Robert D. Clifton (born December 31, 1968) is an American Republican Party politician who has represented the 12th Legislative District 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 ...

since January 10, 2012. He previously served on the Monmouth County, New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders from 2005 until he took office in the Assembly.

Early life

Clifton was born and raised in Matawan, where he attended local elementary schools and St. John Vianney High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science at Rider College (now

Rider University 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 ...

) and a master's degree in political science at the

University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students in five schools: the School ...

.Assemblyman Robert D. Clifton

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 August 9, 2012. He has been employed by Comcast Cable as Director of Government and Community Affairs since 2001. Prior to that, Clifton was Director of Industry Relations for the New Jersey Pavement and Asphalt Association, where he acted as liaison between the trade association and municipalities throughout the state regarding road improvement issues. He also served as an assistant to the Deputy Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and a legislative aide to former Assemblyman

Michael Arnone Michael John Arnone (born September 10, 1932) is an American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1989 to 2004, where he represented the 12th legislative district. Born in Red Bank, New Jersey, Arnone ...

Monmouth County Politics

Clifton was the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Matawan from 1996 until 2005. He was appointed mayor in October 1996 upon the resignation of Robert Shuey. In addition, he served on the borough's unified Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment, the Board of Health, and the Monmouth County Board of Drug & Alcohol Abuse Services. He also served as chairman of the Bayshore Conference of Mayors. In order to focus on his position as a newly elected Freeholder, he resigned from his mayoral post on January 18, 2005. As Freeholder, Clifton oversaw Finance and Information Technology which includes Department of Finance, the Monmouth County Improvement Authority, Information Technology Services, Department of Purchasing, Records Management and the County Treasurer. Clifton served three terms on the Board of Chosen Freeholders, elected in 2004, 2007, and 2010. In 2008, he served as Deputy Director of the Board; Clifton was succeeded in that post by John D'Amico, Jr. in 2009. At the January 7, 2010 annual reorganization, he was again chosen as Deputy Director and at the January 6, 2011 annual reorganization, he was chosen as

Director of the Monmouth County, New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders Monmouth County, New Jersey, is governed by a Board of County Commissioners, who choose a director from among themselves. Prior to January 1st, 2021 this position was known as the Board of Chosen Freeholders. Pursuant to legislation passed in ...

New Jersey Assembly

In 2011, after legislative redistricting, Clifton ran for the Assembly seat in the 12th District that was opened when

Samuel D. Thompson Samuel D. Thompson (born July 31, 1935) is an American Republican Party politician who has served in the New Jersey Senate since January 2012, representing the 12th Legislative district. Prior to redistricting in 2011, he served in the Gener ...

ran for

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, ...

. He and his running mate

Ronald S. Dancer Ronald Stanley Dancer (May 31, 1949 – July 23, 2022) was an American Republican Party politician. He spent nearly 20 years in the New Jersey General Assembly, initially representing the 30th legislative district between 2002 and 2012. He la ...

defeated the Democratic candidates, William Spedding and Catherine Tinney Rome, in the general election. He was sworn in on January 10, 2012.

Committees

*Budget *Housing and Community Development *Transportation and Independent Authorities

District 12

Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the

and two members in the

. The representatives from the 12th District for the 2022—23 Legislative Session are:Legislative Roster for District 12

. Accessed January 11, 2022. * Senator

(R) * Assemblyman Robert D. Clifton (R) * Assemblyman Alex Sauickie (R)

Personal life

Clifton lives in Matawan with his wife Tracy and his two sons.

Electoral history

Assembly

References

External links

Assemblyman Clifton's legislative web page

*''New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms''
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Clifton, Robert 1968 births Living people Mayors of places in New Jersey County commissioners in New Jersey Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly People from Matawan, New Jersey Politicians from Monmouth County, New Jersey Rider University alumni St. John Vianney High School (New Jersey) alumni University of Richmond alumni 21st-century American politicians