November 2009 New Jersey Legislature Election
Assembly Candidate District 4
Celeste Riley (Democrat)
 
Contact Information
EFO Burzichelli and Riley for Assembly
968 Kings Highway
West Deptford, NJ 08086
WEB: www.district3dems.com
 
Other Candidates (*denotes incumbent)
  • John Burzichelli (Democrat)*
  • Lee Lucas (Republican)
  • Robert Villare (Republican)
 
Biography (provided from Candidate's Web Site)

A lifelong resident of Cumberland County, Celeste Riley is a teacher and public servant advocating for the change working families need.

Assemblywoman Celeste Riley took the oath of office to the 213th General Assembly on March 16, 2009, assuming the 3rd Legislative District seat vacated when former Assemblyman Doug Fisher became state Agriculture Secretary. She is the first woman ever to represent the 3rd Legislative District and the first woman representative from Cumberland County.

Assemblywoman Riley serves on the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and the Assembly Regulated Professions Committee, as well as the Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee.

Immediately prior to being sworn to her Assembly seat, Riley served three years as a member of Bridgeton’s City Council, rising to become the governing body’s president. She served as the council’s liaison to the Bridgeton Library and Historical commissions and sat on the Main Street Design, Downtown Steering, Central Business District and Multi-Dwelling Complex Security committees. She also is a member of the Building a Better Bridgeton (B3) community pride program and a member of the Cumberland County Cultural Heritage Commission Grant Review Panel.

A graduate of Cumberland Regional High School, Assemblywoman Riley received her Bachelor of Arts degree in music from LaSalle University. She has a master’s degree in Arts Administration from Drexel University. Currently,

Assemblywoman Riley is a teacher at the Morris Goodwin Elementary School in Greenwich Township. Continuing her commitment to children, the first bill Assemblywoman Riley introduced protects children from sexual predators by increasing penalties for possession of child pornography, as well as requiring parole supervision for life for the production and transmission of child pornography.

Assemblywoman Riley is also a strong supporter of land preservation efforts and has sponsored numerous bills that would provide funding for open space, historic preservation, and farmland preservation.

She is married to Richard Dawson and has two daughters from a previous marriage and three stepdaughters.

 

Views on Issues (provided from Riley-Burzichelli Campaign Web Site)

Our Plan for Change

Now, more than ever, South Jersey's families deserve a strong team. That's why John and Celeste are fighting protect local businesses, ensure South Jersey receives it's fair share of state funds, and protect our quality of life.
 

  • Protect South Jersey jobs
  • Bring home our fair share of state resources
  • Cap state spending
  • Improve access to affordable health care
  • Prohibit politicians from accepting gifts from lobbyists

Protect South Jersey jobs
Between the rising cost of living and weakening job security, our families are struggling to make ends meet in these tough times. That’s why John and Celeste are investing in local small businesses to protect jobs and grow South Jersey’s economy. John and Celeste are working to help small business owners by eliminating exorbitant fees, cutting red tape and providing other incentives. 

Bring home our fair share of state resources
With all the taxes we pay, South Jersey deserves more than budget leftovers. John and Celeste are a powerful voice making sure we get our fair share of state resources.

Cap state spending
Families across South Jersey are tightening their belts to live within their means—and it’s time state government did the same. That's why John and Celeste slashed the state budget by $3.9 billion and dedicated more than $15 billion to property tax relief. John and Celeste don't want to see our tax dollars wasted on pet projects, and successfully cut state spending by $4.5 billion. But more needs to be done– that's why John and Celeste will push for zero-based budgeting, forcing bureaucrats to prove the merit of every dollar they want to spend.

Improve access to affordable health care
John and Celeste know that in these tough economic times, families and small businesses are struggling with rising insurance premiums. That’s why they’re fighting to keep insurance affordable by reducing premium costs and lowering administrative expenses. They increased funding for local hospitals, and are committed to ensuring seniors living on fixed incomes can afford need prescription drugs.

Prohibit politicians from accepting gifts from lobbyists
John and Celeste are neighbors and community leaders—not career politicians. That’s why they support legislation that prohibits politicians from accepting gifts from lobbyists. They are advocating for tougher election laws to keep corruption out of our state government. They fought to ended the insider deals that waste billions in taxpayer dollars on no-bid contracts. And they made it a crime to knowingly use public resources for unauthorized purpose, imposing stiff criminal penalties for making a false material misrepresentation to a government agency, officer, or employee for the purpose of obtaining a public resource.