Gov. Jon Corzine announced the long-expected nomination on Sept. 21 after months of speculation.
Doria replaces Susan Bass Levin, who took up a post as deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in July.
"Joe Doria has a wealth of experience in government at the state and local level," Corzine said last week. "He is a public servant with high standards of excellence and integrity, and I know he will work tirelessly to assist local governments and other stakeholders in issues ranging from affordable housing to construction codes to municipal finances. I would also like to thank Acting Commissioner [Charles] Richman and the professional staff at the department for all of their hard work during this time of transition."
The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs is a state agency created to provide guidance to local governments.
Joe Doria is currently the mayor of Bayonne and represents Hudson County in the state Senate. He will resign both posts and will begin serving as acting DCA commissioner on Oct. 9, pending Senate confirmation of his nomination.
Twelve terms in Assembly
Prior to serving in the state Senate, Doria served 12 consecutive terms in the New Jersey General Assembly, including 10 years as minority leader and two years as assembly speaker. Doria began his career as a social studies teacher at Holy Family Academy in Bayonne before joining St. Peter's College as an administrator and an adjunct faculty member. He was elected to the Bayonne Board of Education and sat on the board for five years, three of them as board president. Doria and his wife, who have one child, live in Bayonne.
"I am honored and humbled by the governor's decision to nominate me," Doria said. "As a mayor and legislator, I know firsthand about the impact the Department of Community Affairs can have on people's lives by working closely with advocates, non-profit organizations, and officials at all levels of government."
The DCA provides administrative guidance, financial support, and technical assistance to local governments, community development organizations, businesses, and individuals to improve the quality of life in New Jersey.
The DCA offers a wide range of programs and services that respond to issues of public concern, including fire and building safety, housing development, community planning and development, and local government management and finance.
Doria's appointment had been rumored for months, although he was apparently one of two people Corzine was considering for the post as late as early September.
Corzine has been under fire from advocates for affordable housing development to appoint someone who would oversee related programs, although reports also suggest that local politics might have played a role in the timing of the nomination.
Had Doria's appointment been announced prior to Sept. 8, a special election would have been held in Bayonne in November of 2007 instead of the following year. Now, someone will be chosen by the City Council to act as his replacement.
His first taste of politics
Doria always said that he got his first taste of politics not in Hudson County, but while he was away in Boston College. In 1969, he was doing research at the Capitol Building Library - and would sit in on the Massachusetts legislature as a break from his research.
In the mid-1970s, Doria served on the Bayonne Board of Education before winning a seat as the state Assemblyman for the 31st District - a position he held for the next 24 years until being unseated in the 2003 primary by a ticket led by then-Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham, losing to Bayonne Councilman Anthony Chiappone.
Although Doria took the matter to court, citing what he saw as questionable tactics used against him, he eventually stepped down as Assemblyman, only to eventually win Cunningham's seat at state Senator after Cunningham's untimely death in May 2004.
Politics
Earlier this year, Doria withdrew his name from consideration for re-election to the state Senate, prompting rumors that he and Corzine may have worked out a deal for a state-level appointment.
Doria was elected mayor of Bayonne in 1998 in what was seen as a reformer movement, and was faced with some significant challenges that included the loss of several major industrial employers as well as the closing of the former Military Ocean Terminal of Bayonne (MOTBY). He was also plagued by two significant changes in local finance - a 1990 revaluation and a change of state tax law that shifted the burden of municipal taxes from businesses to residential property owners.
Those closest to Doria say he preferred the state legislature to the grind of local government, and that he took on the role to help guide Bayonne through its most significant transition from an industrial city to one primarily residential.
Bayonne is changing
With rising taxes and a changing economy, Doria leaves Bayonne with the future still unsettled, although the pending sale of a portion of the MOTBY to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey helped leave the city budget stabilized through the end of the fiscal year next June.
Doria always credited former Mayor Dennis Collins as his mentor, someone who encouraged Doria to get into politics.
One of the leading legislators in areas such as education, healthcare and the environment, Doria has said more than once that he thought he was most effective on the state level. During his tenure as a legislator, Doria has seen more than 200 bills passed into law, most of them with widespread impact.
Perhaps locally, his most significant accomplishment was getting Bayonne included in the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Transit System, which will shortly see its fourth local station start construction and may be the key ingredient for the successful residential development of the MOTBY.
The City Council has 30 days from Doria's last day to vote on a replacement. Council President Vincent Lo Re will serve as interim mayor until the vote. If the City Council cannot come up with another candidate, Lo Re will become acting mayor until a special election can be held in November of 2008.
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