Politics & Government

Whitman's Daughter, Former Senator Top Christie Appointments

Governor makes nominations to number of state boards.

The daughter of a former governor and a former state senator lead off the list of appointments made by Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday.

Christie announced that he was appointing Kate Whitman, the daughter of former Gov. Christie Whitman, as a member of the state Economic Development Authority, and nominating former state Sen. Peter Inverso (R-Hamilton) as a member of the state Banking Advisory Board.  The appointments were included in a list of appointments Christie made to a slew of state boards and commissions, along with a new head of the state’s Gaming Enforcement Division.

Whitman, a resident of Peapack-Gladstone, has made several unsuccessful attempts to follow her mother into elective office. In 2007, she unsuccessfully sought support from Somerset County Republicans to run for county freeholder and in 2008, she finished second in a seven-way Republican primary for a seat in Congress. Whitman, a former political press secretary in New Hampshire, also lost a 2009 Republican primary for a seat on the Peapack-Gladstone Borough Council.

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The Economic Development Authority provides financing and tax incentives to businesses looking to relocate into the state, along with assistance to municipalities on economic development projects.

This is the second high profile appointment Christie has made of an unsuccessful candidate from the 2008 7th District congressional race to a state post. Last year the governor appointed former Summit Common Council President P. Kelly Hatfield as the chairwoman of the Public Employment Relations Commission. Hatfield finished third in the race, which was won by U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance, then a state senator.

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Inverso served 16 years in the State Senate representing Mercer and Middlesex Counties before his retirement in 2008. Prior to his Senate career, he served as a Mercer County freeholder for six years. The president of Roma Federal Savings Bank, Christie named him to a savings bank seat on the board. 

A complete list of Christie appointments:

Position Name Town Notes Audiology and Speech Language Pathology Advisory Committee - Board of Otolaryngology Chetan S. Shah Titusville Requires Senate Confirmation Banking Advisory Board - 3rd Federal Reserve District Seat James Hyman Lambertville Requires Senate Confirmation Banking Advisory Board - Savings Bank Seat former Sen. Peter Inverso Hamilton Requires Senate Confirmation Banking Advisory Board - 2nd Federal Reserve District Seat William Moss Shrewsbury Requires Senate Confirmation Banking Advisory Board - 2nd Federal Reserve District Seat Mortimer O'Shea Mendham Requires Senate Confirmation Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors - Contractor Seat Christopher Cunningham Hasbrouch Heights Requires Senate Confirmation Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors - Inspector Seat Arthur Jacobs Sr. Ocean View Requires Senate Confirmation Casino Reinvestment Development Authority Debra DiLorenzo Longport Requires Senate Confirmation Council on Armed Forces and Veterans' Affairs William Morelli Spring Lake Requires Senate Confirmation Council on Armed Forces and Veterans' Affairs Carmine Spinelli Whitehouse Station Requires Senate Confirmation - Reappointment
Council on Armed Forces and Veterans' Affairs Major Gen. Richard Cosgrove Ocean View Requires Senate Confirmation - Reappointment
Council on Armed Forces and Veterans' Affairs Robert Giordano Allentown Requires Senate Confirmation - Reappointment
Council on Armed Forces and Veterans' Affairs Emil Kaunitz Jr. Toms River Requires Senate Confirmation - Reappointment
Council on Armed Forces and Veterans' Affairs Commander John Olthuis Cape May Courthouse Requires Senate Confirmation - Reappointment
Director of the Division of Gaming Enforcement David Lewis Rebuck Moorestown Requires Senate Confirmation New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority Louis Rodriguez Marlboro Requires Senate Confirmation Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Ronald Chillemi Ridgewood Requires Senate Confirmation State Board of Agriculture Robert Swanekamp Colts Neck Requires Senate Confirmation State Board of Agriculture Richard Norz Hillsborough Requires Senate Confirmation State Board of Education Mark Fiedron Lebanon Requires Senate Confirmation New Jersey Economic Development Authority Kate Whitman Peapack-Gladstone Does Not Require Senate Confirmation State Board of Examiners of Ophthalmic Dispensers and Ophthalmic Technicians Norman Schleiffer Manalpan Does Not Require Senate Confirmation State Board of Examiners of Ophthalmic Dispensers and Ophthalmic Technicians Peter Goetz Wall Township Does Not Require Senate Confirmation Lab Director of the State Board of Medical Examiners Elliott Krauss Princeton Does Not Require Senate Confirmation


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