmont station that opened on May 15, 2016.[10] Nearly 500 units have already been built with an additional 300 units planned to start construction in 2015. The area includes softball and baseball fields as well as a new indoor complex known as the Wood-Ridge Athletic Complex slated to open in 2022.[11]

During Sarlo's tenure as Mayor over 50% of the town's roads have been resurfaced, over 1,000 new trees have been planted, 14th Street Field was built, Donna Ricker Field at Wood-Ridge High School was upgraded with artificial turf, the Robert I. Stoesser[12] The senior center and civic center were renovated and completed in 2012–2013 and Historic Bianchi House was preserved and improved. Additionally, Bowman Park on Jocelyn Avenue, Veterans Park on Valley Boulevard and Bianchi House Park on 2nd Street were all rehabilitated. In 2013 the former Assumption parochial school was transformed into the Wood-Ridge Intermediate School for grades 4 to 6. Plans were in place to upgrade 14th Street Playground, Kohr's Park on 13th Street and the Little League Field on 6th Street in 2014–2015.

In January 2024 Sarlo was sworn into his seventh term as Wood-Ridge Mayor.[13]

Sarlo is a licensed professional engineer and a licensed Professional Planner. He and his wife, Concetta First Lady of Wood-Ridge, have two sons, Anthony (born in 2000), and Michael (born in 2004). Sarlo coaches Little League and Babe Ruth League baseball, Junior football and Junior basketball. He is a parishioner at the Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Assumption Church, is a member of the Lions Club International and the Knights of Columbus and is an honorary member of the New Jersey Policemen's Benevolent Association.[14]

Political career

[edit]

Before his service as State Senator, Sarlo spent one term in the General Assembly, the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature, from 2002 to 2003.[4] He and then-Wallington, New Jersey mayor Walter Wargacki sought to unseat Republican incumbent Paul DiGaetano and take the second seat that was vacated when John V. Kelly decided to challenge for the State Senate (which he lost). Although the Democrats did not gain both seats, Sarlo finished second in the voting and won a seat.

As an Assemblyman, he served as Vice Chairman of the Labor Committee and as a member of the Appropriations Committee. He was a member of the Assembly Light Rail Panel and the Assembly Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility. While in the Assembly, Sarlo was the prime sponsor of the bill creating a $29 million grant to establish a statewide bio-terrorism response plan. He also sponsored legislation to restore the Office of Public Advocate and to provide benefits and incentives for members of volunteer fire departments and rescue squads. He has also taken leading roles on legislation related to the health and welfare of women and children.

Sarlo was appointed as state senator when former District 36 Senator Garry Furnari, an attorney, and mayor of Nutley, was appointed to the New Jersey Superior Court. Sarlo had been the choice of Bergen County Democratic Organization Chairman Joe Ferriero to succeed Furnari.[15] After he was appointed to the State Senate, Frederick Scalera was appointed to fill his vacant seat in the Assembly.[16]

In the 2003 general election, Sarlo was challenged by former New Jersey General Assembly member John V. Kelly. Sarlo outspent Kelly by a nearly three-to-one margin in a pivotal race at a time when the Senate was evenly split between the two major parties and a change in party for any one seat could tip control of the upper house.[17] Democrats won full control of the Senate and Sarlo won election to a full term in office by a margin of 53–44%.[18] Exactly one year after being elected to the state senate Sarlo would serve as Assistant Majority Leader from 2004 to 2007 under Majority Leader Bernard Kenny from Jersey City, New Jersey. Sarlo was re-elected in 2007 by defeating Michael Guarino and in 2011 by defeating Donald DiOrio.[19]

In the Senate for the 2018–19 session, Sarlo serves on the Budget and Appropriations Committee (as Chair), the Higher Education Committee, the Judiciary Committee and the Legislative Oversight Committee.[4] On November 23, 2009, the New Jersey Senate Democrats chose Sarlo to replace Barbara Buono, who was chosen to be Majority Leader, replacing Stephen Sweeney, who became President of the New Jersey Senate, on January 12, 2010. Sarlo was Chairman-designate of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and began his chairmanship on January 12, 2010. He was also on the 2011 New Jersey Apportionment Commission, the committee delegated to redraw the state legislative districts following the 2010 Census.[20]

Sarlo has been a long-time proponent of the EnCap proposal to build golf courses and homes on remediated landfills in the New Jersey Meadowlands. He sponsored a bill in 2004 that enabled three Meadowlands communities -- Lyndhurst, North Arlington, and Rutherford—to negotiate their own deals with EnCap under which the impacted area municipalities would receive 40% - 50% of all future tax revenues.

A judge knocked Sarlo's 2007 GOP opponent, Michael Guarino, off the ballot, ruling that the outspoken critic of the EnCap project had not collected enough valid signatures to qualify for a ballot position.[21] Even though Guarino was knocked off the ballot because of a lack of signatures, he received enough write-in votes to win the GOP nomination.[22]

Sarlo served five years on the Wood-Ridge Borough Council (1995–2000). Since 2000, Sarlo has served as the mayor of Wood-Ridge Borough. He was Borough Engineer for the Borough of Carlstadt from 1998 to 2009 but had to step down due to a conflict of interest[23] and is currently serving in the New Jersey State Senate as Assistant Deputy Majority Leader to Senator Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz (politician) since January 11, 2022, and from 2012 to 2022 under Loretta Weinberg. Sarlo is also the chief operating officer of Joseph M. Sanzari, Inc.[4]

He simultaneously holds a seat in the New Jersey Senate and as Mayor. This dual position, often called double dipping, is allowed under a grandfather clause in the State law (United States) enacted by the New Jersey Legislature and signed into law by Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine in September 2007 that prevents dual-office-holding, but allows those who had held both positions as of February 1, 2008, to retain both posts.[24]

In February 2019, Sarlo recommended that Mark Musella, a 56-year-old attorney also from Wood-Ridge, should be chosen to replace outgoing Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir Grewal. Musella became Bergen Country Prosecutor on May 20, 2019, four months after Sarlo had made the recommendation.[25][26]

In April 2019, Sarlo had made a statement on the Newark water crisis by saying, "The United States of America is not a Third World developing country. In America, people should never, ever have to live in fear that the water they drink could sicken them or cause disabilities in their young children."[27]

On February 24, 2022, Sarlo announced that he would introduce legislation that would bar public entities in New Jersey from doing business with Russia or Russia-tied companies in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the statement he said, “Russia’s unjustified attack of Ukraine is an assault on democracy that demands a response that sends a clear message that these actions will have consequences,” Sarlo said in a statement. “They violated the sovereignty of another country with complete disregard for the lives of innocent people. This demands a response by everyone who respects freedom and values human rights.”[28]

On August 20, 2024, Sarlo was inducted into the National Academy of Construction, an organization headquartered at the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas.[29] Just one day later Sarlo's long-time friend and political ally Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr passed away at the age of 87 after losing a battle with a respiratory illness. The following statement that Mr. Sarlo put out following the passing was, "We have lost one of our strongest, most impassioned leaders – and one of my best friends in public service. Bill Pascrell represented my hometown of Wood-Ridge and southern Bergen County in Congress, fighting for the needs of our communities and all our residents. I will always value the memory of Congressman Pascrell swearing me in when I first took the oath of office as Mayor of Wood-Ridge in 2000. Bill and I proudly shared our Italian-American heritage, and we both recognized the strength of diversity in New Jersey and our country. He made a lasting impact in a life of service. My sympathies to his wife Elsie, their sons, and the Pascrell family in this time of loss."[30]

On November 25, 2024 Governor Phil Murphy signed Mr. Sarlo's sponsored bill S-3608[31], that allows for the continuation of an expansion in operations that proved successful during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. This passed with unanimous bipartisan ship in both the The New Jersey Assembly and The New Jersey State Senate.

Following the signing of the bill Sarlo commented; The outdoor service initiated during the pandemic proved to be a real success for restaurants and the communities they serve,” said Senator Sarlo (D-Bergen/Passaic), who also serves as Mayor of Wood-Ridge. “It was good for the economy, beneficial for downtown business districts and very popular with patrons and residents. It put people to work, generated economic activity and brought new life to local communities. It is a success story that is well worth continuing.”

The law continues regulations that allow restaurants, bars, distilleries, and breweries to utilize covered and uncovered patios and decks, yards, walkways, parking lots and public sidewalks for both food and alcohol consumption. The business operators would have to continue to be compliant with local ordinances related to health, safety, fire, and zoning. The new law does not change state fire code regulations that restrict using tents during winter months due to snow-load factors.[32]

Committees

[edit]

Committee assignments for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[4]

  • Budget and Appropriations (as chair)
  • Judiciary

District 36

[edit]

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.[33] The representatives from the 36th District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[34]

Election history

[edit]
36th Legislative District General Election, 2023[35]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Paul A. Sarlo (incumbent) 18,885 61.7
Republican Chris Auriemma 11,744 38.3
Total votes 30,629 100.0
Democratic hold
36th Legislative District general election, 2021[36]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Paul A. Sarlo (incumbent) 25,373 56.86
Republican Chris Auriemma 19,252 43.14
Total votes 44,625 100.0
Democratic hold
36th Legislative District general election, 2017[37]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Paul A. Sarlo (incumbent) 24,044 65.8 Increase 6.1
Republican Jeanine Ferrara 12,482 34.2 Decrease 6.1
Total votes 36,526 100.0
Democratic hold
New Jersey State Senate elections, 2013[38]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Paul Sarlo (incumbent) 22,677 59.7
Republican Brian A. Fitzhenry 15,293 40.3
Democratic hold
New Jersey State Senate elections, 2011[39]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Paul A. Sarlo (incumbent) 18,582 62.7
Republican Donald D. DiOrio 11,055 37.3
Democratic hold
New Jersey State Senate elections, 2007[40]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Paul A. Sarlo (incumbent) 14,895 56.8
Republican Michael A. Guarino 11,317 43.2
Democratic hold
New Jersey State Senate elections, 2003[41]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Paul A. Sarlo (incumbent) 18,035 53.2
Republican John V. Kelly 14,964 44.2
Independent Richard Delaosa 496 1.5
Independent Maximo Moscoso 348 1.2
Democratic hold

Honors and distinctions

[edit]

While playing baseball as a NJIT student-athlete from 1989 to 1991, Sarlo earned NCAA Division III All-American honors. As a senior, he was named the Independent Athletic Conference Player of the Year. In 2005, he was inducted into the NJIT Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 for his accomplishments on the field, which include holding the program's highest single-season batting average.[42]

NJIT awarded Sarlo an honorary degree of Doctor of Science at its May 17, 2022 Commencement Ceremony.[43][44][45]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Washburn, Lindy. "St. Mary's praises owner seeking to buy new hospital", The Record, February 4, 2016. Accessed December 5, 2023. "And state Sen. Paul Sarlo, D-Wood-Ridge, noting he was born at the hospital in 1968, said that while debate rages over the question of private ownership of health care institutions in New Jersey, 'this is the perfect fit for St. Mary's and Passaic city.'"
  2. ^ "Anthony SARLO Obituary". The Record. August 30, 2010. Retrieved July 4, 2015. Anthony is also survived by his four children; ... Senator/Mayor Paul A. Sarlo and his wife Concetta of Wood-Ridge, New Jersey; and Councilman Thomas A. Sarlo and his wife Michele of Little Ferry, New Jersey.
  3. ^ a b Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey – Two Hundred and Eleventh Legislature (First Session) (PDF). Skinder-Strauss Associates. 2004. p. 242. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e Senator Paul A. Sarlo, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 29, 2024.
  5. ^ "Associated Construction Contractors of New Jersey Membership Directory - Associated Construction Contractors of New Jersey". Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  6. ^ Cohen, Noah. "Six mayors call on LG to lower height of planned Englewood Cliffs office", The Record, February 21, 2014. Accessed May 17, 2022. "The mayors of six Bergen County communities have asked LG Electronics to lower the height of its planned 143-foot headquarters in Englewood Cliffs amid ongoing concerns over the building being visible above the Palisades, northjersey.com reported.... The project has been endorsed by some elected officials, including Bergen Executive Kathleen Donovan, state Sen. Paul Sarlo and Englewood Cliffs Mayor Joseph Parisi."
  7. ^ Senator Paul Sarlo, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed April 2, 2022.
  8. ^ "Senator Paul A. Sarlo". Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  9. ^ Biryukov, Nikita. "N.J. Senate confirms nine new judges as legislative session draws to close", New Jersey Monitor, January 8, 2024. Accessed January 16, 2024. "Among those confirmed Monday were Jason Rockwell, deputy director of the state’s law division, and Thomas Sarlo, the brother of Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), the upper chamber’s budget committee chairman. Sen. Sarlo recused himself from voting on his brother’s confirmation but defended his selection as a new judge.... Thomas Sarlo is a councilman in Little Ferry."
  10. ^ "Rail News – NJ Transit to open Wesmont Station on Sunday. For Railroad Career Professionals".
  11. ^ "New Athletic Complex Announced for WR, Wood-Ridge Newsletter, 2019. Accessed January 24, 2022.
  12. ^ "Robert "Bob" Stoesser Obituary (2009) Carroll County Times". Legacy.com.
  13. ^ "Sarlo Sworn in to Seventh Term as Wood-Ridge Mayor".
  14. ^ "The Official Website of the Borough of Wood-Ridge, NJ – Mayor Paul A. Sarlo".
  15. ^ Gohlke, Josh. "Wood-Ridge mayor sworn in as senator; Democrats speed up Sarlo's promotion", The Record, May 20, 2003. Accessed March 29, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Democratic Wood-Ridge Mayor Paul Sarlo took a promotion to the upper house of the Legislature on Monday, when he was sworn in as a state senator, replacing Garry J. Furnari of Nutley, New Jersey Furnari's nomination for a Superior Court judgeship – and its rapid confirmation in an emergency Senate session this month – allowed Sarlo, the choice of Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero and the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, to take his seat."
  16. ^ O'Dea, Colleen. "Appointees in it for the long haul; Incumbents' chances good for re-election", Daily Record, September 26, 2003. Accessed March 29, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "In the 36th, Sen. Gary Furnari resigned suddenly, saying he wants to spend more time with his family, and the Democrats who were not going to back Furnari quickly elevated Paul Sarlo to succeed him and chose Frederick Scalera to replace Sarlo in the Senate."
  17. ^ Brennan, John. "St. Patrick's Day fixture John Kelly is dead at 83", The Record, November 1, 2009. Accessed November 2, 2009.
  18. ^ Kocieniewski, David. "The 2003 Election: The Statehouse; Democrats Seize Senate And Widen Assembly Gap", The New York Times, November 5, 2003. Accessed November 2, 2009.
  19. ^ Hampton, Deon J. "Democrats holding leads in District 36 races", The Record, November 8, 2011. Accessed November 10, 2011. "Incumbent Democratic state Sen. Paul A. Sarlo, D-Wood-Ridge, had a commanding lead over his Republican challenger, Donald Diorio, late Tuesday night."
  20. ^ "New Jersey Apportionment Committee – Commission Membership". Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  21. ^ Carmiel, Oshrat. "Sarlo foe knocked off ballot by judge", The Record, April 19, 2007. Accessed July 16, 2007. "An administrative judge in Newark ruled that Sarlo's last-minute GOP opponent, Michael Guarino, a 78-year-old agitator and outspoken critic of the proposed EnCap luxury golf village, did not have enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot."
  22. ^ Friedman, Matt. "Guarino campaign releases poll" Archived 2007-07-06 at the Wayback Machine, PolitickerNJ.com, July 2, 2007. Accessed April 3, 2008.
  23. ^ "Sarlo: 'That's bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit.' | Observer". The New York Observer. November 30, 2009.
  24. ^ via Associated Press. "N.J. Lawmakers keep double dipping", WPVI-TV, March 4, 2008. Accessed June 4, 2009.
  25. ^ "Meet the Prosecutor".
  26. ^ Wildstein, David (February 8, 2019). "Musella will be Bergen prosecutor as Murphy, Senators reach agreement". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  27. ^ "Here's one solution for Newark's lead-tainted water misery". August 22, 2019.
  28. ^ "Sarlo wants NJ public entities to halt business with Russia". New Jersey Globe. February 24, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  29. ^ "Wood-Ridge's Sarlo to be Inducted into the National Academy of Construction".
  30. ^ "Pascrell tribute: Paul Sarlo".
  31. ^ https://legiscan.com/NJ/bill/S3608/2024
  32. ^ https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/sarlos-outdoor-dining-bill-now-law/
  33. ^ New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
  34. ^ Legislative Roster for District 36, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 29, 2024.
  35. ^ "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.
  36. ^ "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.
  37. ^ "Official List, Candidates for State Senate For GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2017 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 29, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  38. ^ "Official List Candidates for State Senate For GENERAL ELECTION 11/05/2015 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 4, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 4, 2015. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  39. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2011 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 14, 2011. Accessed June 25, 2012.
  40. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2007 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 3, 2007. Accessed June 25, 2012.
  41. ^ Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2003 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 2, 2003. Accessed June 25, 2012.
  42. ^ Paul Sarlo, NJIT Highlanders Hall of Fame. Accessed April 2, 2022. "Most notably, he holds the school’s single-season school-record for batting average (.500; 51-102)"
  43. ^ McMains, Andrew (May 6, 2022). "NJIT to Confer 3,100+ Degrees at its 2022 Commencement Ceremony". news.NJIT.edu. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  44. ^ @PaulASarlo (May 17, 2022). "As I reflect on todays events I am humbly honored to be conferred with a doctorate in science of Engineeing from my…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  45. ^ "NJIT Commencement Ceremony with Conferral of Degrees. Streamed live on May 17, 2022 | 8:40 a.m". NJIT - YouTube. May 17, 2022. 1h:59m:00s. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
[edit]
New Jersey General Assembly
Preceded by Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 36th district
2002–2003
Served alongside: Paul DiGaetano 		Succeeded by
New Jersey Senate
Preceded by Member of the New Jersey Senate
from the 36th district
2003–present 		Incumbent
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