Nellie Pou
Nellie Pou | |
|---|---|
 Pou in 2012 | |
| Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 35th district | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | John Girgenti |
| Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 35th district | |
| In office January 29, 1997 – January 10, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Pascrell |
| Succeeded by | Shavonda E. Sumter Benjie Wimberly |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 20, 1956 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Richard Freid |
| Residence | North Haledon, New Jersey, U.S.[1] |
| Website | Legislative biography site |
Nelida "Nellie" Pou (born May 20, 1956;[1][2] pronounced "Poe"[3]) is an American Democratic Party politician who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2012, representing the 35th Legislative District. She previously represented the 35th district in the General Assembly. When Pou was sworn into the Assembly on January 29, 1997, to succeed Bill Pascrell, she became the first woman and the first Hispanic to represent the 35th district.[4]
Education[]
Pou attended Kean College, Rutgers University, and the University of Virginia.[5]
Career[]
Pou has spent most of her career at the City of Paterson, where she has served as business administrator (2014–18), assistant business administrator (2003–2014, 1997–1998), director of human services (1986–1997), and CETA training and education coordinator (1975–1983).[2]
Currently, she is a project Ccordinator for the Paterson Parking Authority.[6]
She also served on the New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect (1997–2016) and on the Passaic-Bergen County HIV Health Services Advisory Council (1993–1997).[2] She was the coordinator of the Passaic County Youth Program from 1983 to 1985.[2]
New Jersey General Assembly[]
Pou was appointed to a vacant seat in the New Jersey General Assembly on January 29, 1997. The seat had previously been held by Bill Pascrell, who had served in the General Assembly since 1988. Pascrell resigned from his position after winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives, to which he was sworn in on January 3, 1997.[7] She was the Assembly's Deputy Speaker from 2002–2005 and the Assistant Minority Leader from 2000–2001.[2]
In the Assembly Pou served on the Appropriations Committee (as Chair from 2006-2011), the Budget Committee, the Education Committee and the Joint Budget Oversight Committee.[2] Previously, Pou served on the Senior Issues Committee (as Chair), the Appropriations Committee (as Vice Chair) and the Education Committee.
New Jersey Senate[]
Pou elected not to run for re-election to her Assembly seat in 2011, instead choosing to run for the State Senate seat from the district that long-time incumbent John Girgenti was vacating. She defeated former Haledon, New Jersey mayor Ken Pengitore in the general election and was sworn in as Senator in January 2012.[8] In March 2021, Pou secured her party's nomination to run in the 2021 New Jersey State Senate election.[9]
In the Senate, she serves as the Chair of the Commerce Committee, as the Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee, and as a member of the Joint Committee on Economic Justice and Equal Employment Opportunity.[10]
New Jersey Legislative Latino Caucus[]
Pou has chaired the bicameral New Jersey Legislative Latino Caucus since 2006.[10]
District 35[]
Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature elects one member of the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The Assembly representatives from the 35th district for the 2022–2023 Legislative Session are:[11]
- Assemblywoman Shavonda E. Sumter
- Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly
Election history[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nellie Pou (incumbent) | 21,425 | 79.0 | |
| Republican | Marwan Sholakh | 5,698 | 21.0 | |
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nellie Pou (incumbent) | 22,154 | 74.1 | |
| Republican | Lynda Gallashaw | 7,737 | 25.9 | |
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nellie Pou | 14,386 | 74.7 | |
| Republican | Ken Pengitore | 4,867 | 25.3 | |
| Democratic hold | ||||
References[]
- ^ a b Clunn, Nick. "GOP faults Dems on Paterson ties in 35th District", The Record (Bergen County), October 26, 2011. Accessed September 11, 2015. "Nellie Pou (D); Age: 55; Hometown: North Haledon"
- ^ a b c d e f Senator Pou's legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed November 21, 2019.
- ^ Baldwin, Tom. "Dag Hammarskjold? Some ask Who's he?' Corzine makes reference to late U.N. secretary-general", Courier-Post, February 23, 2007. Accessed January 12, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Odd that a copy of the Corzine address had Hammarskjold's name spelled out phonetically, as was the name of Assemblywoman Nellie Pou, D-Passaic, whose name is pronounced like 'Poe.'"
- ^ "Pou to Take Assembly Oath as First Woman, First Hispanic to Represent the 35th District", The Italian Voice, February 13, 1997. Accessed April 7, 2008. "Nellie Pou took the oath of office Wednesday January 29th for the 35th District Assembly seat vacated by William J. Pascrell Jr., who was elected to Congress in November. Pou is the first woman and the first Hispanic to represent the 35th District in the Legislature."
- ^ "District 35: Nellie Pou". New Jersey League of Conservation Voters. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- ^ "Nellie Pou nets Paterson parking agency job". North Jersey. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
- ^ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey - Two Hundred and Eleventh Legislature (First Session) (PDF). Skinder-Strauss Associates. 2004. pp. 289–290. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
- ^ a b Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2011 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 14, 2011. Accessed January 22, 2012.
- ^ "SENATOR POU, ASSEMBLYWOMAN SUMTER AND ASSEMBLYMAN WIMBERLY SECURED RENOMINATION TO RUN". Insider NJ. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Nellie Pou (D)". www.njleg.state.nj.us. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
- ^ Legislative Roster for District 35, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 11, 2022.
- ^ "Official List Candidates for State Senate For GENERAL ELECTION 11/07/2017 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 19, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- ^ "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.
External links[]
- Senator Pou's legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature
- New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms
- Assembly Member Nellie Pou, Project Vote Smart
- 1956 births
- American people of Cuban descent
- Living people
- Members of the New Jersey General Assembly
- New Jersey Democrats
- New Jersey state senators
- People from North Haledon, New Jersey
- Politicians from Paterson, New Jersey
- University of Virginia alumni
- Women state legislators in New Jersey
- 21st-century American politicians
- 21st-century American women politicians