Serena DiMaso
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly
from the 13th district
In office
January 9, 2018 – January 11, 2022
Preceded byDeclan O'Scanlon
Succeeded byVicky Flynn
Member of the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders
In office
January 14, 2012 – January 9, 2018
Preceded byRobert D. Clifton
Succeeded byGerard Scharfenberger
Personal details
Born (1963-05-17) May 17, 1963
Political partyRepublican
SpouseGerald DiMaso
Children4
ResidenceHolmdel Township, New Jersey
Alma materSt. John's University (BA, JD)[1]
Websitewww.njleg.state.nj.us/members/BIO.asp?Leg=399

Serena DiMaso (born May 17, 1963) is an American Republican Party politician who represented the 13th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2018 to 2022.[1] She replaced Declan O'Scanlon, who ran successfully for a seat in the New Jersey Senate. DiMaso had previously served on the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders and as mayor of Holmdel Township. In June 2021, DiMaso lost the Republican Primary to Holmdel Board of Education President Vicky Flynn. DiMaso left office in January 2022.

Early life

Raised in Staten Island as the oldest of three sisters,[2] DiMaso graduated from St. John's University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in management, and was awarded a juris doctor degree from St. John's University School of Law in 1987.[1][3] She moved to Holmdel with her family in 1993.[2] DiMaso graduated in 2004 from the Christine Todd Whitman Excellence in Public Service Series, a program designed to foster public service by women.[3] From 2002 to 2012, DiMaso served on the Holmdel Township Committee and was chosen by her peers to serve as the township's mayor from 2006 to 2010. She served on the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders from 2012 to 2018.[1] On the Holmdel Township Committee, DiMaso was an advocate for open space preservation and shared services, serving as a representative on the township's planning board, as chair of the Public Safety and Administration committee and co-chair of the Public Works committee.[4]

Monmouth County Freeholder

DiMaso first took office as a Monmouth County Freeholder on January 14, 2012, when she was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Robert D. Clifton when he took office in the General Assembly.[4][5] She was elected to full three-year terms in 2013 and 2016, and was chosen by her peers to serve as the board's deputy director for three one-year terms.[3] As a freeholder through 2016, DiMaso received healthcare benefits from the county, paying $66,000 for four years of coverage, despite a policy that had been established by the county that prohibited officials from receiving coverage unless they were full-time employees; she was the only freeholder to have received health benefits from the county.[6] She was elected to her first full term in 2013 together with Arnone (with nearly 31% and 32% of the vote, respectively), defeating Democrats Brian Froelich and Larry Luttell.[7][8] In a tighter race in 2016, DiMaso (with 150,454 votes and 26.73% of all votes cast) and Arnone (156,154; 27.75%) were re-elected as part of the Republican sweep of countywide elected offices, defeating Democratic challengers Matt Doherty (128,445; 22.82%) and Sue Fulton (127,533; 22.66%); Democrats had focused on DiMaso's healthcare coverage and a 2015 tax increase, while Republicans pointed to corresponding tax cuts in 2016.[9][10]

New Jersey Assembly

With Declan O'Scanlon running for Senate to fill the seat vacated by fellow Republican Joseph Kyrillos, DiMaso was chosen to run for O'Scanlon's Assembly seat.[11] In the November 2017 general election, DiMaso (with 34,214 votes; 27.5% of all ballots cast) and her running mate, incumbent Amy Handlin (with 35,990; 28.9%), defeated Democratic challengers Tom Giaimo (27,212; 21.9%) and Mariel DiDato (26,640; 21.4%) to win both Assembly seats from the district for the Republicans.[12] DiMaso serves in the Assembly on the Education Committee; the Human Services Committee; and the Law and Public Safety Committee.[1] In July 2018 fellow Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling and fellow Assemblywoman Joann Downey filed a complaint against DiMaso for violating the truth Truth-In-Caller ID act.[13]

On March 18, 2021, DiMaso lost the support of the Monmouth County Republican Committee following a contested convention for her Assembly seat. Holmdel School Board President Vicky Flynn defeated DiMaso by a landslide 145 to 87 margin. Incumbent Assemblyman Gerard Scharfenberger came in first with 213 votes. Afterward, DiMaso sought election in the Republican primary race without the Monmouth County Republican Committee's support, but placed a distant third behind Scharfenberger and Flynn.[14][15]

Committees

  • Education
  • Human Services
  • Law and Public Safety

Electoral history

Assembly

New Jersey general election, 2017[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Amy Handlin 35,990 28.9 Decrease 1.5
Republican Serena DiMaso 34,214 27.5 Decrease 1.6
Democratic Tom Giaimo 27,212 21.9 Increase 2.1
Democratic Mariel DiDato 26,640 21.4 Increase 1.8
Libertarian Eveline H. Brownstein 458 0.4 N/A
Total votes '124,514' '100.0'

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 16, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "First Lady of Holmdel, Mayor Serena DiMaso", Living in Holmdel, July 19, 2015. Accessed January 21, 2018. "LIH: Please tell us a little about your background. SD: I grew up in Staten Island and am the oldest of three daughters. We are all very close in age and attended high school at the same time."
  3. 1 2 3 "Serena DiMaso – A Quintessential Part Of Holmdel & Monmouth County", Community Magazine, July 29, 2016. Accessed January 21, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Freeholder Deputy Director Serena DiMaso, [[Monmouth County, New Jersey|]], backed up by the Internet Archive as of September 29, 2015. Accessed January 21, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Holmdel’s Serena DiMaso is new freeholderTakes seat vacated by Assemblyman Robert D. Clifton", Monmouth County, New Jersey press release dated January 19, 2012. Accessed January 21, 2018. "Holmdel Deputy Mayor Serena DiMaso was sworn in as a Monmouth County freeholder on Saturday, Jan. 14. DiMaso fills the unexpired term of Robert D. Clifton, who recently was sworn in as an assemblyman in 12th Legislative District. DiMaso also took a ceremonial oath of office during the regular meeting of the Board of Chosen Freeholders on Jan. 26."
  6. ↑ Cervenka, Susanne. "DiMaso got county health benefits despite prohibition", Asbury Park Press, October 11, 2016. Accessed January 21, 2018. "Monmouth County Freeholder Serena DiMaso received family health coverage for more than four years from the government she oversees despite a county policy that, up until January, prohibited her from receiving such benefits. County officials say the coverage was appropriate despite the ban because DiMaso paid the full cost through the federal regulations commonly known as COBRA.... DiMaso is the only Monmouth County freeholder who has health care coverage through the county, according to public records."
  7. ↑ Walter, Kenny. "Bennett: GOP message resonated with voters", Atlanticville, November 7, 2013. Accessed January 21, 2018. "DiMaso and Arnone also cruised to victory, besting their Democratic opponents Brian Froelich and Larry Luttell. DiMaso garnered 95,629 votes and Arnone received 98,832 votes. Luttrell received 56,394 votes and Froelich received 58,450 votes."
  8. ↑ November 8, 2013 General Election Official Results, [[Monmouth County, New Jersey|]], updated November 20, 2013. Accessed January 21, 2018.
  9. ↑ Cerevenka, Susanne; and Davis, Mike. "Monmouth GOP maintains county stronghold", Asbury Park Press, November 8, 2016. Accessed January 21, 2018. "Those voters also gave incumbent GOP Freeholders Tom Arnone and Serena DiMaso their third and second full terms on the board that runs county-level government, edging out Democratic challengers, Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty and Sue Fulton of Asbury Park by at least 4 percentage points, according to unofficial elections results from the Monmouth County Clerk's Office.... Democrats zeroed in on a $4.5 million tax increase Arnone and DiMaso approved in 2015 as campaign issues as well as the fact DiMaso got health insurance from Monmouth County despite a county policy that appeared to prohibit it. Meanwhile, Arnone and DiMaso countered their opponents attacks by pointing to a $4.5 million reduction in property taxes they approved this year."
  10. ↑ General Election November 8, 2016 Official Results, Monmouth County, New Jersey Clerk, updated December 8, 2016. Accessed January 30, 2017.
  11. ↑ Cervenka, Susanne. "Dem Assembly candidate: Increase sales tax to end state budget woes", Asbury Park Press, October 17, 2017. Accessed January 21, 2018. "The Democratic team, both candidates running for their first times, hopes to best the GOP team of incumbent Assemblywoman Amy Handlin and her running mate, Monmouth County Freeholder Serena DiMaso, also a political veteran. Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon is running for the state Senate seat in the district being vacated by retiring Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, also a Republican."
  12. ↑ Official List Candidates for General Assembly For General Election 11/07/2017 Election, New Jersey Department of State, dated November 29, 2017. Accessed January 21, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Ethics panel finds probable cause to investigate DiMaso". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Monmouth County GOP Pulls Support For DiMaso In NJ-13 Race". Middletown, NJ Patch. March 19, 2021.
  15. ↑ "NJ-13 Primary Election Results: DiMaso Loses, AP Projects". Middletown, NJ Patch. June 9, 2021.
  16. ↑ "2017-official-general-election-results-general-assembly.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
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