The scion of a legendary Bergen County political family, 31-year-old Clinton Calabrese (D-Cliffside Park) took the oath of office this afternoon as the newest and youngest member of the New Jersey State Assembly.
Calabrese ran unopposed in a special election convention last week for the seat of Marlene Caride, who resigned after being named Commissioner of Banking and Insurance by Gov. Phil Murphy.
A member of the Cliffside Park Board of Education from 2009 to 2010, Calabrese is the grandson of Gerald Calabrese, a former NBA player who served as mayor of Cliffside Park for fifty years until his death in 2015 at age 90.
Calabrese works in the real estate business. His father is Gerald Calabrese, Jr., the Democratic Municipal Chairman. His uncle is Thomas Calabrese, who served as a councilman for fifteen years before becoming mayor in 2016.
Gerry Calabrese had also served as Bergen County Democratic Chairman and as a Freeholder, and wielded considerable influence in statewide politics for decades.