(TRENTON) – Former Glen Ridge Councilwoman Jacqueline Yustein received the oath of office from Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin on Thursday to become a member of the New Jersey General Assembly. Yustein joins Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker in representing the 28th Legislative District in Essex County.
Yustein was elected in a special election held in April and will fill the seat vacated when Assemblyman Ralph Caputo resigned.
Yustein currently serves as an Essex County Democratic Municipal Chair, and is a former director of the Essex County Division of Community Health Services. She also serves as a board member of the Essex County Improvement Authority.
“We are excited to welcome Jackie to the Assembly,” said Speaker Coughlin (D-Middlesex). “I know she will be a valuable addition to the Democratic Caucus as she serves Essex County residents in her new role. Jackie shares our commitment to making New Jersey more affordable and improving the lives of our state’s residents.”
Before joining the General Assembly, Yustein served as a councilwoman in Glen Ridge, where she addressed infrastructure issues and worked to improve parks and recreation. She has been involved in Essex County politics since the 1970s. A member of the party’s progressive wing over the last five decades, she worked on Frank Lautenberg’s first race for the U.S. Senate in 1982.
She has also served as a trustee for the Glen Ridge Democratic Club and has been a member of the Glen Ridge Kiwanis Club.
“I am honored to serve New Jersey’s 28th Legislative District and am grateful to be entrusted with this responsibility,” said Assemblywoman Yustein (D-Essex). “I have devoted decades of my life to Democratic causes and believe that community activism is very important. While serving in the Assembly, I look forward to working on issues that are priorities for the caucus, such as working to eliminate food insecurity.”
Yustein attended Ohio State University, where she graduated with a BA in English Literature with a minor in Journalism. She has lived in Glen Ridge for 49 years. Yustein’s six grandchildren – four girls and two boys – all live relatively close by, with her son and his family living in Montclair and her daughter and her family living in Red Bank.