Since January 10, 2006, Gary Schaer has served in the General Assembly representing the 36th legislative district. He is a Democrat and the first Orthodox Jew in the New Jersey legislature. Schaer has been a Councilman in the City of Passaic since 1994, as well as been Council President for the past ten years. He is a trustee and member of the Budget Committee of St. Mary’s Hospital in Passaic. He is the Director of the City of Passaic Urban Enterprise Zone. From 1992-1996, Schaer was a Commissioner on the Passaic Housing Authority, while from 1999-2003, Schaer was a Commissioner on the Board of Education for the Passaic County Technical Institute. When Samuel Rivera resigned as mayor of the city of Passaic in May 2008, Schaer succeeded him. He is an investment consultant and Vice President of Private Client Group, a financial services company in New York City. The assemblyman is a past president of YBH-Hillel Academy of Passaic and past member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Clifton-Passaic. Gary Schaer’s priorities for his first term include greater assistance for families, children,and adults with autism and developmental disabilities, property tax relief and reform, strengthening ethics laws, and bringing increased fiscal responsibility and oversight to New Jersey’s budget. He is Chair of the Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee, Vice-Chair of the Assembly’s Budget Committee and the State Government Committee.