Paul Sarlo

Paul A. Sarlo
Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 36th district
Incumbent
Assumed office May 19, 2003
Preceded by	Garry Furnari
Mayor of Wood-Ridge
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2000
Preceded by	Paul Calocino
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 36th district
In office January 8, 2002 – May 19, 2003 Serving with Paul DiGaetano
Preceded by	John V. Kelly
Succeeded by	Frederick Scalera
Personal details
Born	(1968-08-31) August 31, 1968 (age 53) Passaic, New Jersey, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Concetta Maria
Children	2
Residence	Wood-Ridge, New Jersey
Alma mater	New Jersey Institute of Technology
Occupation	Chief operating officer (Joseph M. Sanzari, Inc.); mayor; State Senator
Website	www.senatorpaulsarlo.com www.njwoodridge.org/Officials/Bio/mayor-paul-a-sarlo

Paul Anthony Sarlo (born August 31, 1968) is an American construction industry executive and Democratic Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey State 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, is currently a Deputy Majority Leader (since 2008), and is also mayor of the borough of Wood-Ridge, New Jersey.

Personal life[]

Sarlo was born in Passaic in Passaic County, New Jersey on August 31, 1968, to pipe fitter and construction supervisor Anthony Sarlo and Providence Munofo, along with his siblings Diane, Charles and Tom.^[1] 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.^[2] Sarlo received both a B.S. and an M.S. in civil engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.^[3] He also played baseball at NJIT for which he earned NCAA Division III All-American honors and was inducted into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

He is chief operating officer of Joseph M. Sanzari, Inc., a general contractor specializing in heavy construction, site work and utilities located in Hackensack.^[4] Sarlo has overseen more than $150 million in projects and has worked with a skilled workforce of more than 200 men and women. 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, New Jersey, abutting The Palisades near the George Washington Bridge, the most travelled in the world.^[5]

He married Concetta Maria Sarlo in 1997 who is the First Lady of Wood-Ridge, New Jersey and has two sons named Michael and Anthony Sarlo with Anthony being appointed to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association by Governor Phil Murphy. Sarlo subsequently enough serves as an Executive Board Member on the NJISSA as an Ex officio member due to the fact that he holds multiple offices within the state of New Jersey.^{[6] [2][7]} His brother Thomas is a councilman in Little Ferry.^[1]

Mayor of Wood-Ridge, New Jersey[]

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

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 (NJ Transit) that opened on May 15, 2016.^[8] 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^[9]

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^[10] Senior Center and Civic Center with the 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 are in place to upgrade 14th Street Playground, Kohr's Park on 13th Street and the Little League Field on 6th Street in 2014-2015.

Sarlo is a licensed Professional Engineer and a licensed Professional Planner. He and his wife, Connie, have two sons, Anthony, born in 2000 and Michael, born in 2004. Paul coaches Little League and Babe Ruth League, Junior American 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.^[11]

Political career[]

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.^[3] He and Wallington, New Jersey mayor sought to unseat Republican incumbent Paul DiGaetano and take the second seat that was vacated when John Kelly decided to challenge for the State Senate (which he lost). Although the Democrats did not gain both seats Sarlo was able to finish second in the voting and won a seat. After he was appointed to the State Senate he was replaced by Frederick Scalera.

As an Assemblyman, he served as Vice Chairman of the Labor Committee and as a member of the Appropriations Committee. Additionally, 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 . 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.^[12]

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.^[13] Democrats won full control of the Senate and Sarlo won election to a full term in office by a margin of 53–44%.^[14] Sarlo was re-elected in 2007 by defeating Michael Guarino and in 2011 by defeating Donald DiOrio.^[15]

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.^[3] 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.^[16]

Sarlo has been a long-time proponent of the EnCap plan. He sponsored a bill in 2004 that enabled three Meadowlands communities -- Lyndhurst, North Arlington, and Rutherford -- to negotiate their own deals with EnCap. The results were three agreements that would turn over 40% - 50% of all future tax revenues to the impacted area municipalities.

A judge knocked Sarlo's 2007 GOP opponent, Michael Guarino, off the ballot, ruling that the outspoken critic of the EnCap redevelopment project had not collected enough valid signatures to qualify for a ballot position.^[17] Even though Guarino was knocked off the ballot because of a lack of signatures, he got more than enough write in votes to win the GOP nomination.^[18]

Sarlo served five years on the Wood-Ridge Borough Council (1995–2000). Since 2000 the Senator has served as the Mayor of Wood-Ridge Borough. He was a Borough Engineer Borough of Carlstadt from 1998 to 2009 but had to step down due to a conflict of interest^[19] and is currently serving in the New Jersey State Senate as Assistant Deputy Majority Leader to Senator Loretta Weinberg who also lives in Bergen County, New Jersey in Teaneck, New Jersey, Mayor of Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, and the Chief Operating Officer of Joseph M. Sanzari, Inc.^[3]

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.^[20]

District 36[]

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. The other representatives from the 36th District for the 2018-2019 Legislative Session are:^[21][22]

• Vacant (after Assemblywoman Marlene Caride resigned in January 2018 in advance of her confirmation to head the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance)^[23]
• Assemblyman Gary Schaer

Election history[]

This list is incomplete; you can help by . (July 2015)

References[]

External links[]

• Senator Sarlo's Page
• Senator Sarlo's legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature
• New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms
  • 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004