Arline M. Friscia (November 13, 1934 – October 16, 2019) was an American 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 for ...

from 1996 to 2004, where she represented the 19th Legislative District. Originally elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, Friscia switched to the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

in 2003 after losing organization support for her re-election bid from the Democratic Party in that year's primary.

Early life and education

Friscia was born in

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

, and attended public schools in Newark and high school at

Benedictine Academy Benedictine Academy was a Catholic parochial, college preparatory high school that served young women in ninth through twelfth grades in Elizabeth, in Union County, New Jersey, United States. The school was opened in 1915 by the Benedictine Si ...

. She earned her undergraduate degree in music from

Caldwell University Caldwell University is a private Catholic university in Caldwell, New Jersey. Founded in 1939 by the Sisters of St. Dominic, the university is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, chartered by the State of New Jersey, ...

and an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan un ...

in Administration and Supervision.

Career

Prior to becoming a politician, Friscia worked as a school teacher and a field representative for the New Jersey Education Association. Before taking office in the Assembly, Friscia served on the Woodbridge Township Council from 1988 to 1991.Assemblywoman Arline M. Friscia

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 the ...

, backed up by the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

as of February 22, 1998. Accessed June 3, 2010. Democrats statewide saw a net gain of three seats in the Assembly in the 1995 elections, with two of the pickups coming in the 19th District where Friscia and

John S. Wisniewski John Scott Wisniewski ( ; born June 28, 1962) is an American Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1996 to 2018, where he represented the 19th Legislative District. He was a Democratic candidate for Gove ...

knocked off the Republican incumbents

Stephen A. Mikulak Stephen A. Mikulak (October 15, 1948 – June 16, 2014) was an American Republican Party politician who served two terms in the New Jersey General Assembly, from 1992 to 1996, where he represented the 19th Legislative District, which covers po ...

and

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

. She was re-elected with Wisniewski in 1997, 1999 and 2001. While in the Assembly, Friscia served as Associate Minority Leader starting in 1998 and was a member of the Labor Committee and the Senior Issues and Community Services Committee. In the Assembly, Friscia sponsored a bill that would expand the state's family leave law by allowing those on leave to collect unemployment for 12 weeks and would make New Jersey the first state in the nation to adopt a provision requiring all business with 50 or more employees to hire back an employee at the same or comparable position after they return from their leave.Garhunathan, Abhi
"The Capitol; A Feud Brewing Over Family Leave"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', February 4, 2001. Accessed June 3, 2010. In the 2003 Democratic primary, Friscia lost the official endorsement of the Middlesex County Democratic Organization, which went instead to

Perth Amboy Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 55,436. Perth Amboy has a Hispanic majority population. In the 2010 census, th ...

mayor

Joseph Vas Joseph Vas (born January 18, 1955) is an American Democratic Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2004 to 2010, where he represented the 19th Legislative District. He did not seek re-election to the assembl ...

. Friscia objected to being knocked off the party line, stating that "a history of women being knocked off tickets in Middlesex County" exists as "part of a long sad history of the Democratic Party disenfranchising qualified women".Fitzgerald, Barbara
Reflections on a Glass Ceiling"
''

'', August 10, 2003. Accessed June 3, 2010. Following her defeat in the primary and after briefly considering an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

run for the Assembly, the Middlesex County Republican offered her a position to run on their ticket in the general election. Friscia was defeated by the two Democratic candidates, incumbent Wisniewski and Vas, in the general election that November. Friscia reregisted as a Democrat after her departure from the Assembly.

Death

She died at the JFK Medical Center in

Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These invention ...

on October 16, 2019 at the age of 84.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Friscia, Arline M. 1934 births 2019 deaths Caldwell University alumni New Jersey city council members Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly People from Woodbridge Township, New Jersey Politicians from Middlesex County, New Jersey Politicians from Newark, New Jersey Seton Hall University alumni Women city councillors in New Jersey Women state legislators in New Jersey 21st-century American women