Joseph S. Suliga (December 25, 1957 – February 18, 2005) was an American

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 ...

politician, who served 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 ...

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 ...

, where he represented the 22nd Legislative District, until 2004. Suliga did not run for re-election in 2003 after a scandal involving his alleged drunken sexual harassment of a woman 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.

. Instead he resigned and entered rehabilitation for alcoholism and was replaced on the ballot and in the Senate by fellow Linden Democrat

Nicholas Scutari Nicholas Paul Scutari (born November 18, 1968) is an American politician and attorney who is the 115th and current President of the New Jersey Senate. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2004, represent ...

. In 2005, Suliga was killed in an automobile accident in the parking lot of a Linden go-go bar.Judge won't change verdict that blamed Suliga's driver for fatal crash
/ref>

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Richard Codey Richard James Codey (born November 27, 1946) is an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 53rd governor of New Jersey from 2004 to 2006. He has served in the New Jersey Senate since 1982 and served as the President of the Senate ...

ordered that flags be flown at half-staff in Suliga's honor. Suliga was sitting in the back seat of an Infiniti that had been illegally parked by his driver, Nicholas Sorrentino; the car's back was sticking out onto the street. The Infiniti was struck while Sorrentino and Suliga were inside and one Joan Hannon was about to enter the vehicle, by an automobile driven by one Omar Beeks. Beeks later testified that he had struck the Infiniti while trying to avoid hitting another vehicle. Hannon was thrown twenty feet and suffered cracked ribs and pelvis in addition to a broken ankle. In a civil trial, a jury found Sorrentino liable for the accident and awarded $621,410 to Suliga's widow, Annemarie Pakulski, as well as $150,000 to Hannon for her injuries. The jury did not find Beeks liable for the accident in any amount. In the Senate, Suliga sponsored legislation requiring insurance coverage for mammograms to women over 35. He was co-chair of the Senate Environmental Committee and served as the second ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. Suliga started his career in elected office at the age of 19 as the youngest person ever elected to the

Linden Public Schools The Linden Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Linden, in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020–21 school year, the distri ...

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

, while he was a student at Kean University, serving in office from 1977 to 1983. Later, he served on the Linden City Council from 1984 to 1988. Before his election the

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 ...

, Suliga 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 ...

, 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 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 ...

, from 1994 to 2001 and was a member of the Union 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 1988 to 1990.,

, copy backed up via

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, ...

dated December 5, 2003. Accessed January 31, 2008. He was the Linden City Treasurer at the time of his death. Suliga received a B.A. from

Kean University Kean University () is a public university in Union Township, Union County, New Jersey, Union and Hillside, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Kean University was founded in 1855 in Newark, New Jersey, as th ...

with a major in Political Science, and was granted a

Master of Public Administration The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...

degree in 1993 from Kean University and earned an M.S. degree from

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 ...

in Industrial Relations.

References

External links

.
STATEMENT OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF SENATOR JOSEPH SULIGA
PoliticsNJ.com, dated February 19, 2005
IN MEMORIAM: KEAN ALUMNUS JOSEPH SULIGA 1957-2005 - Kean University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suliga, Joseph 1957 births 2005 deaths American politicians of Italian descent Kean University alumni Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly County commissioners in New Jersey Democratic Party New Jersey state senators People from Linden, New Jersey Politicians from Union County, New Jersey Road incident deaths in New Jersey Rutgers University alumni School board members in New Jersey 20th-century American politicians