John F. McKeon

John F. McKeon (born June 3, 1958) is an American Democratic Party politician who serves as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, where he represents the 27th Legislative District, which covers the western portion of Essex County. McKeon previously served in the Assembly as a Deputy Speaker (2010–11), Majority Whip (2008–09), Assistant Majority Leader (2006–07) and Assistant Majority Whip (2004–05), and has been the Assembly's Parliamentarian since 2022.[1] He is also a former mayor of the Township of West Orange.[2]

For other people named John McKeon, see John McKeon (disambiguation).

John McKeon
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 27th district
Assumed office
January 8, 2002
Serving with Mila Jasey
Preceded byNia Gill
LeRoy J. Jones Jr.
Mayor of West Orange
In office
July 1, 1998 – June 30, 2010
Preceded bySamuel Spina
Succeeded byRobert Parisi
Personal details
Born (1958-06-03) June 3, 1958
Montclair, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseAnn Mader
Children3
EducationWest Orange Mountain High School
Alma materMuhlenberg College (BA)
Seton Hall University (JD)
WebsiteLegislative website

Early life and education

McKeon was born June 3, 1958, in Montclair, New Jersey, the oldest of four children, born to John F. McKeon, Jr. (1925-2002)[3] and Anita (née Monzo).[4] He is of Irish and Italian descent. McKeon was raised in Orange and West Orange, New Jersey. He is a graduate of West Orange Mountain High School.[5]

McKeon received a B.A. in 1980 from Muhlenberg College cum laude in history and was awarded a J.D. in 1983 from the Seton Hall University School of Law.[5][1] At graduation, he was the recipient of the Peter Rodino Law Society Outstanding Student Award.

Career

He then served as judicial clerk to Joseph M. Thuring, Superior Court of New Jersey in Hudson County, and as a legislative aide to Representative Joseph Minish. McKeon is a former legislative counsel to Senator Richard Codey and counsel to the West Orange Board of Adjustment.[6]

He is a senior partner at Hardin, Kundla, McKeon, Poletto and Polifroni, a law firm in Springfield Township. He is married to Ann Mader McKeon, also an attorney at the same firm, and has three daughters.[7][8]

Political career

McKeon had served on the Township of West Orange Council from 1992 to 1998 as the Mayor of West Orange from 1998 to 2010.[1] From the time that he took office in the Assembly in 2002 until he left his position as mayor in June 2010, he simultaneously held a seat in the New Jersey General Assembly and was West Orange Mayor. This dual position, often called double dipping, was allowed under a grandfather clause in the state law enacted by the New Jersey Legislature and signed into law by Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine in September 2007 that prevents dual-office-holding but allows those who had held both positions as of February 1, 2008, to retain both posts.[9] On July 1, 2010, Robert Parisi took over the mayoral position.[10]

On August 14, 2023 State Senator and former New Jersey Governor Richard Codey announced he would be retiring from the New Jersey State Senate at the end of his current term, Codey is currently running for re-election in the November General Election and if he is re-elected to the State Senate, the elected committee members of the Essex County Democratic Committee will be in the position to appoint McKeon as Codey's replacement starting on the first day of the legislative year in January 2024.[11][12]

New Jersey General Assembly

During his first term in the Legislature, McKeon was the prime sponsor of the Assembly version of the laws requiring school districts to adopt anti-harassment policies, strengthening school bus driver background checks and revising the State's laws concerning the release of wild animals, and was a prime sponsor of the Patients First Medical Malpractice Insurance reform legislation.[5]

Other leadership positions McKeon has held during his tenure in the Assembly include Assistant Majority Whip from 2004 to 2005, Assistant Majority Leader from 2006 to 2007, Majority Whip in 2008 and 2009, and Deputy Speaker from 2010 to 2011.[1] John McKeon was one of the 11 sponsors of the "New Jersey Insurance Marketplace Preservation Act" also known as bill A3380 which enacts the shared responsibility penalty in state income tax.[13]

Committees

Committee assignments for the current session are:[1]

  • Financial Institutions and Insurance, as Chair
  • Budget
  • Environment and Solid Waste
  • Judiciary

District 27

Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly.[14] The representatives from the 27th District for the 2022—23 Legislative Session are:[15]

Personal life

McKeon is married to Ann C. Mader, who is also an attorney. They have three daughters: Lacey Ann (McKeon) Rockefeller (born 1988);[16] Melissa McKeon (born 1990) and Jaclyn McKeon (born 1993).[17]

He is a resident of West Orange, New Jersey.[18]

References
  1. Assemblyman John F. McKeon, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
  2. "West Orange Public Invited to Inauguration Ceremony for Mayor McCartney". TAPinto. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  3. "John McKeon Obituary (2002) - Newark, NJ - The Star-Ledger". Legacy.com. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  4. "Tribute Archive Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information". www.tributearchive.com. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  5. Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey - Two Hundred and Eleventh Legislature (First Session) (PDF). Skinder-Strauss Associates. 2004. p. 280. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  6. "Attorney John McKeon". Hardin Kundla McKeon & Poletto. 2009. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  7. "Assemblyman John F. McKeon Bio Page". NJ Assembly Majority Office. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  8. "Attorney Ann Mader-McKeon". Hardin Kundla McKeon & Poletto. 2009. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  9. via Associated Press. "N.J. Lawmakers keep double dipping" Archived 2008-03-25 at the Wayback Machine, WPVI-TV, March 4, 2008. Accessed June 4, 2009.
  10. Bondy, Halley. "New West Orange mayor longtime community activist and councilman", The Star-Ledger, May 13, 2010. Accessed January 17, 2015. "In the Eagle Rock section of town, where mayor-elect Robert Parisi grew up, Colgate Park saw an increase in crime in the early 1990s.... Parisi will be sworn in July 1 as the township’s first new mayor in 12 years to replace state Assembly deputy speaker John McKeon."
  11. McKeon will get Codey’s Senate seat, Brendan Gill will run for Assembly (Retrieved from New Jersey Globe on 10 October 2023)
  12. McKeon in position to succeed Codey (Retrieved from Insider NJ on 10 October 2023)
  13. A3380 New Jersey Health Insurance Market Preservation Act, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 24, 2022.
  14. New Jersey State Constitution 1947 (Updated Through Amendments Adopted in November, 2020): Article IV, Section II, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 28, 2022.
  15. Legislative Roster for District 27, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 11, 2022.
  16. "Lacey McKeon, Steven Rockefeller". The New York Times. April 7, 2019. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  17. "Tribute Archive Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information". www.tributearchive.com. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  18. Official List Candidates for General Assembly For General Election November 2, 2021,New Jersey Department of State, updated November 30, 2021. Accessed May 10, 2023.
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