Joseph A. "Joe" Palaia Sr. (February 3, 1927 – August 20, 2016) was an American politician. He 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 1981 to 1989 and in the
State Senate
A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...
Neptune High School
Neptune High School is a comprehensive four-year community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Neptune Townshi ...
. He attended New Jersey's
Rider College
Rider University is a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. It consists of four academic units: the Norm Brodsky College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Services, and West ...
where he received a
B.S.
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...
degree in Business Administration in 1949. He then went to study at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...
and was awarded an M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision. Before entering politics, Palaia was an educator, and principal of the Wanamassa Elementary School in Ocean Township ( Monmouth County) where he resided.75th Anniversary of Wanamassa School , ''The Coaster'', September 29, 2005. Accessed July 8, 2007.
Political career
Prior to entering the
State Legislature
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
, Palaia served in a variety of state and local elected offices. He was a member of the Ocean Township Council from 1967 to 1971 until he became mayor in 1971. During his tenure as mayor, the
Seaview Square Mall
Seaview Square Mall was a shopping mall located in Ocean Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. It has been repurposed as a power center and was renamed Seaview Square Shopping Center in 2012.Deal Test Site into a park which was renamed for him in 1998. Palaia served as Ocean Township's mayor until 1979. He then served on the Monmouth County
Board of Chosen Freeholders
In New Jersey, a Board of County Commissioners (until 2020 named the Board of Chosen Freeholders) is the elected county-wide government board in each of the state's 21 counties. In the five counties that have an elected county executive, the b ...
from 1979 to 1981.
In 1981, Palaia was elected to 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 ...
, the
lower house
A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...
of the New Jersey Legislature, where he served until 1989. In 1984, he served as the Assembly's Assistant
Minority Whip
The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding t ...
. He chaired the Assembly Education Committee during the one term Republicans controlled the Assembly from 1986 to 1988. He created bills signed into law that would allow for the state takeover of failing
school district
A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations.
North America United States
In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...
s and the requirement that
11th grade
Eleventh grade, 11th grade, junior year, or grade 11 (called Year 12 in Wales and England and fifth form in Jamaica) is the eleventh, and for some countries final, grade of secondary schools. Students are typically 16–17 years of age, depending ...
high school students pass a standardized test (
High School Proficiency Assessment
The High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA, pronounced "hess-pah" (/ˈhɛspə/) or sometimes just "H-S-P-A") was a standardized test that was administered by the New Jersey Department of Education to all New Jersey public high school students in ...
) to graduate high school.
He was elected to the
State Senate
A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...
in 1989, defeating the appointed incumbent
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 ...
John D'Amico, Jr. After taking the office on November 20, he served in a variety of leadership roles. From 1992 to 1993, Palaia was the Assistant
Majority Leader
In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.
and from 1994 to 2003 he was
President Pro Tempore
A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...
of the Senate. In 2002-2003 he was the Republican President Pro Tempore when the Senate was evenly split 20-20. Palaia was a member of the Senate Education Committee. He was one of the sponsors of the
New Jersey Childproof Handgun Law The New Jersey Childproof Handgun Law, also known as P.L.2002, c.130, was a now-repealed law that would restrict the sale of handguns in New Jersey to smart guns that "can only be fired by an authorized or recognized user" and would take effect thr ...
that passed in 2002.
Personal life
Palaia was married to the former Wedell Simon from 1956 until her death. Together, they had two children: son Joseph Jr. (1959 – 2016) and daughter Denise who has followed her father into education and is principal of Wayside Elementary School. Palaia died on August 20, 2016.
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 ...