Steven P. Perskie (born January 10, 1945 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

) is a former

New Jersey Superior Court The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with statewide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The New Jersey Constitution of 1947 establishes the power of the New Jersey courts.Jeffrey S. Mandel, New Jersey Appellate Pr ...

judge in Atlantic City, New Jersey and a former

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 from

Margate City Margate City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Margate City's population was 5,317, a reduction of 1,037 over the previous decade.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 ...

. Perskie served as a member of 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 f ...

, where he represented the 2nd Legislative District from 1971 to 1977. He was elected to the New Jersey Senate in 1977. Perskie served as Chief of Staff to New Jersey Governor

James Florio James Joseph Florio (August 29, 1937 – September 25, 2022) was an American politician who served as the 49th governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994. He was previously the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional district from ...

from 1989 - 1990 and as the third chairman of the

New Jersey Casino Control Commission The Casino Control Commission is a New Jersey state governmental agency that was founded in 1977 as the state's Gaming Control Board, responsible under the Casino Control Act for licensing casinos in Atlantic City. The commission also issues lic ...

from 1990 to 1994. Outside politics Perskie worked as both a corporate and private practice attorney.

Early life

Perskie attended

Atlantic City High School Atlantic City High School (ACHS) is a comprehensive public high school in Atlantic City, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. It is the lone secondary school of the Atlantic City School District. The current school building opened ...

. In 1966, he graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

and in 1969 earned a law degree at the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and oldes ...

. In 1970, he earned a masters in taxation from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

."Atlantic County Judge Steven Perskie may have lied to state Senate panel, complaint alleges"
''

The Press of Atlantic City ''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The newspaper designated market runs from Ware ...

'', September 11, 2009.

Career

Perskie was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1971 at age 26, and re-elected in 1973 and 1975."Happy Birthday to Steve Perskie, 21 years younger than Frank Lautenberg"
www.politickernj.com, January 10, 2008. As an assemblyman, he was the primary advocate and sponsor for the introduction of casino gaming in Atlantic City and was responsible for drafting what would become the New Jersey Casino Control Act. Party leadership at the Democratic convention in 1977 roundly supported Perskie over sitting Senator

Joseph McGahn Joseph Leo McGahn (March 29, 1917 – December 24, 1999) was an American obstetrician and Democratic Party politician from New Jersey who served in the New Jersey Senate from 1972 to 1978, where he was a key figure in bringing casino gambling to ...

by a margin of 266 to 77. McGahn ran in the general election as an independent, with Perskie beating both McGahn and Republican candidate Frederick Perone. Perskie and McGahn had won election to the Legislature together in 1971, despite the Republicans 4-1 edge in voter registration. In 1981, Perskie was again challenged in the general election by McGahn, who ran as a Republican.Sullivan, Joseph L
"Politics; 2 longtime allies squaring off"
''

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 d ...

'', September 27, 1981. Perskie won reelection with 29,151 votes, defeating McGahn, who received 28,149. Perskie was appointed an Atlantic County Superior Court Judge in 1982. In 1989, he resigned from the bench to manage

's successful gubernatorial campaign. He served as Florio's Chief of Staff from 1989 to 1990. Perskie was appointed as Chairman of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission in 1990 and served in that capacity until 1994. During his tenure, Perskie spearheaded a comprehensive restructuring of the agency. On March 29, 1994, he announced his resignation from the Casino Control Commission to become Vice President and General Counsel of Players International, an operator of

riverboat casino A riverboat casino is a type of casino on a riverboat found in several states in the United States with frontage on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, or along the Gulf Coast. Several states authorized this type of casino in order to e ...

s with no interests in New Jersey. In 1996, Perskie left Players and entered into private law practice. In 2001, Perskie was reappointed to the bench and was confirmed for permanent tenure in December 2008. In September 2009, the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging th ...

's Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct filed a complaint alleging that Perskie misled a State Senate panel regarding a potential conflict of interest. On August 1, 2011, the New Jersey Supreme Court determined that he did not intentionally mislead the State Senate panel. On February 1, 2010, Perskie retired from the bench and joined the law firm of Perskie, Mairone, Brog & Baylinson in

Linwood, New Jersey Linwood is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 7,092,Gaming Hall of Fame The Gaming Hall of Fame was established in 1989 to recognize individuals who have played a significant role in the gaming-entertainment industry. The Gaming Hall of Fame Charity Gala is an annual event organized by the American Gaming Associati ...

. The selection committee lauded his transformative work in the creation and oversight of gaming regulation in New Jersey, which served as a template for gaming across the country and paved the way for the evolution of the industry in its current form.

Family

Perskie is the son of former Atlantic County Judge David M. Perskie, who sat on the bench from 1966 to 1969, and the grandson of former New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Joseph B. Perskie, who served from 1933 to 1947. He is the nephew of Marvin D. Perskie, who served as an Assemblyman in the New Jersey State Legislature from 1965 to 1967.Metz, Robert
"Market Place; Is the Die Cast on Resorts International?"
''

'', October 22, 1976. Accessed July 22, 2013. "They are Marvin D. Perskie of Avalon, the uncle of Assemblyman Steven P. Perskie of Atlantic City, and Patrick T. McGahn of Atlantic City, the brother of State Senator Joseph L. McGahn of Absecon."

References

External links

New Jersey Casino Control Commission biography
(Archive from March 4, 2016) {{DEFAULTSORT:Perskie, Steven P. 1945 births Living people Atlantic City High School alumni People from Margate City, New Jersey Politicians from Philadelphia New Jersey state court judges Democratic Party New Jersey state senators Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Members of American gaming commissions Politicians from Atlantic County, New Jersey University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Yale University alumni New York University alumni