Children five | Preceded by Bob Cottle Role American Politician Preceded by Tom Byrne Name Thomas Giblin | |
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Thomas P. Giblin (born January 15, 1947) is an American Democratic Party politician, who serves in the New Jersey General Assembly where he represents the 34th legislative district, having taken office on January 10, 2006.
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Biography and early career
Giblin was born on January 15, 1947 to John J. (1909–1975) and Theresa E. (née Moran) Giblin in East Orange. His father, a labor leader, served as a New Jersey state senator from 1966 to 1968 and as an Essex County freeholder after moving from County Roscommon, Ireland. Giblin was raised in Newark and attended Seton Hall Preparatory School. He served in the New Jersey Air National Guard from 1966 to 1972, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant. He also attended Seton Hall University where he received a B.A. in political science. He has also partaken in some post-graduate studies at Seton Hall and Rutgers University In 1973, at the time a West Caldwell resident, Giblin lost his first campaign for public office, a bid for the Assembly from the 25th District. His Republican opponents were Thomas H. Kean and Jane Burgio.
He previously served as a member of the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders 1977 to 1978 and again from 1982 to 1990 . Giblin served on the New Jersey Real Estate Commission from 1979 to 82. In 1990, he was elected Essex County Surrogate (probate judge) defeating incumbent Bob Cottle. from 1990-1993. He served as the county surrogate until resigning in 1993 to run for Essex County Executive. In the June primary election following the resignation of Thomas J. D'Alessio who was eventually convicted for bribery and extortion, Giblin and East Orange mayor Cardell Cooper battled to a tie of 22,907 votes each. A judge decided in August that Cooper would be the Democratic nominee (he would lose to Republican James W. Treffinger in the general election). In 2002, he again ran for County Executive facing Freeholder Board President Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. in the primary. Giblin accused DiVincenzo of being the focus of a federal inquiry; DiVincenzo got then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie to specifically state that he was not the focus of any probe. Both campaigns spent a total of $4.2 million (in 2015 dollars) in what is the 13th most-expensive local race in the state's history; ultimately DiVincenzo defeated Giblin and won the general election.
He was a longtime chairman of the Essex County Democratic Committee serving from 1993 to 2003. In 1997, Giblin gave then-Woodbridge Township mayor Jim McGreevey the county organization line in that year's gubernatorial primary election. As the Democratic nominee traditionally chooses the next chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, McGreevey nominated Giblin to serve as the head of the state party that year. Giblin served as such from 1997 to 2001. He was the campaign chair of McGreevey's successful campaign in the 2001 gubernatorial election.
In December 1996, Giblin was a member of the New Jersey State Electoral College, one of 15 electors casting their votes for the Clinton/Gore ticket following the 1996 presidential election. He was a member of the 2001 New Jersey Apportionment Commission, the group charged with redrawing the lines of the state's legislative districts following the 2000 Census.
Giblin is the business manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers, AFL–CIO, Local 68 based in West Caldwell. He is married,has five children and five grandchildren, and is a resident of Montclair.
Assembly career
Giblin was elected to the Assembly on November 8, 2005, filling the seat of fellow Democrat Peter C. Eagler, who had held the seat in the Assembly since 2002 and was knocked off the legislative slate.
Giblin serves in the Assembly on the Regulated Professions Committee (as Chair), the Higher Education Committee (as Vice-Chair), the Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee, the Joint State Leasing and Space Utilization Committee, and the Legislative Services Commission.
On November 20, 2006, investigators from the United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Department of Labor raided Giblin's office as part of an undisclosed investigation, seizing documents and computer data.
District 34
Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The other representatives from the 34th District for the 2014-2015 Legislative Session are: