Britnee Timberlake

Britnee N. Timberlake (born May 14, 1986) is an American Democratic Party politician who has represented the 34th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly[1] since January 29, 2018, when she was sworn in to replace Sheila Oliver, who took office as Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey. Timberlake had served as Freeholder President of the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, where she was at the time the state's only African-American woman to serve as a freeholder board leader.[2]

Britnee Timberlake
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 34th district
Assumed office
January 29, 2018
Serving with Thomas P. Giblin
Preceded bySheila Oliver
Personal details
Born (1986-05-14) May 14, 1986
Political partyDemocratic
EducationSeton Hall University (BA, MPA)
WebsiteState Assembly website

Early life and education

A resident of East Orange, New Jersey, Timberlake attended Seton Hall University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in public administration.[3]

Early political career

She was elected to represent District 3 of the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 2014 and was selected as the board's president (succeeding Blonnie Watson) at the board's annual reorganization meeting in January 2015. She took office as the county's youngest freeholder under its current system of representation and when chosen as freeholder president became the state's only African American woman to be the head of a freeholder board.[4] She founded and serves as the executive director the Essex Community Land Trust, a not-for-profit organization that works to provide affordable housing in Essex County.[3]

New Jersey General Assembly

Sheila Oliver, who had run for both Assembly and as Phil Murphy's running mate as Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey in the November 2017 general election, won both seats but was prohibited from serving in both simultaneously; her running for both seats provided Oliver with a backup in case she lost her race with Murphy and would allow the Democratic county members to choose a successor if she won both seats.[5] After taking office in the Assembly on January 9, 2018, she resigned from her seat that same day.[6] On January 29, Timberlake, who had been the only African American woman in the state serving as freeholder director, was sworn in to replace Oliver, a fellow resident of East Orange who had been the first African American woman to serve as speaker of the General Assembly and the first to be elected to a position covering the entire state.[2][7]

Committees

Committee assignments for the current session are:[1]

  • Commerce and Economic Development, Chair
  • Homeland Security and State Preparedness, Vice-Chair
  • Joint Committee on Housing Affordability

District 34

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.[8] The representatives from the 34th District for the 2022—23 Legislative Session are:[9]

References
  1. Assemblywoman Britnee N. Timberlake, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 30, 2022.
  2. Johnson, Brent. "Meet Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver's replacement in the N.J. Assembly", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 29, 2018. Accessed January 29, 2018. "Britnee Timberlake, previously New Jersey's only black female county freeholder director, is now the newest member of the state Assembly.... Timberlake, an East Orange resident, now faces a special election in November for the remainder of Oliver's two-year term."
  3. Britnee N. Timberlake, Freeholder District 3, Essex County, New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders. Accessed January 29, 2018.
  4. "New Essex freeholder targeting economic disparity nabs board presidency", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 12, 2015. Accessed January 29, 2018. "Britnee Timberlake, of East Orange, was unanimously elected president at the board’s reorganization meeting on New Year’s Day, county officials confirmed. Timberlake, 28, is the youngest person to serve as freeholder since Essex County changed its form of government in 1979, officials said. She is also the only African American woman currently heading a freeholder board in the state. Timberlake, a newcomer to the Essex County political scene, was elected to her first term as the District 3 freeholder in November."
  5. Hetrick, Christian. "Can Sheila Oliver Run for Assembly and LG at Same Time? Yes, Democrats say, but it's uncharted legal territory.", The New York Observer, August 2, 2017. Accessed January 3, 2018 ."If Murphy and Oliver win in November, she would have to vacate the Assembly seat and leave it to the Democratic committees in Essex and Passaic counties to choose a replacement. That person would fill the seat until a special election in 2018, Parikh said. By running Oliver for both offices, Democrats are ensuring they can hand-pick her replacement after the election and avoiding the expenses and the process of recruiting a new candidate in advance of the November election."
  6. New Jersey Legislative Digest for January 9, 2018, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 31, 2018. "The Members of both Houses of the 218th Legislature were sworn in.... Assemblywoman Sheila Y. Oliver, of the 34th Legislative District, has resigned."
  7. Staff. "Britnee Timberlake Joins New Jersey General Assembly Replacing Sheila Oliver’s Post", TAP into Newark, January 30, 2018. Accessed January 30, 2018. "Former Freeholder President Britnee Timberlake was sworn in Monday to fill the seat vacated by Sheila Oliver, who became the first black woman to assume statewide office in Garden State history when she became lieutenant governor earlier this month."
  8. New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
  9. Legislative Roster for District 34, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 11, 2022.
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