Passaic County GOP Chairman John Traier may pay a price for his endorsement of Paul DiGaetano in last year’s State Senate primary in District 40.
State Sen. Kristin Corrado (R-Passaic) has not yet signed off on Traier’s reappointment to the New Jersey Commission on Civil Rights. The job requires Senate confirmation before Gov. Chris Christie leaves office next Tuesday. Under the unwritten rules of senatorial courtesy, Corrado, must approve the Traier nomination before the Senate will vote to confirm him.
Christie filed the appointment with the State Senate on December 14, 2017. It was referred to the Judiciary Committee, which has not yet put Traier on their agenda. Of the four Civil Rights Commission nomination made by Christie last month, only Joan Rivitz has been confirmed. The Senate has not acted on Clara Fernandez, while Salena Carroll’s nomination was withdrawn on December 20.
If Traier is not confirmed, he will remain on the commission as a holdover member. Gov.-elect Phil Murphy is unlikely to renominate the Passaic Republican leader – he’ll have Democrats who want this appointment.
Corrado beat DiGaetano by a 62%-30% margin, ending the hopes of a political comeback by the former Assembly Majority Leader.
Traier is a former three-term Clifton Board of Education member who served as Acting Commissioner of Banking and Insurance for nine months under Gov. Christine Todd Whitman.