Thomas P. Giblin

Thomas P. Giblin (born January 15, 1947) is an American Democratic Party politician, who serves in the New Jersey General Assembly where he represents the 34th legislative district, having taken office on January 10, 2006. He has been the Assembly's Deputy Majority Leader since 2008.

Thomas P. Giblin
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 34th Legislative District
Assumed office
January 10, 2006
Preceded byPeter C. Eagler
Chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee
In office
1997–2001
Preceded byTom Byrne
Succeeded byJoseph J. Roberts
Essex County Surrogate
In office
1990–1993
Preceded byBob Cottle
Succeeded byJoseph N. Brennan, Jr.
Member of the Essex County Board of County Commissioners
In office
January 1, 1982 – January 1, 1990
In office
January 1, 1977 – January 1, 1979
Personal details
Born (1947-01-15) January 15, 1947
East Orange, New Jersey
Political partyDemocratic
RelationsSen. John J. Giblin (Father)
Childrenfive
ResidenceMontclair, New Jersey
Alma materSeton Hall University (B.A.)
OccupationUnion officer
WebsiteLegislative website

Biography and early career

Giblin was born on January 15, 1947, to John J. (1909–1975) and Theresa E. (née Moran) Giblin in East Orange. His father, a labor leader, served as a New Jersey state senator from 1966 to 1968 and as an Essex County commissioner after moving from County Roscommon, Ireland.[1][2] Giblin was raised in Newark and attended Seton Hall Preparatory School.[3] He served in the New Jersey Air National Guard from 1966 to 1972, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant.[4] He also attended Seton Hall University where he received a B.A. in political science. He has also partaken in some post-graduate studies at Seton Hall and Rutgers University[4] In 1973, at the time a West Caldwell resident, Giblin lost his first campaign for public office, a bid for the Assembly from the 25th District. His Republican opponents were Thomas Kean and Jane Burgio.[5]

He served as a member of the Essex County Board of County Commissioners from 1977 to 1978 and again from 1982 to 1990. Giblin served on the New Jersey Real Estate Commission from 1979 to 1982.[4] In 1990, he was elected Essex County Surrogate (probate judge) defeating incumbent Bob Cottle.[6] from 1990 to 1993. He served as the county surrogate until resigning in 1993 to run for Essex County Executive. In the June primary election following the resignation of Thomas J. D'Alessio who was eventually convicted of bribery and extortion, Giblin and East Orange mayor Cardell Cooper battled to a tie of 22,907 votes each. A judge decided in August that Cooper would be the Democratic nominee (he would lose to Republican James W. Treffinger in the general election).[7][8][9] In 2002, he again ran for County Executive facing Commission President Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. in the primary. Giblin accused DiVincenzo of being the focus of a federal inquiry; DiVincenzo got then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie to specifically state that he was not the focus of any probe.[10] Both campaigns spent a total of $4.2 million (in 2015 dollars) in what is the 13th most-expensive local race in the state's history; ultimately DiVincenzo defeated Giblin and won the general election.[11]

He was a longtime chairman of the Essex County Democratic Committee serving from 1993 to 2003. In 1997, Giblin gave then-Woodbridge Township mayor Jim McGreevey the county organization line in that year's gubernatorial primary election. As the Democratic nominee traditionally chooses the next chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, McGreevey nominated Giblin to serve as the head of the state party that year. Giblin served as such from 1997 to 2001.[6] He was the campaign chair of McGreevey's successful campaign in the 2001 gubernatorial election.[12]

In December 1996, Giblin was a member of the New Jersey State Electoral College, one of 15 electors casting their votes for the Clinton/Gore ticket following the 1996 presidential election.[13] He was a member of the 2001 New Jersey Apportionment Commission, the group charged with redrawing the lines of the state's legislative districts following the 2000 Census.[14]

Giblin is the business manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers, AFL–CIO, Local 68 based in West Caldwell. He is married, has five children and five grandchildren, and is a resident of Montclair.[15]

Assembly career

Giblin was elected to the Assembly on November 8, 2005, filling the seat of fellow Democrat Peter C. Eagler, who had held the seat in the Assembly since 2002 and was knocked off the legislative slate.[16]

On November 20, 2006, investigators from the United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Department of Labor raided Giblin's office as part of an undisclosed investigation, seizing documents and computer data.[17]

In March 2023, Giblin announced his retirement after about 50 years in politics in both Essex County, and the state of New Jersey, meaning that his current hometown of Montclair will end up being represented by a new member of the General Assembly, once it gets shifted to the 27th Legislative District, after the elections in 2023.[18]

Committees

Committee assignments for the current session are:[4]

  • Regulated Professions, Chair
  • Higher Education
  • Transportation and Independent Authorities

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.[19] The representatives from the 34th District for the 2022—23 Legislative Session are:[20]

References
  1. "Biography". The Office of Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  2. Giblin, Tom. "Roscommon in America - John J. Giblin" (PDF). County Roscommon Society of New York. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  3. "Thomas P. Giblin 2014 Honorary Grand Marshal" (PDF). Queens County St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  4. Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 30, 2022.
  5. "Results of the General Election Held November 6, 1973" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. 1973. p. 12. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  6. "The Road to Wisniewski - 100 Years of Democratic State Chairmen" (PDF). Politicker NJ. January 2010. p. 4. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  7. Sullivan, Joseph F. (June 9, 1994). "Essex County Seals Votes In Primary". The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  8. Edge, Wally (December 11, 2009). "DiVincenzo wants to be first three-term Essex County Executive". Politicker NJ. Democrats had a civil war in the 1994 Democratic primary, when East Orange Mayor Cardell Cooper and then-Essex County Democratic Chairman (now Assemblyman) Thomas Giblin ended the primary in a tie – each had 22,907 votes. The nominee for County Executive wasn't decided until a Judge ruled on challenged ballots and declared Cooper the winner in August.
  9. Levy, Clifford J. (November 10, 1994). "The 1994 Elections: New Jersey Essex County; Capitalizing On Tainted Machine". The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  10. Edge, Wally (December 2, 2008). "Payback time? In 2002, Christie helped DiVincenzo with a golden letter". Politicker NJ. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  11. "Top 25 Most Expensive Local Races in New Jersey". New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. Retrieved September 24, 2015. 13 | Essex County | 2002 | County | $3,203,840 | $4,215,579 | Joseph DiVincenzo defeats Thomas Giblin for executive.
  12. Holl, John (February 2, 2002). "Briefing: Politics; Giblin In Essex Race". The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2015. Mr. Giblin, 54, the county democratic chairman and the campaign chairman for James E. McGreevey's gubernatorial campaign, will face the county freeholder president, Joseph DiVincenzo, in the June 4 primary.
  13. 1996 Electoral College Votes, accessed December 21, 2006
  14. Mansnerus, Laura (March 9, 2001). "New Census Figures Complicate the Redrawing of Districts". The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2015. Both Mr. Giblin and Mr. Haytaian are members of the reapportionment commission, which also includes legislative leaders.
  15. "Assemblyman Thomas P. Giblin Bio Page". NJ Assembly Majority Office. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  16. Brubaker, Paul. "Giblin focusing forward: 34th District candidate is on the move toward Dem primary", The Montclair Times, May 4, 2005. Accessed April 11, 2008. "Despite what some local offline Democratic candidates have said after incumbent Assemblyman Peter Eagler, D-34, was bumped off of the party line in favor of Giblin, Giblin maintains he is not part of a political machine."
  17. Baldwin, Tom (November 21, 2006). "Union offices raided". Courier-Post. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  18. "Tom Giblin Retiring From NJ Assembly, Won't Seek Re-Election: Reports". Montclair, NJ Patch. March 27, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  19. New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
  20. Legislative Roster for District 34, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 11, 2022.
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