Ernest L. Oros (died August 21, 2012) was an American Republican Party politician who served two terms 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 1992 to 1996, where he represented the 19th Legislative District, which covers portions of Middlesex County.

Biography

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Oros served with the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

in the Pacific Theater of Operations with the

2nd Marine Division The 2nd Marine Division (2nd MARDIV) is a division of the United States Marine Corps, which forms the ground combat element of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). The division is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina a ...

. After completing his military service, Oros returned to Woodbridge Township, where he operated a tire business.Hagerty, John R
"Woodbridge Council Names Former Assemblyman Ernie Oros as 2009 Leader"
'' Courier News (New Jersey)'', May 11, 2009. Accessed July 8, 2010. Oros was elected to the Woodbridge Township Council in 1985. In 1986, he ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination to challenge U.S. representative Bernard J. Dwyer. In 1991, he ran for the General Assembly in what had traditionally been a solidly-Democratic district, as part of a campaign that targeted the Democrats statewide as being responsible for higher taxes. As part of the Republican landslide that year in the New Jersey Legislature in the wake of

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

Jim Florio James Joseph Florio (August 29, 1937 – September 25, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 49th governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994. He was previously the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional dis ...

's $2.8 billion tax increase package, Oros was elected to the Assembly together with running mate Stephen A. Mikulak and Randy Corman in the Senate, defeating incumbent Democrat Thomas J. Deverin and his running mate Jay Ziznewski. Oros was re-elected to the Assembly in 1993, together with Mikulak, though Corman lost his seat in the Senate to Democrat

Jim McGreevey James Edward McGreevey (born August 6, 1957) is an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 52nd governor of New Jersey from 2002 until his resignation in 2004 amidst a sex scandal. McGreevey served in the New Jersey Genera ...

. A bill proposed by Oros in 1994 would put insurance data from the New Jersey Department of Motor vehicles into a database that would be accessible by local police, allowing them to verify that a driver has proper insurance for their vehicle. In March 1995, Oros sponsored a bill that would tack on a $5 surcharge on traffic tickets that would be used to fund the purchase of police cars and other emergency vehicles by local municipalities. Law enforcement groups opposed the bill, saying that it would encourage police to give out tickets. In the 1995 elections, Oros and Mikulak were unseated by

Arline Friscia Arline M. Friscia (November 13, 1934 – October 16, 2019) was an American politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1996 to 2004, where she represented the New Jersey's 19th legislative district, 19th Legislative District. O ...

and John S. Wisniewski, two of the five seats that the Democrats picked up in that cycle.via

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

"DEMOCRATS CHIP AWAY AT GOP IN ASSEMBLY"
''

The Press of Atlantic City ''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, New Jersey, Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The Designated marke ...

'', November 8, 1995. Accessed July 8, 2010. In 1998, Oros was one of the founders of Woodbridge River Watch, a volunteer organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the waterways and wetlands in the township. Oros was recognized by Woodbridge Township as the winner of the 2009 John J. Fay, Jr. Civic Award, which recognizes an individual who has served in office and has been involved as a volunteer in community activities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oros, Ernest L. 2012 deaths Year of birth missing United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Businesspeople from Middlesex County, New Jersey Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Politicians from Woodbridge Township, New Jersey United States Marines 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature