Carmine DeSopo (born November 1, 1940) is an American

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 ...

politician who served one term in the New Jersey General Assembly, from 1996 to 1998, where he represented the 7th Legislative District.

Education

DeSopo earned bachelor's degree in 1964 and a master's degree in 1967, both with a major in education, at

William Paterson College William Paterson University, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Founded in 1855 and was named after American ju ...

in Wayne, New Jersey. He earned a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in administration from

Nova University Nova Southeastern University (NSU or, informally, Nova) is a private nonprofit research university with its main campus in Davie, Florida. The university consists of 14 total colleges, centers, and schools offering over 150 programs of study. ...

. He was the long-time Superintendent of the Burlington County Special Services School District.,

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

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as of February 5, 1997. Accessed June 22, 2010. William Paterson University recognized DeSopo as one of its Distinguished Alumni Award honorees in 1975.

Superintendent

While DeSopo was superintendent, a group of emotionally and physically disabled students from the Burlington County Special Services School District marched in the inaugural parade for President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

. The band also marched in the parade in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

for the 1993 Miss America pageant. Saying that he "didn't even know it was a paying job" when he was elected to the Assembly, DeSopo announced in 1996 that he would donate his entire $35,000 annual salary from the Assembly to the school district's marching band and to a camp the district runs for adult graduates. Having been responsible for the creation of the district, DeSopo announced in March 2001 that he was retiring at the end of the school year from his position as superintendent after 38 years in the field of education DeSopo was the target of an investigation into his use of school district employees to perform work on his home in

Westampton Township, New Jersey Westampton is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 9,121, an increase of 308 (+3.5%) from the 2010 census count of 8,813, which in turn reflected ...

and a Long Beach Island vacation property.

General Assembly

In the 1995 general election, DeSopo and Republican running mate

Diane Allen Diane B. Allen (born March 8, 1948) is an American politician and television journalist. A member of the Republican Party, she represented the 7th legislative district in the New Jersey Assembly from 1996 to 1998 and New Jersey Senate from 1998 ...

were elected, defeating Democratic incumbent

Steven M. Petrillo Steven M. Petrillo (born May 14, 1958) is an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1994 to 1996. Born in Philadelphia in 1958, he grew up in Pennsauken Township, ...

and his running mate, newcomer Joseph P. Dugan. The $1.1 million spent in the 1995 Assembly race made it the first in New Jersey to cross the $1 million spending mark, as reported in the results of a study conducted by the Center for the Analysis of Public Issues of

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

that analyzed campaign finance reports from candidates for all 80 Assembly seats.Staff
"Assembly campaign spending rises, especially in South Jersey. The most expensive race cost $1.5 million."
''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'', March 14, 1996. Accessed June 22, 2010. "The District 7 race in Burlington and Camden Counties, eventually won by the Republican ticket of Diane Allen and Carmine DeSopo, was the most expensive in the state, totaling $1.5 million, according to Upmeyer's analysis of campaign finance reports." DeSopo served in the General Assembly as Vice-Chair of the Community Services Committee and as a member of the Judiciary Committee.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desopo, Carmen 1940 births Living people Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Nova Southeastern University alumni People from Westampton Township, New Jersey Politicians from Burlington County, New Jersey William Paterson University alumni Educators from New Jersey