William E. Baroni Jr. (born December 10, 1971) is an American
Republican Party politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
and law professor. He represented the
14th legislative district in the
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and
General Assembly
A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company.
Specific examples of general assembly include:
Churches
* General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...
. In 2010,
New Jersey Governor
The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...
Chris Christie
Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018.
Christie, who was born in Ne ...
named Baroni to serve as the Deputy Executive Director of the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorized ...
.
He resigned from his position at the Port Authority on December 12, 2013, during the inquiry into the
Fort Lee lane closure controversy
The Fort Lee lane closure scandal, also known as the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal or Bridgegate, was a political scandal involving a staff member and political appointees of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie colluding to cr ...
.
Baroni was convicted on seven counts of conspiracy and wire fraud in relation to his involvement in the closure
and sentenced to two years of imprisonment and 500 hours of community service, later reduced to 18 months. On May 7, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed the conviction in ''
Kelly v. United States''.
Early life
Baroni was born in
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
. He attended
Steinert High School
Steinert High School (also formally known as Hamilton High School East) is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of three secondary high schools that are part of the Hamilton Townsh ...
in Hamilton Township. He received a
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
from
George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, preside ...
in history and was awarded a
J.D. from the
University of Virginia School of Law
The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...
.
[Senator Baroni'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 the ...
. Accessed April 24, 2008.
Political career
Early career
Baroni became interested in politics as a teenager, working on the 1988 campaign of his hometown US representative,
Christopher H. Smith (R), who was seeking re-election to his fourth term. He was also a driver for Assembly Speaker
Chuck Haytaian
Garabed "Chuck" Haytaian (born January 28, 1938) is an American Republican Party politician, who was the Speaker of the New Jersey State Assembly during the 'tax revolt' of the James Florio – Christine Todd Whitman era. He is of Armenia ...
in his campaign for US Senator against
Frank Lautenberg
Frank Raleigh Lautenberg (; January 23, 1924 June 3, 2013) was an American businessman and Democratic Party politician who served as United States Senator from New Jersey from 1982 to 2001, and again from 2003 until his death in 2013. He was orig ...
in 1994 and worked on the advance staff for the 1996 presidential campaign of
Steve Forbes
Malcolm Stevenson Forbes Jr. (; born July 18, 1947) is an American publishing executive and politician who is the editor-in-chief of ''Forbes'', a business magazine. He is the son of longtime ''Forbes'' publisher Malcolm Forbes and the grandso ...
.
In 1999, Baroni made his first campaign for public office, losing a race for
Hamilton Township council.
[ In 2000, Baroni was one of a small group of New Jersey Republicans who supported ]John McCain
John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...
for president over George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
.[
In 2001, Baroni was general counsel for congressman ]Bob Franks
Robert Douglas Franks (September 21, 1951 – April 9, 2010) was an American Republican politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New Jersey.
Early life
Franks was born on September 21, 1951, in Hackensack, New Jersey, the son of Nor ...
's gubernatorial campaign. In 2002, he led the Republican efforts to keep incumbent U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli
Robert Guy Torricelli (born August 27, 1951), is an American attorney and former politician. A Democrat, Torricelli served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 9th district from 1983 to 1997 and as a United States s ...
's name on the ballot after Torricelli withdrew amid ethical problems. The efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.
2003 Assembly campaign
In 2003, Baroni mounted an aggressive campaign for the General Assembly, knocking on over 10,000 doors to defeat the Democratic incumbent Gary Guear
Gary L. Guear, Sr. (born October 24, 1951) is an American Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2000 to 2004, where he represented the 14th Legislative District.
Biography
Guear served in the Assembly o ...
.[ Baroni's campaign got a boost when Guear accused Baroni of falsely claiming to be a native Hamiltonian. Baroni was born in ]Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
before his adoption by the Baroni family in Hamilton, where he had lived ever since. The remark backfired as an attack on Baroni's adoption, and Guear's campaign never recovered.[
He was re-elected to the Assembly in 2005. During the 2005 campaign, Democratic opponent ]Daniel R. Benson
Daniel R. Benson (born November 22, 1975) is an American Democratic Party politician who serves in the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 14th Legislative District. Benson, who previously served on the Mercer County Board of Chosen ...
held an October press conference at the State House, intending to attack Baroni on property taxes. Instead, Baroni personally attended the press conference and debated the issue with Benson, attacking Benson's record on taxes as a Hamilton Township councilman. Benson eventually left his own press conference, leaving Baroni to take media questions from Benson's podium.
On November 6, 2007, he won election to become State Senator of the 14th Legislative District. He captured 62.3% of the vote, defeating Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
opponent Seema Singh. Baroni filled the State Senate seat vacated by Republican Senator Peter Inverso. There had been speculation that Baroni would seek the Republican nomination for United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
in 2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
against Frank Lautenberg, but his run for the New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as 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, ...
effectively ended that speculation.
Legislative tenure
In 2004 and 2005, he was the Assembly's Assistant Parliamentarian.[
Baroni served in the Senate on the Joint Committee on the Public Schools, the Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, the Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee and the Judiciary Committee.][
In 2006, Baroni helped Tom Kean Jr. prepare for his debates against Senator ]Bob Menendez
Robert Menendez (; born January 1, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2006. Gale Biography In Context. A member of the Democratic Party, he was firs ...
by playing the part of Menendez.[ He did the same in 2009 for ]Chris Christie
Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018.
Christie, who was born in Ne ...
's debate preparations, standing in for Jon Corzine
Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006 and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran fo ...
.[
In 2008, Baroni served as State Chairman of John McCain's presidential campaign in New Jersey.
]
Political positions
Baroni has been described as "pro-life and pro-labor."[ In 2010, he was the only Republican Senator who voted to allow ]same-sex marriage in New Jersey
Same-sex marriage in New Jersey has been legally recognized since October 21, 2013, the effective date of a trial court ruling invalidating the state's restriction of marriage to persons of different sexes. In September 2013, Mary C. Jacobson, ...
. He supports same sex marriage in Ireland, of which he is also a citizen.
Election history
Legal career
Baroni was an associate at DeCotiis, Fitzpatrick & Cole, and then at Blank Rome. He was of counsel at Fornaro Francioso, a Hamilton firm. He served as chief counsel to Congressman Bob Franks
Robert Douglas Franks (September 21, 1951 – April 9, 2010) was an American Republican politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New Jersey.
Early life
Franks was born on September 21, 1951, in Hackensack, New Jersey, the son of Nor ...
in his 2000 U.S. Senate race. In 2002, when U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli
Robert Guy Torricelli (born August 27, 1951), is an American attorney and former politician. A Democrat, Torricelli served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey's 9th district from 1983 to 1997 and as a United States s ...
withdrew his candidacy for re-election five weeks before Election Day after the Senate admonished him on ethics charges, Baroni argued for the Republicans in the New Jersey Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging the ...
against a last-minute switch of candidates to Frank Lautenberg.
In 2002, Baroni became an adjunct professor
An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and
the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...
at the Seton Hall University School of Law
Seton Hall University School of Law is the law school of Seton Hall University, and is located in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Seton Hall Law is the only private law school in New Jersey, and, according to the ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranking ...
, where he taught classes on Professional Responsibility, voting rights, legislation, and campaign finance reform. As of November 2008, he was no longer an adjunct professor at the Seton Hall University School of Law.[
]
Port Authority
Fort Lee lane closure scandal
On February 19, 2010, the Governor of New Jersey
The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...
, Chris Christie
Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018.
Christie, who was born in Ne ...
, announced that he was appointing Baroni to the position of Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorized ...
. He resigned his Senate seat to assume the new post on March 1, 2010. Tom Goodwin
Thomas Jones Goodwin (born July 27, 1968) is an American professional baseball coach and former player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 14 seasons, primarily as a center fielder, from 1991 to 2004. As a player, he was listed at and ...
was selected to fill the vacant Senate seat.
Resignation
On December 12, 2013, Christie announced that Baroni had resigned as Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ, is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate compact authorized ...
. That occurred after the scandal over lane closures at the George Washington Bridge, perhaps to punish Democratic Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich
Mark J. Sokolich ( ; born 1963) is an American attorney and politician. He serves as the mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey. He is also the managing partner of the law firm that he founded. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Early life
Sokoli ...
for not supporting Christie. Later email disclosures indicated that Baroni had attempted to squelch press that the lane closures were improper.
On January 9, 2014, Baroni was named as a defendant in a federal class action
A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class actio ...
lawsuit
-
A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
s in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (in case citations, D.N.J.) is a federal court in the Third Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the ...
which cited a civil conspiracy and "willful, wanton, arbitrary, and egregious official misconduct
An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their su ...
." On May 1, 2015, he was indicted on nine federal counts of conspiracy, fraud, and related charges[ to which he pleaded not guilty.
He contested the District Attorney's decision not to release certain documents in the discovery process to mount his defense. A continuance for the trial was granted in September 2015.
]
Conviction
On November 4, 2016, the jury in the Bridgegate trial returned guilty verdicts on all counts against Bill Baroni and co-defendant Bridget Anne Kelly
Bridget Anne Kelly is the former deputy chief of staff to the Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, known for her participation in the Bridgegate scandal.
Kelly, a New Jersey native, grew up in Ramsey and graduated from Immaculate Heart Ac ...
. On March 29, 2017, he was sentenced to two years in prison and 500 hours of community service.
An appeals court decision led to the dismissal of some of the charges against him. He appealed to have the remaining charges against him dismissed. On November 27, 2018, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the majority of the convictions but overturned the determination that Kelly and Baroni had violated the civil rights of travelers and found there is no established civil right to interstate travel giving rise to a criminal conviction. The court directed for Kelly and Baroni to be resentenced on the remaining seven counts of the indictment.
Baroni appealed to the US Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...
. On June 28, 2019, they agreed to hear the appeal in the case against Baroni and Kelly. On May 7, 2020, the Supreme Court reversed the conviction and unanimously held in '' Kelly v. United States'' that the money or property element of the federal program fraud and wire fraud laws had not been met stating:
“For no reason other than political payback, Baroni and Kelly used deception to reduce Fort Lee’s access lanes to the George Washington Bridge—and thereby jeopardized the safety of the town’s residents. But not every corrupt act by state or local officials is a federal crime. Because the scheme here did not aim to obtain money or property, Baroni and Kelly could not have violated the federal-program fraud or wire fraud laws. We therefore reverse the judgment of the Court of Appeals and remand the case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. It is so ordered.”
Personal life
Organizations
Baroni served on the Foundation Board of both The College of New Jersey
The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Established in 1855 as the New Jersey State Normal School, TCNJ was the first normal school, or ...
and Mercer County Community College
Mercer County Community College (MCCC) is a public, community college in Mercer County, New Jersey. More than 7,000 students enroll in one or more credit courses each year.
Established in 1966, MCCC has an open-door admission policy. The West ...
. Baroni was also chairman of the board of trustees of the Greater Trenton Symphony Orchestra and on the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
The New Jersey Symphony, formerly the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, is an American symphony orchestra based in the state of New Jersey. The New Jersey Symphony is the state orchestra of New Jersey, performing classical subscription concert serie ...
and on the board of trustees for Visitation Home, which builds homes for New Jersey residents with disabilities. Baroni is also a special advisor to the New Jersey Boys' State Foundation, and is a former delegate at Jersey Boys' State.
He served on the Mercer County Community College
Mercer County Community College (MCCC) is a public, community college in Mercer County, New Jersey. More than 7,000 students enroll in one or more credit courses each year.
Established in 1966, MCCC has an open-door admission policy. The West ...
Board of Trustees from 1998 to 2003. He was a member of the Hamilton Township Planning Board from 1998 to 2000.
''Fat Kid Got Fit''
Along with a childhood friend, Baroni co-authored ''Fat Kid Got Fit, and So Can You'', a 2012 book chronicling Baroni's early struggles with obesity and his successful efforts to overcome the problem. Baroni wrote the book because he wants others to know that his successful weight loss came from “being healthy and working out” and that other people could share similar success.
See also
* Fort Lee lane closure scandal
The Fort Lee lane closure scandal, also known as the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal or Bridgegate, was a political scandal involving a staff member and political appointees of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie colluding to cr ...
* List of people involved in the Fort Lee lane closure scandal
The Fort Lee lane closure scandal, also known as the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal or Bridgegate, is a U.S. political scandal in which a staff member and political appointees of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican, col ...
* Governorship of Chris Christie
Chris Christie took office as the 55th Governor of New Jersey on January 19, 2010, and began his second term on January 21, 2014, and left office on January 16, 2018.
Electoral history
Cabinet
Finances and budget 2010 New Jersey budget
...
References
External links
Bill Baroni's Official Site
Bill Baroni's Constituent Services Site
Senator Baroni'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 the ...
* ''New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms''
*
2007
2006
2005
2004
Assembly Member Bill Baroni
Project Vote Smart
Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in si ...
New Jersey Voter Information Website 2003
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baroni, Bill
1971 births
American adoptees
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences alumni
University of Virginia School of Law alumni
Living people
New Jersey lawyers
New Jersey politicians convicted of crimes
Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly
Republican Party New Jersey state senators
People convicted of depriving others of their civil rights
People from Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
People from Jacksonville, Florida
Politicians from Mercer County, New Jersey
Politicians convicted of mail and wire fraud
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey people
Seton Hall University School of Law faculty
Steinert High School alumni
21st-century American politicians
New Jersey politicians convicted of corruption