Rick Merkt

Richard A. Merkt
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey General Assembly's 25th legislative district district
In office
January 13, 1998 – January 12, 2010
Preceded by Anthony R. Bucco
Succeeded by Anthony M. Bucco
Personal details
Born (1949-06-30)June 30, 1949
New York City
Political party Republican
Residence Mendham Township, New Jersey
Alma mater Yale University, Fordham University School of Law, University of Pennsylvania
Occupation lawyer

Richard A. "Rick" Merkt (born July 30, 1949) is an American Republican Party politician who served from 1998 to 2010 in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he represented the 25th legislative district.[1] In his sixth term as a legislator, he unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for Governor of New Jersey in 2009 rather than running for re-election to the Assembly.

Noted for his interest in and knowledge of constitutional issues, Merkt served as the Assembly's Parliamentarian from 2006 to 2010. He served in the Assembly on the Appropriations Committee, the Higher Education Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Transportation Committee, the Banking and Insurance Committee and the Intergovernmental Relations Commission.[1]

Merkt graduated with a B.A. in History in 1971 from Yale University, was awarded a J.D. in 1975 from the Fordham University School of Law and received an M.G.A. in 1986 from the University of Pennsylvania in Governmental Administration.[1]

He was born in New York City and resides with his family in the Brookside section of Mendham Township, New Jersey.[2] In March 2011, Merkt was chosen to fill the seat on the Mendham Township Committee expiring in 2012 that had been vacated in January 2011 by Jack Schrier.[3][4] Merkt served as deputy mayor of Mendham Township in 2012 and as mayor in 2013. On September 15, 2014, he was appointed Borough Administrator of Mendham, New Jersey and resigned from the Mendham Township Committee. He assumed his new office on November 1, 2014.

2009 Gubernatorial campaign

On October 22, 2008, Rick Merkt declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Governor of New Jersey.[5] However, Merkt was unable to meet the fundraising thresholds necessary to appear in the state-sponsored televised debates before the primary. Thus the primary was in effect a contest between former United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey Chris Christie and former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan. Merkt did appear along with his two rivals in two privately sponsored radio debates before the primary, however. While Merkt received about 3% of the vote in the primary, Christie received the gubernatorial nomination. Merkt retired from the Assembly in January 2010 when his sixth term expired.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Assemblyman Merkt's legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed April 15, 2008.
  2. ↑ Assembly Member Richard A. 'Rick' Merkt, Project Vote Smart. Accessed August 17, 2007.
  3. ↑ Mendham Township Committee, Mendham Township. Accessed March 22, 2011.
  4. ↑ Garber, Phil. "After short break, Richard Merkt returns to Mendham Township political scene", Observer-Tribune, March 4, 2011. Accessed March 22, 2011. "Taking a lead from the former president, Richard Merkt also didn’t want to retire and was named on Tuesday, Feb. 22, to a seat on the Township Committee after serving for 12 years in the state Assembly and running unsuccessfully for governor."
  5. ↑ "Morris lawmaker officially in race for governor". Daily Record. October 22, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
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