Realtors ® Q&A Meet the Decision Makers

Assembly Republican Leader John Dimaio

Welcome to our series, Meet the Decision Makers, where we interview key decision makers on their influential roles within New Jersey. For this issue, we have Assembly Republican Leader John DiMaio. His verbatim responses are italicized below. Do you have an idea of someone you’d like us to interview? Email editor@njrealtor.com

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got started in public service?

I have always been interested in giving back to the community, starting with my days on the Hackettstown First Aid Squad when I was just 16. To this day I am a charter member. Also when I was young I was a member of the “Bucket Brigade” that raised money to bring a hospital to Hackettstown. We did succeed! My dad was on town council for a short while and that got me thinking about that kind of civic service. I first ran for council when I was 22 and lost. The next year I ran again and won. After many years on council I ran for Mayor and served in that capacity for several years (and was the President of the NJ Conference of Mayors one year during that time). From there it was on to the county level as a freeholder, and then the Assembly in 2009. I am very proud to now be the Republican Assembly Leader. Prior to becoming Leader I served on various committees including Appropriations and then as the Republican Budget Officer for three years. So I know numbers! Not enough people are engaged in public service these days, but I believe it is important to give back in some way whether serving on a planning or library board, or recreation board. It doesn’t really matter what path you choose. Whatever you are comfortable doing.

What does the job of Assembly Republican Leader entail in the state of NJ?

The Assemblyman Republican Leader is the No. 2 Republican Leader in the State (Steve Oroho is the Senate Republican Leader). Essentially my job is to be the spokesman for the Assembly and to oversee our caucus and working with members to ensure that they are engaged with the process. Many times we have differing views on a legislative bill or initiative and it is important that I make sure everyone’s opinions are heard—and understood. We are not always going to agree on everything, but we do need to work together. The challenge we have as the minority party is that while our voices are sometimes heard, the majority party doesn’t always listen. But the administration and the Democratic majority has come around to a degree after we picked up several Assembly seats last year. For example, we have been saying that the Governor’s proposed energy master plan has many question marks and that it would cost residents–and businesses— an enormous amount of money to comply with all the aspects proposed. This would clearly affect the real estate market, as well. The Governor has now backed off on scheduling public hearings for now as they seek to “upgrade” the plan. Our goal is to pick up a few more seats later this year and that certainly would change the geography of the Assembly.

What have you been working on that would help the real estate market in NJ?

Generally speaking I have always supported legislative bills that make it easier for real estate agents and buyers to complete a deal. With respect to specific bills, I am the prime sponsor on A-960, a bipartisan bill which would exclude gains on sales of certain real estate purchases from taxation under corporation business tax and gross income tax and A-948 which would prohibit the DEP from imposing conditions on projects exempt from “Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act.”

In my “other life” I am a real estate agent so I know from the inside the challenges the real estate industry often faces. As the former owner of a family construction business for over 40 years I also understand that side of the business, from getting permits to finishing a project in a timely fashion. To that end last year I co-sponsored A573 intended to expediate construction inspections, something sorely needed.