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| NJ Senate President Steve Sweeney Photo by Kevin Sanders for New Jersey Globe |
Reshuffling gives Gopal committee chairmanship
David Wildstein reports for New Jersey Globe:
Senate President Steve Sweeney is reshuffling some Senate committee assignments, removing Brian Stack (D-Union City) and Nia Gill (D-Montclair) from the Judiciary Committee and replacing them with Joseph Lagana (D-Paramus) and Troy Singleton (D-Palmyra).
Stack is also losing his seat on the Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Singleton will become the chairman of the Community and Urban Affairs Committee. He will replace Jeff Van Drew (D-Dennis), who is resigning from the Senate next week to take his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“New Jersey’s communities – whether urban, rural or suburban – continue to face unique challenges which require innovative solutions,” said Singleton. “I am honored to serve in my new role as Chair of the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee to ensure that future policies are not only well-intentioned but also have a positive impact.”
Vin Gopal (D-Long Branch) will replace Singleton as chairman of the Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Gopal, who defeated three-term State Sen. Jennifer Beck last year, has seen a meteoric rise in the Senate. He was named Majority Caucus chairman after Bob Gordon resigned to join the Board of Public Utilities and is now poised to take on a committee chairmanship.|
State Sen. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) will succeed Gill as vice chair of the Judiciary panel.
The move against Stack comes after the Hudson County Democrat, once a staunch Sweeney ally, sided with Gov. Phil Murphy during the state budget battle and on legislative redistricting.
“It’s never been about the titles or the committees. It’s always about the people,” Stack told the New Jersey Globe. “I am honored to be the senator from the 33rd.”
The changes means that Sweeney will now have selected the most diverse team of committee chairs in Senate history, with 40% of the Senate chairmanships will be held by Black, Hispanic and South Asian senators.
