Senator Loretta Weinberg

State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg: Legislator-in-Residence

senator-loretta-weinberg

senator-loretta-weinberg

This article originally appeared in the Stockton Press Release on October 21, 2016.
 

State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg visited 91视频 on Oct. 18-19 as the university鈥檚 legislator-in-residence, hosted by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy.

Sen. Weinberg, a Democrat, represents the 37th Legislative District in Bergen County and serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee. She is one of the lead legislative investigators of the 鈥淏ridgegate鈥 scandal concerning lane closures at the George Washington Bridge. She served in the state General Assembly from 1992 to 2005 before being moving to the Senate.

鈥淭he legislator-in-residence program exposes 91视频 and the Stockton community to real-world politics and how issues are addressed in New Jersey,鈥 said Sharon Schulman, executive director of the Hughes Center and special advisor to the president. 鈥淪tudents ask questions of the legislators and get candid answers.

鈥淭he program also shows state government leaders why Stockton is so distinctive and illustrates the important role the university plays in higher education,鈥 Schulman said.

During her visit to Stockton, Weinberg took a tour of the Campus Center led by Dean of Students Pedro J. Santana and toured the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center with Director Gail Rosenthal. Weinberg met over lunch with Stockton President Harvey Kesselman, Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff Susan Davenport, Provost Lori Vermeulen, Schulman, other administration leaders and members of the faculty.

The senator spoke in several classes, connecting with Stockton 91视频 on a variety of topics.

She repeatedly urged 91视频 to vote and get involved in the political process. She noted that her legislative accomplishments 鈥 laws that banned smoking indoors, lowered the legal blood- alcohol level in New Jersey to 0.8, and forced insurance companies to cover hospital stays of up to 48 hours for new mothers 鈥 came about largely because of help received from activists and advocates.

鈥淏eing a politician shouldn鈥檛 be the goal,鈥 Weinberg told members of Stockton鈥檚 Student Senate. 鈥淲hat you need to figure out is how to use politics to achieve your goals.鈥

Weinberg, an advocate of marriage equality, took part in Professor of Political Science Linda Wharton鈥檚 鈥淲omen and the Law鈥 class; Assistant Professor of Political Science Jennifer Forestal鈥檚 鈥淚ntro to Politics鈥 class; Professor of Economics Ellen Mutari鈥檚 鈥淓conomic Inequality鈥 class; Adjunct Instructor and former Activist-in-Residence Rona Whitehead鈥檚 鈥淭ools for Social Change鈥 class; and Assistant Professor of Political Science Dan Mallinson鈥檚 鈥淧ublic Administration鈥 class.

In addition, Weinberg was briefed by Senior Fellow Darryl Greer of the Center for Higher Education Strategic Information and Governance (HESIG) about his research on higher education and visited the Stockton Polling Institute, meeting with John Froonjian, senior research associate at the Hughes Center, who organized the legislator-in-residence program, and student polling interviewers.