John Anthony Spizziri (born September 2, 1934) 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 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 1972 to 1978, representing District 13C for a single two-year term from 1972 to 1974 and then representing the 40th Legislative District for two terms, from 1974 to 1978, following the creation of the 40-district structure for 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 the ...
in 1973. In addition to his private law practice, Spizziri served as attorney to the Planning Board for the Borough of
Franklin Lakes, New Jersey
Franklin Lakes is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,079, an increase of 489 (+4.6%) from the 2010 census count of 10,590, which in turn reflected a ...
for 43 years.
Early life and education
Spizziri earned degrees from
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
's College of Arts and Sciences and from the
Georgetown University Law Center
The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...
. Born in
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Franklin Lakes when he served in the Assembly, Spizziri was elected to the Wyckoff Township Committee in 1966. In 1972 he was appointed as attorney to the Planning Board for the Borough of Franklin Lakes, serving in that capacity until his retirement in 2015.
Legislative career
In the 1971 general election, the last in which districts were allocated by county, Spizziri (with 29,416 votes) and his Republican running mate C. Gus Rys (with 30,714) defeated Democrats Anthony Spataro (22,850) and Marjorie A. Wyngaarden (22,670) to win the two seats in District 13C, covering portions of
Bergen County
Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.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 ...
and the first election under this format held in 1973, Spizziri (who received 28,156 ballots cast) and Rys (29,386) were elected to office representing the 40th Legislative District, defeating Democrats Vincent A. Girardy (27,793) and Paul S. Konstadt (26,957). In the 1975 general election, Spizziri (topping the balloting with 31,614 votes) and Rys (with 31,470), were re-elected, defeating Democratic challengers Rose Brunetto (21,170) and Paul Lewis (20,851).
In 1977, Spizziri sponsored legislation that would require leasing agents to be licensed and to return any fees charged in excess of $10 if the agent was unable to find an appropriate apartment unit for the prospective renter.
In May 1977, a New York City resident was arrested for having several prescription
tranquilizer
A tranquilizer is a drug that is designed for the treatment of anxiety, fear, tension, agitation, and disturbances of the mind, specifically to reduce states of anxiety and tension.
Etymology
Tranquilizer, as a term, was first used by F.F. Yonk ...
pills in an unmarked vial, after a jacket holding the vial was dragged away by a dog and was found by someone who turned it into the police; the individual who owned the jacket—and the pills that had been inside it—had removed the pills from a labeled prescription bottle and placed it in an unmarked pillbox in order to take the medication over the course of the day, but was arrested by the local police and the Bergen County Prosecutors Office was considering indicting the individual under a provision of state law that prohibited individuals from transporting certain prescription tranquilizers in anything other than the marked medicine bottle in which the medication had been dispensed by a pharmacy. Spizziri proposed legislation in the General Assembly that would allow people to carry two days worth of medication in an unmarked vial, as long as the individual could demonstrate a medical need for carrying the pills and had documentation demonstrating the nature of the prescription along with details of the prescribing physician and pharmacist. He noted that many of his colleagues in the legislature would often carry prescription medication in unmarked vials.
After his two-term Assembly partner and former running mate C. Gus Rys announced in March 1977 that he would not run for re-election, Spizziri faced a primary battle fought between competing groups within the Republican Party in
Bergen County
Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.W. Cary Edwards
William Cary Edwards (July 20, 1944 – October 20, 2010) was a New Jersey politician who served as the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1986 to 1989.
Early life
He was born on July 20, 1944, in Paterson, New Jersey or Ridgewood, New Je ...
(7,656) and
Walter M. D. Kern
Walter M. D. Kern Jr. (March 10, 1937 – June 23, 1998) was an American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1978 to 1990, where he represented the 40th Legislative District. Disbarred from the pract ...
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 ...
'', June 9, 1977. Accessed July 22, 2019. "In addition to the three Democrats from Jersey City, only one other incumbent Assemblyman running, for renomination lost. He was John A. Spizziri of Wyckoff, a Republican."
Personal life
Spizziri married Alexandra Vitale, with whom he has two children. Upon his retirement in 2015, the couple moved to
Ryegate, Montana
Ryegate is a town in, and the county seat of, Golden Valley County, Montana, United States. The population was 223 at the 2020 census. Ryegate is situated on the north bank of the Musselshell River.
The Milwaukee Road established Ryegate in 1908 ...