Michael B. Lavery is an American politician and lawyer who served as the mayor of Hackettstown from 2005 to 2011 and as

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the

New Jersey Republican State Committee The New Jersey Republican Party (NJGOP) is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in New Jersey. It was founded in 1880 and is currently led by Bob Hugin. Current leadership * Bob Hugin, Chairman * Darlene Shotmeyer, Vice Chai ...

on two separate occasions. First for six months in 2017 and for a second time between 2020 and 2021.

Career

Legal career

Before being involved in politics, Lavery worked as a lawyer admitted to the Warren County bar and specialized in

commercial litigation Commercial law (or business law), which is also known by other names such as mercantile law or trade law depending on jurisdiction; is the body of law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmenta ...

, general litigation and municipal litigation for the Lavery, Selvaggi, Abromitis & Cohen law firm which he was a founding partner of. Following his 2017 term as

of the

Lavery became the legal council for the

from 2017 to 2020. Following his second exist as chairman he became the Township Attorney for Parsippany–Troy Hills, Hardwick, Lopatcong,

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

, and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

Political career

Lavery's political career started in 2005 when he was elected as a Republican to two terms as mayor of Hackettstown serving until 2011. Additionally he worked on the Warren County Republican Committee and was a legislative aid to Leonard Lance He was appointed as the Commissioner for the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission on June 25, 2015, by governor

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

. On June 26, 2017, he was elected to be the Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee following his endorsement from gubernatorial candidate

Kim Guadagno Kimberly Ann Guadagno (; ''née'' McFadden; born April 13, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the first lieutenant governor and 33rd secretary of state of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Guadagno was the Republican nominee ...

. As chairman he focused entirely on getting Guadagno elected governor and dispelling any criticisms towards her from other Republicans. When Guadagno lost the

2017 New Jersey gubernatorial election Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number) * One of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017, 2117 Science * Chlorine, a halogen in the periodic table * 17 Thetis, an asteroid in the asteroid belt Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (America ...

, Lavery resigned as chairman. He would be re-elected the chairman on December 15, 2020, following the resignation of his successor Doug Steinhardt after the 2020 election. During this second term he decried election integrity outlining a series of voting reforms he and the New Jersey Republican Committee would like to see implemented in the state. He would be replaced without opposition in 2021 by

Bob Hugin Robert John Hugin (born July 23, 1954) is an American businessman who was formerly the executive chairman of Celgene, a biopharmaceutical company. Hugin was the Republican nominee in the 2018 United States Senate election in New Jersey, where he ...

, the Republican candidate for the 2018 United States Senate election in New Jersey, at the suggestion of the Republican candidate in the

2021 New Jersey gubernatorial election The 2021 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the governor of New Jersey. Incumbent governor Phil Murphy was first elected in 2017 with 56% of the vote and won re-election to a second term. Murphy and his ru ...

Jack Ciattarelli Giacchino Michael "Jack" Ciattarelli ( ; born December 12, 1961) is an American politician and businessman. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2011 to 2018, representing the 16th legislative dist ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lavery, Michael Chairmen of the New Jersey Republican State Committee Living people Lawyers from Warren County, New Jersey New Jersey Republicans Mayors of places in New Jersey People from Hackettstown, New Jersey 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century mayors of places in New Jersey Year of birth missing (living people)