The Assembly Democratic Majority on Thursday chose Assemblyman Louis Greenwald (D-Camden/Burlington) to serve a third term as Majority Leader of the General Assembly when the 217th Legislature convenes in January.
First elected to the Assembly in 1996, Greenwald said he was inspired to public service by watching his late mother, Maria Barnaby Greenwald, the legendary first woman mayor of Cherry Hill, bring people together to solve problems and advocate for senior citizens and middle-class families.
From her, Greenwald said he learned the value of standing up for beliefs and bringing people together to solve problems at an early age.
Throughout his service in the Assembly, Greenwald has been the architect of auto insurance reform, overhauled the hospital charity care system, revised New Jersey’s school funding formula, and more recently led a fight to pass property tax relief credits for middle-class families, championed common sense ideas to reduce gun violence and helped lead the effort to modernize New Jersey’s outdated voting laws.
Greenwald – who became Majority Leader in 2012 after serving as Assembly Budget Committee chairman from 2002 to 2011, pledged to continue to emulate these values in the 217th Legislature:
“My time as Majority Leader has been both gratifying and humbling and I’m honored to return to this post once again. Public service is a passion that runs deep in my family. Every election is a reminder of what an honor and privilege it is to serve the people of New Jersey.
“Tuesday’s results were a resounding endorsement of the pro-middle class, pro-working family policies championed by New Jersey Democrats and a rejection of the conservative, red state ideals being espoused by our preoccupied governor. It is long past time for Chris Christie to realize bumper sticker slogans that might appeal to New Hampshire primary voters will do nothing to address the many serious challenges facing New Jersey.
“With our stagnant economy, near highest in the nation foreclosure rates and record credit downgrades, New Jerseyans understand the consequences of six years with a Republican executive and the need for a system of checks and balances anchored by Democratic ideals.
“Tuesday’s election was about an in-tune electorate that wants elected officials to actually solve problems for New Jersey and work together. The results show that New Jerseyans want a government that keeps its promises.
“That’s why in the new session we will live up to the pension funding promises made to our middle-class families and work to fix our crumbling roads and bridges to help keep New Jersey safe for families and competitive for businesses that call our state home. That’s why we will continue to fight with renewed vigor for working family priorities – middle-class property tax relief, job creation, common sense gun violence solutions, progressive and equitable voting laws, and affordable access to healthcare.
“I look forward to continuing to work with Speaker Prieto and the rest of the Democratic caucus to advance a strong middle-class agenda in the upcoming legislative session.”