Jamel Holley

Jamel Curtis Holley
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 20th Legislative District
Incumbent
Assumed office January 21, 2015 Serving with Annette Quijano
Preceded by	Joseph Cryan
Mayor of Roselle, New Jersey
In office January 1, 2012 – January 21, 2015
Preceded by	Garrett Smith
Succeeded by	Christine Dansereau
Personal details
Born	September 13, 1979
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Roselle, New Jersey
Alma mater	New Jersey City University (B.S.) Kean University (M.P.A.)
Website	Legislative biography

Jamel Curtis Holley (born September 13, 1979) is an American Democratic Party politician from the state of New Jersey. He is currently a member of the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 20th Legislative District. He was appointed to the seat on January 21, 2015, by the elected members of the Union County Democratic Committee from the 20th district municipalities of Elizabeth, Hillside, Roselle, and Union Township making him the first African American to represent the district. He is serving out the unexpired term of former Assemblyman and current Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan.

Holley formerly served as mayor of the Borough of Roselle. After being councilman-at-large for the borough from 2005 through 2011,^[1] he was elected mayor in November 2011.^[2] He took office on January 1, 2012 at the age 32,^[3] becoming the borough’s youngest-ever mayor.

He is the president and CEO of Front Porch Strategies, a consulting firm for government affairs based in Caldwell, NJ.^[3] He also serves as chairman and CEO of the Jamel C. Holley Civic Association, a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides resources and programs to residents of Roselle and surrounding communities.^[2]

In 2004, Holley was one of 40 people throughout the country to be honored by The Network Journal Magazine for his achievements and contributions to the African American community.^[2]

Political career

Holley graduated from Abraham Clark High School in Roselle in 1997.^[2] He then attended New Jersey City University until 2002, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice.^[1] In 2001, he was appointed as Chief of Staff of New Jersey’s 20th Legislative District, ^[2] the youngest Chief of Staff for any of New Jersey’s 120 legislators. As Chief of Staff, Holley was in charge of coordinating political and constituency outreach programs and supervising legislative departments and projects, as well as meeting regularly with lobbyists, community leaders, and officials from the local, state, and federal levels.

On November 2, 2004, Holley won the General Election for Councilman at Large in the Borough of Roselle, becoming Union County’s youngest Councilman at age 25.^[2]

Holley was commissioned by the New Jersey Democratic State Committee in 2004 to serve as a member of the Affirmative Action and Outreach Committee for the Democratic National Convention.^[2]

Holley earned his Master of Public Administration from Kean University in 2006.^[1] The following year, he was re-elected as councilman-at-large in Roselle.^[2] Starting in 2007, Holley also spent three years as an Economic Development Specialist for Union County.

Mayoralty

Holley was elected Mayor of the Borough of Roselle in November 2011, becoming the youngest Mayor ever elected in Roselle’s history, dating back to 1894.^[2] Holley ran unopposed for mayor after defeating two-term Mayor Garrett Smith in the Borough’s Democratic primaries in June,^[3] despite Smith having the support of U.S. Congressman Donald M. Payne of New Jersey’s 10th District.^[4] Holley’s running mates were then-Councilman-elect Randy Sandifer and then-Councilman Yves. F. Aubourg,^[3] who now serves as the Council President.^[2]

Mayor Holley began his term on January 1, 2012 and was officially inaugurated on January 6, at age 32.^[3] He served until his appointment to the General Assembly in 2015.

On September 27, 2012, Mayor Holley and the Roselle Borough Council announced the formation of the Roselle Office of Service and Engagement (R.O.S.E.).^[5] The initiative’s three main stated objectives are to empower citizens through community engagement, to promote municipal beautification projects, and to support the Roselle public schools.^[5]

In April 2013, Mayor Holley announced his support for Raymond Lesniak in Lesniak's bid for senate reelection in New Jersey's 20th District.^[6]

After the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin murder trial, Mayor Holley and Roselle's Borough Council submitted a formal plea to President Barack Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate alleged violations of civil rights relating to the 2012 fatal shooting.^[7] Roselle was the first Union County municipality to appeal to the Obama administration for further examination of the case, after Zimmerman was found not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges.

On July 23, 2013, Mayor Holley made an appearance along with nearly 50 other Union County Democrats to endorse Newark Mayor Cory Booker for his bid for the U.S. Senate.^[8]

Legislative career

Holley was unanimously chosen by Democratic committee members of the 20th district to fill the Assembly seat of Joseph Cryan who resigned in 2015 to become the Union County Sheriff.^[9] He is running for a full two-year term in the Assembly with Democratic running mate Annette Quijano in the November 2015 general election.^[10]

In the Assembly, he serves on the Higher Education Committee and the Housing and Community Development Committee.^[11]

Personal life

Holley has been the president of Front Porch Strategies since July 2010, a government affairs consulting firm based in Caldwell, New Jersey.^[3][1] Holley is the chairman and CEO of the Jamel C. Holley Civic Association,^[2] whose programs have included senior day activities, communal Thanksgiving dinners, and toy drives for underprivileged youth. He is also the Director of Public Works for Irvington.^[11]

Holley advocates stricter gun laws and legislation, and one of 700 members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG),^[12] led by co-founder and co-Chairman New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.^[13] Holley and other members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns met at Capitol Hill in January 2013 to lobby Congress to act on President Barack Obama's gun-control proposals.^[14]

Holley has two younger brothers, Joseph and Jesse. Jesse is a former NFL wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots.^[2]

References

1. "Jamel Holley's LinkedIn Profile". LinkedIn.
2. "boroughofroselle.com". Borough of Roselle.
3. "Roselle Mayor Jamel Holley to be Inaugurated January 6th". LocalTalkNews.com.
4. "31 year old Jamel Holley elected Mayor of Roselle". Blue Jersey.
5. "Mayor Jamel Holley and Roselle Borough Council announces the establishment of R.O.S.E.". NJ.com.
6. "Holley backing Lesniak in LD20". PolitickerNJ.
7. "Roselle Calls On White House, Justice Department To Find Justice For Trayvon Martin". NJToday,net. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
8. Khavkine, Richard. "Union County politicians endorse Newark Mayor Booker in Senate race". NJ.com. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
9. Merrill, Everett (January 22, 2015). "Jamel Holley replaces Joe Cryan in the Assembly". MyCentralJersey.com. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
10. Friedman, Matt (June 2, 2015). "Incumbents rule the day in N.J. Assembly primaries". NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. Retrieved September 12, 2015. Even in Union County's 20th District — the most hotly contested — incumbent Democratic Assembly members Jamel Holley and Annette Quijano easily prevailed over two sets of challengers: Tony Monteiro and Giuliano Farina; and Jorge Batista and Vivian Bell.
11. "Jamel C. Holley (D)". New Jersey Legislature. 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
12. Holley, Jamel (August 7, 2012). "Our nation needs to step up fight against illegal guns". The Star-Ledger.
13. "Mayors Against Illegal Guns". Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
14. Celock, John (January 16, 2013). "Mayors Against Illegal Guns Lobby Congress On Gun Control". Huffington Post.

External links

• Jamel C. Holley (D) - New Jersey Legislature Biography