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 ...
since he took office on January 10, 2006. He also serves on the
Passaic, New Jersey
Passaic ( or ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was List of municipalities in New Jersey, the state's 16th-most-populous ...
City Council where he is the council president. Schaer is the first
Orthodox Jew
Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tran ...
in the
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 ...
. In the Assembly, Schaer was Deputy Speaker from 2012 to 2023 and chair of the Budget Committee from 2014 to 2017, and has been the Assembly's Policy Chair since 2020.
Biography
Schaer grew up in
Pennsauken Township, New Jersey
Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County, in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and it is located outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which it borders directly on the Delaware River. As of the 2 ...
. He attended
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...
, majoring in
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
.
Schaer has served on the Passaic City Council since 1995, including being the council president off-and-on since 1997. He has been a Director of Passaic's Urban Enterprise Zone since 2002. He served as a Commissioner on the
Board of Education
A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution.
The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...
for the Passaic County Technical Institute from 1999 to 2003 and was a commissioner on the Passaic Housing Authority from 1992 to 1996. In March 2023, Schaer was hired as the executive director of the Passaic County Improvement Authority.
Schaer unsuccessfully ran for Mayor of Passaic in 1997 finishing behind incumbent Margie Semler and councilman Samuel Rivera. In May 2008, Schaer became the acting mayor of Passaic upon the resignation of Rivera, who had won election to the office in 2001, as a result of Rivera pleading guilty on corruption charges. Though he considered running for the remainder of the term, Schaer declined to seek election to the unexpired term and was succeeded by Alex Blanco.
He is a Trustee of St. Mary's Hospital. Schaer has worked in the financial services industry for over 20 years. He is an investment consultant and vice president at Ryan Beck & Company. A resident of Passaic, he is married to Donna and has three children.
Legislative career
Schaer was elected to the Assembly on November 8, 2005, and took the seat of RepublicanPaul DiGaetano, who did not run for re-election and had held the seat in the Assembly continuously since 1992. Schaer represents the 36th District, a district consisting of only the City of Passaic in Passaic County in the
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
Bergen County
Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Nutley in Essex County was a part of the district in the 2001 apportionment); his predecessor DiGaetano has also been a resident of Passaic. District leaders attempt to provide geographic balance when picking candidates.
Schaer is the first
Orthodox Jew
Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tran ...
to serve in the
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 ...
. In situations in which the legislature is in session on Saturday, the
Jewish Sabbath
Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical stories describing the cre ...
, when the dictates of his Orthodox Jewish faith prohibit him from participating in forbidden forms of work, he has appointed an aide to formally cast a ballot on his behalf, a policy permitted by the Assembly's rules, as long as the legislator is in the building.Chadwick, John "Orthodox Jew strives to keep the faith" ''
The Record
The Record may refer to:
Music
* The Record (Fear album), ''The Record'' (Fear album), a 1982 studio album by the hardcore-punk band Fear
* The Record (Boygenius album), ''The Record'' (Boygenius album), a 2023 studio album by the indie rock supe ...
'', July 5, 2007. Accessed July 6, 2007. "Assemblyman Gary Schaer was nowhere to be seen as lawmakers gathered in the wee hours of a Saturday morning for a critical budget vote.... The reason for Schaer's disappearing act was simple. He's an Orthodox Jew -- the first one in the New Jersey Legislature -- and can't work on the Jewish Sabbath."
He held the Deputy Speaker position in the Assembly from 2012 to 2023 and was Chair of the Budget Committee from 2014 to 2017. He has been the Assembly's Policy Chair since 2020.
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 January 29, 2024.
*Financial Institutions and Insurance (as vice-chair)
*Appropriations
*Budget
District 36
Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...
and two members 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 ...
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 January 29, 2024.
*Senator
Paul Sarlo
Paul Anthony Sarlo (born August 31, 1968) is an Italian-American construction industry executive and Democratic Party politician who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2003, where he represents the 36th Legislative District. Sarlo is a ...
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 ...