Thomas Kean, Jr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Howard "Tom" Kean Jr. (born September 5, 1968) is an American Republican politician, serving in the New Jersey State Senate since 2003. He represents the 21st Legislative District, which covers parts of Union, Morris, Somerset and Essex Counties.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Kean is the son of Thomas Kean, who was a popular Governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990 and is even better known as the Chairman of the 9/11 Commission following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
Kean is a graduate of the Pingry School and Dartmouth College and holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the prestigious Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he is currently completing his doctoral dissertation in international relations. He is a former aide to former Congressman Bob Franks and was a special assistant at the United States Environmental Protection Agency in the George H. W. Bush administration. He has also been a volunteer firefighter and a volunteer emergency medical technician. Kean currently resides in Westfield, New Jersey with his wife, Rhonda, and their two daughters.
Kean was appointed to the New Jersey General Assembly, the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature, in April 2001, to fill out the unexpired term of Alan Augustine, who had resigned due to health reasons. He then was elected to a full term in the Assembly in his own right in November 2001. There he was the Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee and served as Vice Chairman for the State Government Committee.
In March 2003, he was appointed to the New Jersey State Senate, to fill out the unexpired term of Rich Bagger. In November 2003, he was elected to fill the seat he had been appointed to. In 2004, Kean was elected Senate Minority Whip, a position he still holds. He serves on the Judiciary Committee and the Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee, and previously was on the Senate Budget and appropriations Committee.
In the state legislature, Kean has been a proponent of ethics reform in New Jersey government. He was the original sponsor of legislation banning pay to play practices in New Jersey. He has sponsored legislation to streamline government, promote education, protect the environment, and lower property taxes.
Kean was one of only twenty-four elected officials from across the USA to be chosen as a distinguished Aspen Rodel Fellow in Public Service. In 2002, Kean was named one of forty state leaders from the entire nation to be recognized as a Toll Fellow by the Council of State Governments for high achievement and service to state government.
In 2005, the New Jersey Conference of Mayors named Kean as a Legislative Leader. He has also received, for the second year in a row, the Amerigroup Foundation’s Champion for Children award for his advocacy on behalf of children’s health issues. He also has been named Legislator of the year by the Fireman’s Benevolent Association and has received a 100% voting record with the National Federation of Independent Business.
[edit] Quotes
On Governor Corzine's state of the state:
"I thought it was long on promises. We were here a year ago. I believe that the governor was being more than generous when he graded his first year in office as an incomplete."- Sen. Tom Kean Jr. (R., Union)[1]
On January 31, 2007, Kean endorsed Rudy Giuliani for President and was named the Honorary Chairman of his campaign in New Jersey. [2]
"During uncertain times, Rudy Giuliani has proven to be a unifying force who leads with decisive action."
[edit] New Jersey District 21
Each of the forty 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 21st Legislative District are:
- Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, and
- Assemblyman Eric Munoz
Municipalities in the district include: Berkeley Heights Township, Chatham Township, Cranford Township, Garwood Borough, Harding Township, Long Hill Township, Madison Borough, Millburn Township, Mountainside Borough, New Providence Borough, Roselle Park Borough, Springfield Township, Summit City, Warren Township, Watchung Borough and Westfield Town.
[edit] 2006 campaign for U.S. Senate
Kean was the Republican nominee running for the United States Senate seat vacated by former U.S. Senator and current Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine, a seat now filled by Corzine's designated replacement, Bob Menendez. Kean was the winner of the June 6, 2006 primary against conservative John P. Ginty, by a 3-1 margin.[1]
He lost the general election to Menendez 53.3-44.3%. The New Jersey Senate race was the closest victory for a Democratic incumbent in the country.[2]
Kean was endorsed by The Courier-Post, The Press of Atlantic City, and Asbury Park Press.
[edit] State Senate
[edit] Ethics reform
[edit] Pay-to-play
On January 18, 2007 NJ State Senators Leonard Lance, Peter Inverso, and Tom Kean Jr. held a Statehouse press conference to discuss their intentions to force a vote on S-737 [3]. The bill is a comprehensive pay-to-play ban. [4]
The motion failed when 18 Republicans and Democrat Ellen Karcher voted in favor of the motion, leaving it two short of passage. [5]
[edit] Dual office holding
Kean is an original sponsor of S-70, which would ban dual office holding. [6]
A ban on dual office holding has been considered as part of the State Legislature's focus on reducing property taxes. [7][8][9]
[edit] Economic development
Kean is the sponsor of the New Jersey Economic Development Act. [10]
[edit] Finance
The District 21 legislators threatened a lawsuit against the State Treasurer for proposing bonding Tobacco settlement money for a period longer than allowed by the State Consititution. [11]
[edit] Environment
Kean is a co-sponsor of The Global Warming Response Act. [12][13]
[edit] Federal issues
[edit] Taxes
Kean says he would have voted to make Bush's 2001 tax cuts permanent.[3]
[edit] War in Iraq
Although Kean initially supported the Iraq War, he has accused the president of egregious mistakes and he's asked the president to level with the American people and acknowledge those mistakes. Additionally, he had called for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.[4]
[edit] Healthcare
He supports tort reform and medical malpractice caps. He has proposed instituting Medical Malpratice Courts. [14]
[edit] Illegal immigration
Kean publicly supports the recently proposed border fence and opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants.[5]
[edit] Israel
Kean has called for a renewed focus to support the release of captured Isaeli soliders Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev, and Gilad Shalit. [15]
[edit] Stem cell research
Kean has supported stem cell research. Most recently he voted for S-1471, which was signed into law in by Governor Jon Corzine in December 2006. [16]
[edit] References
- ^ Unofficial List - Candidates for US Senate - For June 2006 Primary Election, dated June 7, 2006
- ^ http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/pages/results/states/NJ/ Election Results 2006 for US Senate: NJ, CNN.com, November 8, 2006
- ^ "N.J. GOP Senate Candidate Faces Threat in June Primary", Fox News, April 25, 2006
- ^ Iraq troop families oppose Kean, The Courier-Post, October 3, 2006
- ^ Kean for U.S. Senate
[edit] External links
- Tom Kean, Jr. Official website
- Tom Kean Jr. New Jersey Legislative website
- District 21 Candidates website Kean (Senate), Bramnick & Munoz (Assembly)
- Thomas Kean Jr. New Jersey State Senate Press Releases
- Thomas Kean Jr. U.S. Senatorial Candidacy Press Releases
- New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure form for 2005 (PDF)
- New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure form for 2004 (PDF)
- "The New Jersey X Factor", Mother Jones magazine, October 30, 2006.
| Preceded by Bob Franks |
Republican Nominee for the U.S. Senate (Class 1) from New Jersey 2006 |
Succeeded by ' |
