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Biography
Michael B. Lavery is an American Republican Party politician and attorney, who serves as Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, elected to that office on June 13, 2017.
Early life and education
Lavery was born in Woodbury, Connecticut and received his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of New Haven where he received the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the University. He moved to New Jersey after completing his undergraduate studies to attend Rutgers School of Law–Camden where he earned his J.D. During law school he served as a member of the Stratton Moot Court Board and President of the Student Bar Association. He has resided in New Jersey ever since completing law school.
Legal career
After law school Lavery was a founding partner of Sirkis and Lavery in Hackettstown from 1993 to 2007. From 2008 to 2014 he was a partner at Courter, Kobert and Cohen, a firm founded by former New Jersey Congressman Jim Courter, also in Hackettstown. When Courter and Kobert both retired Lavery formed Lavery, Selvaggi, Abromitis and Cohen with other partners in the firm in 2014. He concentrates his practice in local government law, litigation and Land Use law and presently represents a number of governmental entities and serves as Special Counsel to the County of Warren for Open Space & Farmland Preservation. He is admitted to practice in the State and Federal Courts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and before the United States Supreme Court. Lavery is a member of the Election Law Committee for the New Jersey State Bar Association and is a former Director of the Local Government Law Section of the State Bar Association. He serves as Township Attorney for Hardwick, Lopatcong, Mansfield, Oxford and Washington (Warren County) Townships, Special Counsel to Parsippany-Troy Hills Township and Mine Hill Township, as well as Attorney for the Frelinghuysen Township Land Use Board, the Chester Township Zoning Board of Adjustment, and the Warren County Soil Conservation District.
Political career
Prior to becoming the Chairman of the state Republican Party, Lavery served two terms as Mayor of Hackettstown, New Jersey from 2006 to 2012. He also served as an elected member of the New Jersey State Republican Committee as the male representative from Warren County, New Jersey. He served as a Legislative Aide to then-Senator Leonard Lance (R-23), who presently serves as Congressman for New Jersey's 7th congressional district. In June 2015, Lavery was appointed by the Governor to serve as a Commissioner for the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. In June 2016, Lavery was elected Chairman of the Commission. Lavery formerly served as a Member of the Executive Board of the New Jersey League of Municipalities and as a member of the Board of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors.
Election history
Lavery successfully ran for Mayor of Hackettstown in 2005 against Democratic incumbent Roger Hines. He ran on several key issues including a pay as you go budgeting philosophy, attracting commercial development, and promising to be a proactive leader instead of reactive. Further, complicating Hines' reelection bid was a broken promise to only serve two terms and instead choosing to run for a third term after winning his first election by criticizing his opponent, eventual Assemblyman John DiMaio, for seeking a 4th term. Lavery defeated Hines by garnering 55% of the vote. He ran unopposed for a second term in 2008 and received 97% of the votes cast. Keeping good on his initial promise to not seek more than two terms Lavery did not run for a third term in 2011. He endorsed Councilwoman Maria DiGiovanni to be his successor and she won with 62% of the votes cast.