State Senate Richard Cody

Current State Senate President Richard D. Codey is a man with plenty of political experience. Having faithfully served the state of New Jersey for over thirty years, Codey is now faced with the task of assuming the role of Acting Governor in the wake of current Governor James McGreevy's August 12th 2004 decision to resign from office. But who exactly is Richard D. Codey, and is he qualified enough to shoulder the weight of leading New Jersey government until election?

Born November 27th, 1946, Codey leads a very leading life. Graduating from Farleigh Dickenson University of Madison, New Jersey, Codey is currently the President of the Olympic Insurance Agency, a loving husband and a father of two. For some, this may be enough to lead a fulfilling life, but not for Codey.1

Codey first dabbled into the world of politics in 1974, when he joined the New Jersey General Assembly. After serving four two-year terms in the Assembly, he then transitioned into the Senate in 1981. From 1992 to 1998 he held the title of Assistant Minority Leader, then ascended to the rank of Minority Leader from 1998 to 2001. From 2002 to 2003 he then moved up to Democratic President, and was recently named Senate President this current year of 2004. Ergo, Codey has more than three decades of political experience under his belt.2

But what has Codey accomplished in those thirty years he served in the New Jersey state government? What were his political backings, the proverbial "meat and potatoes" of his terms of office? What exactly makes Codey stand out?

For the most part, according to Don Linky, a visiting professor at the Eagleton Institute of Politics, Codey is a "fairly low-profile legislator". Linky goes on to say: "In general, he's known as a moderate to liberal Democrat who has taken on a few particular areas like gambling and consumer affairs." 1 An example of those affairs would be the sponsorship of bill number S1000, introduced in February 9th of 2004 to increase minimum wage. Another big bill of Codeys was S2376, which "Clarifies definition of illegal gambling to address Internet gambling; voids credit card debt incurred through illegal gambling; authorizes State to recover illegal gambling losses." 3

However, a majority of Codey's focus seems to be more aligned towards the medical field. According to an August 13th 2004 article in The Star Ledger:

"Codey would prefer to be known for his policy work, particularly with mental health issuesÐ'... In 1987, Codey went undercover as an orderly on the night shift at Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital to investigate the quality of care there. The deplorable conditions prompted him to write legislation ending lax hiring practices and improving standards of care." 4

This lead to the formation of the Health Care Reform Act of 1991, an act he personally sponsored. Another one of his accomplishments was the last-year introduction of a bill placing limits on nepotism in government office, and although parts of it were not in the ethics reform signed by McGreevy, the limits on nepotism passed the Senate in January. Overall, Codey has a very solid political background and has really established himself as a hard working state representative. 1

In lieu of the announcement of current Governor McGreevy's resignation, some will argue he happens to be at the Ð''right place at the right time.' He even stated such when he once told a reporter, "In politics, you can't planÐ'... You have to position yourself so if opportunity presents itself you can grab it." 4 However, most