BettyLou DeCroce (born November 17, 1952) is an American Republican Party politician, who served in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

from 2012 to 2022, where she represented the 26th Legislative District.

Biography and early career

Born and raised in

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

, DeCroce is a

realtor Real estate agents and real estate brokers are people who represent sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agent ...

who formerly served as the President of the firm ERA Gallo & DeCroce, Inc. She attended

Berkeley College Berkeley College is a private for-profit college with campuses in New York City, New Jersey, and online. It was founded in 1931 and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificate programs. Berkeley College is accredited by the Mi ...

and

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

.Assemblywoman DeCroce's legislative web page

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...

. Accessed April 15, 2008. A member of the Township Council in Mine Hill Township from 1981 to 1983, DeCroce later served on the Roxbury Township Planning Board from 1984 to 1987. In 1991, she was hired by the township to serve as its Deputy Township Manager from 1991 through 2002 and as its Township Clerk from 1988 to 2010. In 2010, she was appointed Deputy Commissioner in the

New Jersey Department of Community Affairs The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Function The NJDCA provides "administrative guidance, financial support, and technical assistance to local governments, community develop ...

, a position she held until 2012. During this time, she authored the Best Practices for Municipalities, which became a statewide model for identifying efficiencies in local government for reducing property taxes. DeCroce has served on the Morris County Joint Insurance Fund and was the North Jersey Health Insurance Fund Commissioner. She married Alex DeCroce, who had been in the Assembly for two terms, in 1994. She currently resides in Parsippany-Troy Hills and has two sons and four grandchildren.

New Jersey Assembly

Alex DeCroce, who had served in the Assembly since 1993, died suddenly on January 9, 2012, at the age of 75, shortly after the 214th Legislature had ended. On January 25, 2012, BettyLou DeCroce was selected by the Morris County Republican Committee to replace him in the Assembly, defeating former Kinnelon Councilman Larry Casha by a nearly 2-1 margin. She won a November 2012 special election for the remainder of the term, defeating Democratic candidate Joseph Raich. On June 8, 2021, DeCroce lost her reelection bid to former Pompton Lakes Councilman Christian Barranco.

Committee assignments

*Financial Institutions and Insurance *Science, Innovation and Technology *Transportation and Independent Authorities *Joint Committee on the Public Schools *New Jersey Legislative Select Oversight *Intergovernmental Relations Commission *Manufacturing Caucus

Electoral history

New Jersey Assembly

References

External links

Assemblywoman DeCroce's legislative web page

*''New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms:''
201320122011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Decroce, Bettylou 1952 births Living people Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly New Jersey city council members People from Mine Hill Township, New Jersey People from Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey People from Roxbury, New Jersey Politicians from Morris County, New Jersey Rutgers University alumni Spouses of New Jersey politicians Women city councillors in New Jersey 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the New Jersey Legislature