Wikipedia

Steve Rothman

Steven Richard Rothman[1] (born October 14, 1952) is an American former jurist and Democratic politician who served as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 9th congressional district, serving for 16 years from January 3, 1997, to January 3, 2013.

Steve Rothman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 9th district
In office
January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2013
Preceded byRobert Torricelli
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Mayor of Englewood, New Jersey
In office
1983–1989
Preceded bySondra Greenberg
Succeeded byDonald Aronson
Personal details
Born
Steven Richard Rothman

(1952-10-14) October 14, 1952 (age 72)
Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Jennifer Anne Beckenstein
​
​
(m. 2006; div. 2011)​
Children2
ResidenceEnglewood
EducationSyracuse University (BA)
Washington University in St. Louis (JD)
OccupationAttorney
Websitecongressmansteverothman.com

Rothman was a member of the House Appropriations Committee, and also served on the House Judiciary, Foreign Affairs, and Science and Technology Committees. Prior to his election to the U.S. Congress, Rothman also served as the elected Bergen County Surrogate Court judge, and the two-term mayor of the City of Englewood, New Jersey.

After the congressional redistricting of December 23, 2011, was announced, Rothman competed in a Democratic primary to continue to represent the redrawn NJ-9. He was defeated on June 5, 2012, in a primary election by fellow incumbent Bill Pascrell (formerly the congressman for NJ-8).[2][3][4]

Early life, education and pre-congressional career

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Early life and education

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Rothman was born on October 14, 1952, in Englewood, New Jersey, to Philip and Muriel Rothman; he and his twin Arthur joined an older sister Susan. Steve attended the Roosevelt Public Elementary School in Englewood until the fifth grade when the family moved to nearby Tenafly, where he completed his education in the Tenafly Public School System.[2]

Rothman graduated in 1970 from Tenafly High School,[5] where he was senior class president, Best School Citizen, was first clarinet, first chair in the Tenafly High School Orchestra, was a member of the Tenafly High School Madrigal Singers, played the lead in Tenafly High School's drama Twelve Angry Men, wrestled, played soccer and tennis. He was a freestyle and backstroke swimmer in a New Jersey Jewish Community Center swim league and completed his Water Safety Instructor Certificate in 1971.[6][7]

In his senior year in high school, Rothman became the chair of the 18-Year-Old Vote Campaign for Tenafly, New Jersey, seeking to secure the New Jersey legislature's support for the proposed 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ensuring 18-year-old U.S. citizens the right to vote.[8]

In 1974 he earned a B.A. degree from Syracuse University, where he majored in political philosophy.[2] In 1972 he was selected by a student-faculty-administrator search committee to serve on the university's student supreme court (University Judicial Board) for his sophomore, junior and senior years. He was elected Chief Justice of the UJB by its members for 1973–74.[9]

While at Syracuse, Rothman was lead singer in a folk-rock music group named "Sweet Rock."

From 1974 to 1977 Rothman attended the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was awarded a Juris Doctor degree in 1977.[2]

In each of his three years at law school, Rothman was a High School Law Project member, teaching a course he wrote on the "U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights" to urban and suburban high school students in the St. Louis City and Metropolitan area. In 1975, Rothman won the "Best Oralist" Award in the Washington University School of Law Moot Court Competition. In 1976, Rothman and his partner Gerald Kline placed first among twelve teams representing six law schools at the Eighth Circuit Regional Moot Court Regional Competition in Rapid City, South Dakota, also winning "Best Brief."[10]

Rothman was admitted to the New Jersey bar in 1977 and became a practicing New Jersey attorney. In 1982, he was admitted to practice law also in New York. In 1984 he was admitted to practice law before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Early career

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Rothman started his legal career as a trial associate at the firm of Miller, Hochman, Myerson and Schaeffer in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1977. In January 1980, he started his own firm for the general practice law in Englewood in a two-room office over a barber shop on Depot Square. In 1977, Rothman moved his residence from Tenafly to Englewood.

Rothman became active in Englewood community affairs, serving as president of the Scarborough Manor Tenants' Association, where he performed pro bono legal services for the poor and elderly faced with eviction following condominium conversion.[11] He also was the co-founder of the Englewood Hispanic Lion's Club and a member of the United Jewish Community of Bergen County and member of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Community Center on the Palisades.[12]

Politically, he was Campaign Coordinator for various Englewood City Council-member races as well as a member of the Englewood Democratic Club, the Englewood Democratic Municipal Committee, the Bergen County Young Democrats, and the New Jersey Young Democrats. He held the office of Treasurer for the Bergen County Democratic Party, for State Senator Matthew Feldman, as well as for various Bergen County Democratic Freeholder (county legislature) campaigns.

Englewood's mayor

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In 1982, Rothman ran for and won the city's Democratic Party nomination to be Englewood's mayor. Rothman was also endorsed by the Englewood Black Clergy Council and the Englewood Patrolman's Benevolent Association (the first time those two organizations had ever endorsed the same candidate for mayor). He won the Democratic primary and the November 1982 general elections. At his January 1983 swearing in, he was 30 years old. Rothman served two terms from 1983 to 1989.[13] He remains the youngest mayor in Englewood's history.[14]

Rothman served two terms as Englewood's mayor, from 1983 to 1989. In 1992, he was elected as the Bergen County Surrogate Court judge and remained in this position until running for Congress in 1996.[14]

Libyan government buys Englewood property

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In December 1982, just before the start of Rothman's first mayoral term, the Libyan government bought a five-acre estate "on the hill" in Englewood. There was widespread community concern that Col. Mohmmar Kaddafi, an internationally acknowledged terrorist and the dictator of Libya, a country with which the U.S. did not have diplomatic relations at the time, would take up part-time residence at the Englewood mansion and thus precipitate violent conflict in Englewood between his supporters and opponents.[15]

Just days before Rothman was to be sworn in as the new mayor, one of Englewood's former mayors, The Reverend Walter Taylor, who was also the minister of the Galilee United Methodist Church in Englewood and the president of the Englewood Black Clergy Council, held a press conference at the United Nations Press Club and denounced "self-styled Zionists" who were seeking to keep Libyans out of Englewood. Taylor described this as a "question of Jewish influence." The next night, at the January 1983 Mayor and Council Reorganization Meeting, the other leaders of the Englewood Black Clergy Council denounced Taylor, and the Englewood Black Clergy Council appeared at the meeting to publicly disassociate themselves from Taylor's comments.[16]

After he was sworn in, Rothman went to Washington, D.C., to lobby the Reagan State Department to use the newly enacted "Foreign Missions Act" to restrict the use of the estate to the Libyan ambassador to the United Nations and his family. In June 1983, the Foreign Missions Office of the State Department announced its decision to implement the "Act" by limiting use of the property to strictly residential and recreational purposes for the Ambassador and his immediate family. It forbade any other use of the estate by the Libyan government.[17]

In the summer of 2009, in advance of the U.N. General Assembly Meeting, it was discovered that Kaddafi was significantly renovating the Englewood mansion and grounds to be used as one of his homes. Rothman, at that time the U.S. congressman for the 9th congressional district of New Jersey, which included Englewood, worked with the Obama State Department to continue the 1983 conditions for the Libyan government's use of the Englewood estate. Renovations ceased and Kaddafi never set foot on the Englewood property.[18]

Other mayoral initiatives

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In 1984, Rothman led the effort to save the regional Community Mental Health Organization (CMHO), a state and county-funded agency located in Englewood that served 180,000 people, disproportionately Englewood residents, in the area. He organized a successful fundraising effort by eleven Bergen County mayors after they had been notified that state and county support was being threatened by a $200,000 shortfall in CMHO accounting. Rothman helped the CMHO achieve sustained state and county support and promoted a change of private managers, making it part of another county mental health agency while it remained in the same Englewood building.[19]

May 19, 1985, Rothman was sworn in as the new president of the Bergen County Democratic Mayors Association.[20]

Rothman announced in 1988 that he would not seek a third term so that he could devote more time to family and his private law practice.[21]

Personal

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Rothman and his first wife had two children, John and Karen. His subsequent marriage also ended in divorce. Rothman now resides in Englewood, New Jersey.

Post-mayoral activities

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Rothman continued his general practice of law in Englewood, expanding his offices and staff.

In 1989, Rothman ran unsuccessfully as one of three Democratic candidates to fill three openings on the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders (the county legislature). Bergen County was the largest county in New Jersey with 850,00 people. Rothman lost the election by less than 2,000 votes.[22]

In 1989, Rothman was appointed Chairman of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Northern New Jersey (JCRC).[23] In 1991, Rothman hosted 500 Christians, Jews, Muslims, Bahais and Sikhs for the 5th Annual Brotherhood/Sisterhood Interfaith Breakfast, sponsored by the JCRC.[24]

In 1990 and 1991, Rothman served as Treasurer of the respective Bergen County Democratic Party Freeholder races.

In 1990 and 1991, Rothman was also active in local affairs, joining the Wyckoff Democratic Municipal Committee and serving as its chairman. During that time, he also served as Campaign Manager for Jack Van Horne for Wyckoff Township Council. He and his wife were also members of "Wyckoff Partners In Pride," a community beautification committee of volunteers.

Bergen County Surrogate Court judge

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In 1992, Rothman ran for and was chosen by the Bergen County Democratic Party to be their candidate for the elected position of Bergen County Surrogate Court Judge. Under New Jersey law, each of the state's twenty-one counties, including Bergen County (its most populous) is required to elect a Judge of the Surrogate's Court who is responsible, among other duties, for the probating and administering of the estates of all that county's residents. Rothman won the general election in November 1992, becoming the first attorney to serve in that position in the 148 years the position had been an elected one.[25]

During Rothman's administration, he provided the Bergen County Surrogate's Office with uniformly modern computers, which enabled a 55% increase in cases processed while reducing the number of employees by 10% through attrition. He facilitated improved access to the public by adding office phone lines and making the public documents on file in the Surrogate's Court more available by computerizing indexes and expanding availability. As Surrogate, among other personnel changes, his first hire there was a Hispanic college graduate, the first Hispanic or Spanish-speaking member of the Bergen County Surrogate's Court in history.[26]

In March 1995, Rothman wrote and had published an 18-page booklet entitled "The Three Legal Documents Recommended For Every Bergen County Adult," which dealt with the operations of the Bergen County Surrogate's Court, probate, self-proving wills, living wills, and durable powers of attorney. Approximately 23,000 booklets were published and distributed, in English and Spanish. Rothman conducted more than 100 seminars on wills, living wills, probate and powers of attorney, speaking directly to over 10, 000 Bergen County residents.[27]

Rothman also invested over $75 million in assets for minors who received settlements or judgments in Bergen County. During his three years in office, his federally-insured investments realized the highest rate of return of any surrogate in the state.[28]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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In a district that was 90 percent non-Jewish, with no Jewish House members then representing New Jersey, Rothman was elected the first Jewish-American House member in the history of the 9th congressional district.

He was reelected to that seat seven more times.

In 1996, incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative Robert G. Torricelli of New Jersey's 9th congressional district decided to run for the United States Senate that was being vacated by Bill Bradley, creating a vacancy in the House seat.[29] Rothman was encouraged by Democratic leaders and laypeople to run for the seat. However, the New Jersey Supreme Court required him to step down from his position as the judge of the Bergen County Surrogate's Court in order to be a candidate. Thus, in January 1996, he resigned as Bergen County Surrogate to run for the 9th congressional district House seat. In June 1996, Rothman prevailed in the Democratic Party primary to be their candidate in the general election for Congress.[30]

  • 1996: In the general election, Rothman defeated Republican County Clerk and Chairperson of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Kathleen Donovan, 56.6%–42.2%, with two independent candidates taking up the remainder of the vote.[30]
  • 1998: Rothman won reelection to a second term, defeating Mayor Steve Lonegan of Bogota, New Jersey 64.6%–33.8%, with three independent candidates receiving less than 2% of the vote.[30]
  • 2000: won reelection to a third term, defeating Joseph Tedeschi 68%–30% with two Independent candidates receiving 2% of the vote.[30]
  • 2002: won reelection to a fourth term, defeating Joseph Glass, 70%–30%.[30]
  • 2004: won reelection to a fifth term, defeating Edward Trawinski 67–32%, with the Libertarian candidate receiving 1% of the vote.[31]
  • 2006: won reelection to a sixth term, defeating Vincent Micco 71%–28%, with the Moderate Choice candidate receiving 1% of the vote.[31]
  • 2008: won reelection to a seventh term, defeating Vincent Micco 68–31% with the Independent/Progressive candidate garnering 1%.[31]
  • 2010: won reelection to an eighth term, defeating Michael A. Agosta 61%–38%, with the Green Party candidate receiving 1%.[30]

2012 primary

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On December 23, 2011, the New Jersey Congressional Redistricting Committee, in compliance with the outcome of the 2010 U.S. census and the requirements of federal law, consolidated New Jersey's then 13 House seats into 12 congressional districts.[32][33]

The half Democrat and half Republican commission named Republican John Farmer Jr. as its ‘tie-breaker.[34]  Farmer had previously held the roles of Chief Counsel and New Jersey Attorney General under Republican Governor Christine Todd Whitman.[35]

On 23 December 2012, the commission chose a map advocated by Republican members, which combined New Jersey's 8th and 9th congressional districts, represented by William Pascrell and Steve Rothman respectively. It also created a new 5th congressional district.

At the time of the creation of this new map, Rothman held a 12-year tenure on the House Appropriations committee and Pascrell had a six-year tenure on the House Ways and Means Committee.[36][37]

The Republican Plan chosen by the Redistricting Commission removed seven of the largest Democratic vote-producing municipalities from the 9th congressional district. It also moved the major Passaic County cities and towns into the 9th congressional district.[38]

The incumbent congressman in the 8th district, lifelong Passaic County resident Congressman Bill Pascrell, the former mayor of Paterson and New Jersey State assemblyman from Passaic County, announced that he would run in the Democratic primary for the redrawn 9th congressional district. Rep. Pascrell had represented the 8th congressional district since 1997.[39]

The incumbent congressman in the 9th district, lifelong Bergen County resident Congressman Steve Rothman, the former mayor of Englewood and elected Bergen County Surrogate Court judge, announced that he would run in the Democratic primary for re-election in the 9th congressional district. Rep. Rothman had represented the 9th congressional district since 1997.[39]

Rothman was defeated by Pascrell in the 2012 Democratic primary.[30] Rothman lost even though the merged district was more his district than Pascrell's; he retained 53 percent of his former territory while Pascrell retained 43 percent of his.

Electoral history

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New Jersey's 9th congressional district: Results 1996–2010[40][41]
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct
1996 Steve Rothman 117,646 55.8% Kathleen Donovan 89,005 42.2% Arthur Rosen Independent 2,730 1.3% Leon Myerson Independent 1,549 0.7%
1998 Steve Rothman 91,330 64.6% Steve Lonegan 47,817 33.8% Michael Perrone Independent 1,349 1.0% Michael Koontz Independent 686 0.5% *
2000 Steve Rothman 140,462 68% Joseph Tedeschi 61,984 30% Lewis Pell Independent 2,273 1% Michael Perrone Independent 1,072 1% *
2002 Steve Rothman 97,108 70% Joseph Glass 42,088 30%
2004 Steve Rothman 146,038 68% Edward Trawinski 68,564 32% David Daly Libertarian 1,649 1%
2006 Steve Rothman 105,853 71% Vincent Micco 40,879 28% Michael Jarvis The Moderate Choice 1,363 1%
2008 Steve Rothman 151,182 68% Vincent Micco 69,503 31% Michael Perrone Independent/Progressive 3,200 1%
2010 Steve Rothman 83,564 61% Michael A. Agosta 52,082 38% Patricia Alessandrini Green 1,980 1%

*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1998, Kenneth Ebel received 277 votes. In 2000, Robert Corriston received 980 votes.

Committee assignments

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Judiciary Committee (1997–2001)

House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime (1997–2001)

  • Participated in the Impeachment Hearings of President William Jefferson Clinton, including cross-examining Independent Counsel to the House of Representatives former Judge Kenneth W. Starr (1998)
  • House Foreign Affairs Committee (1997–2001)
  • Subcommittee on International Economic Policy & Trade (1997–2001)
  • Subcommittee on The Western Hemisphere (2001–2003)
  • House Appropriations Committee (2001–2013)
  • Subcommittee on Foreign Operations and State: the 11-member panel that, among other duties, recommended all Foreign Aid from the U.S., as well as recommended the U.S. State Department's budget (2001–2013)
  • Subcommittee on Defense (the 13-member panel that recommended all the military spending for the U.S.) (2007–2013)
  • Subcommittee on Homeland Security (2009–2011)
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture (2007–2009)
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, HUD, The Judiciary, District of Columbia and Independent Agencies (2003–2007)
  • Subcommittee on Treasury, Postal Service and General Government (2001–2003)
  • House Science and Technology Committee (2007–2011)
  • Subcommittee on Space & Aeronautics (2007–2011)
  • Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight (2007–2011)

During his time in Congress, Rothman traveled to, among other places, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, Egypt, Turkey, Israel, the West Bank and other locations to visit with U.S. troops, their commanders, foreign heads of state, as well as U.S. and foreign diplomatic, military and intelligence leaders.

Caucus memberships

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  • House Armenian Caucus
  • House Congressional Arts Caucus
  • House India Caucus
  • House Korea Caucus
  • House Kurdish Caucus
  • House Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Caucus
  • House Missing and Exploited Children Caucus
  • House U.S.-Israel Security Cooperation Caucus
  • House U.S.-Philippines Friendship Congressional Caucus

Congressional tenure (1997–2013)

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Constitutional Amendment to limit campaign contributions and expenditures

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On March 18, 1997, Rothman became one of 15 co-sponsors of H.J.Res 17 (105th Congress), a bill to amend the U.S. Constitution to allow Congress and each state "to set reasonable limits on campaign donations and expenditures made in support of or in opposition to candidates for Federal office."[42]

Clinton impeachment

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Rothman voted for Censure and against Articles of Impeachment. Rothman argued that while the President's conduct was "irresponsible and reprehensible," it did not rise to the level of an impeachable offense under the U.S. Constitution ("treason, bribery or other high crime and misdemeanor").[43][44]

Hackensack Meadowlands

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As a U.S. congressman, Rothman played a key role in preserving the Hackensack Meadowlands, successfully securing millions of dollars in federal funding for the protection, remediation and study of the area.[45][46] He lobbied against the Mills Mall project which had been proposed in 1996 and had caused a "decade long fight"[47] from local environmental and lobby groups. In 2003, the Mills Corporation agreed to relocate the mall to the Continental Arena in East Rutherford,[46] and the state began to purchase land to create the "Meadowlands Preserve"[46] and rezone the area as undevelopable. From 2001 to 2007, Rothman secured $10 million in federal funds, plus additional state and local matching funds, to buy land to create an 8,400 acre ecological preserve in the Hackensack Meadowlands.[48]

Teterboro airport

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In 2002, Rothman worked with the Port Authority to ban "Stage 1" aircraft from Teterboro airport, and against Boeing Company, which had been working since 1996 to allow 737 jets into the airport. Boeing filed an F.A.A complaint, and the agency proposed a policy change requiring airports to provide evidence of the potential damages that occasional heavier planes would cause.[49] The port authority and Rothman both criticised the proposed exceptions, and in 2003 Rothman authored a measure to stop the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from lifting the 100,000-pound weight limit at Teterboro Airport, which was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate and signed into law by President George W. Bush.[50][51][52]

Secure Our Schools Act

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Rothman authored "The Secure Our Schools Act," (2000) which provided hundreds of millions of federal matching funds to communities across his district and across the country so that schools could attempt to keep weapons and strangers out of schools. Under the Act, towns can apply for funds to be used for school security assessments, security training of personnel and students, and for improved coordination with law enforcement officials as well as to install metal detectors, locks, and improved lighting.[53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62]

Pro-Israel support

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Having served as a member of both the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Rothman advocated the importance of the U.S. Israel relationship, stating that the national security of the United States is directly affected by the national security of the State of Israel.[63][64]

In 2010, Rothman worked with his congressional colleagues and the White House to obtain funding for Israel's Iron Dome defensive missile system and David's Sling, Arrow 2 and Arrow 3.[65] The Iron Dome system was purchased by the US military in 2019 and Arrow 3 was successfully tested by the US and Israel in Alaska in July of that year.[66]

Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)

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On October 3, 2008, Rothman voted against the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), saying that while the Bush administration was asking for $700 billion in relief for giant financial institutions, it had refused Rothman's and other members' requests that those institutions be required to allow the modification of principal and interest obligations to underwater mortgage-holding homeowners that would prevent them from being foreclosed upon and losing their homes. He also criticized the bill for failing to make the regulatory changes to make the banks no longer "too big to fail."[67]

Obama campaign 2007–2008

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In July 2007, Rothman became the highest-ranking Democrat in New Jersey to support then U.S. Senator Barack Obama for U.S. president.[68] In 2013, in a Record article describing his twenty-five-year career in public office, Rothman noted that he believed "history will remember Obama not only for his deliberate and smart accomplishments as President, but for the permanent and positive effects the mere fact of his presidency has had on the psyche and character of America."[69][70][71]

Mary Ann Collura Post Office Building

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On March 11, 2004, Congressman Rothman introduced H.R. 3939 "To re-designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 14–24 Abbott Road in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, as the "Mary Ann Collura Post Office Building". Rothman's bill was passed by the House and Senate; and then it was signed by President George W. Bush on June 25, 2004. Collura, an 18-year veteran of the Fair Lawn Police Department, and the Borough's first female officer, was killed in the line of duty on April 4, 2003, in Fair Lawn. She was 43 years old at the time of her death. The renaming ceremony took place on November 1, 2003, in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.[72][73][74]

Staff Sergeant Frank T. Carvill and Lance Corporal Michael A. Schwarz Post Office Building

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On April 22, 2010, in response to a request by their families and local officials, Rothman sponsored H. R. 5133 "To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 331 1st Street in Carlstadt, New Jersey, as the "Staff Sergeant Frank T. Carvill and Lance Corporal Michael A. Schwarz Post Office Building". Rothman's bill was passed by the House and Senate; and then it was signed by President Barack Obama on January 4, 2011. Army National Guard Staff Sergeant Carvill was killed by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad, Iraq on June 4, 2004. He was 51 years old at the time of his death. Marine Lance Corporal Schwartz was killed by a sniper in Anbar province, Iraq on May 21, 2007. He was 20 years old at the time of his death. The renaming ceremony took place on April 27, 2011, in Carlstadt, New Jersey.[75][76][77][78]

Malachy McAllister

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From 2003 until the end of his congressional career in 2013, Rothman was involved in preventing the deportation of Malachy McAllister and his family from the United States, including intervention with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and proposing House legislation on McAllister's behalf.[79]

In the 1980s, McAllister was convicted by a court in Northern Ireland of conspiring to murder a Royal Ulster Constabulary Officer. He served more than three years in a Northern Ireland prison and was released for time served by the British. Later, in 1988, masked gunmen sprayed his home in Northern Ireland with bullets as he, his wife and then four children were inside.

McAllister and his family then fled, first to Canada and then to the U.S., arriving in Rutherford, New Jersey in 1996, where he began working as a carpenter when U.S. Authorities sought to deport him and his family.

McAllister alleged that he was a political prisoner in Northern Ireland, that he had served his full prison time, had lived and worked in the U.S. without incident and that any deportation to Northern Ireland would put his and his family's lives in severe danger.[80][81][82][83][84]

Affordable Care Act town halls

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During the national debate on the Affordable Health Care Act, Rothman held 10 town hall meetings on that subject during August 2009.[85][86]

War in Iraq

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On October 10, 2002, Rothman voted to authorize the use of U.S. military force against Iraq necessary to defend the national security of the U.S. against threats by Iraq and to enforce all relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq,[87][88] and he explained why: "now, especially in the light and shadow of September 11, there is a new immediacy and power to Saddam Hussein's longstanding and oft-stated threats against America. For years, Saddam Hussein has been a well-known patron and financier of some of the world's most lethal anti-American terrorist and terrorist organizations. Now, al Qaeda has joined him....The thought of Saddam Hussein sending these same al-Qaeda 'martyrs' to America to spray chemical or biological poisons over America's reservoirs in our most populated cities, is a thought so horrifying, yet so real a possibility, that I cannot in good conscience especially after the surprise attack of Sept. 22, permit this to happen."[89]

On December 7, 2005, Rothman signed on as a co-sponsor of Rep. Jack Murtha's bill calling for the redeployment of all U.S. troops from Iraq. The bill stated, in part, that U.S. forces have become the target of the insurgency, 45 percent of the Iraqi people feel that the attacks on U.S. forces are justified, and recent polls in Iraq show that 80% of the Iraqi people want the U.S. forces out of their country.[90]

On February 22, 2006, at a press conference, as well as in an op-ed published in The Record newspaper the next day, Rothman became the first member of New Jersey's congressional delegation to publicly call for a withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq.[91][92]

On August 23, 2006, Rothman and Congressman Rush Holt led a public forum on the war in Iraq, in Edgewater, New Jersey, at the Edgewater Community Center, entitled "If Not Now, When?" The event was sponsored by Bergen Grassroots and Hudson Democracy for America.[93]

For eight days in mid-February 2007, Rothman traveled to Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Kuwait as one of 15 members of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. There he met with foreign diplomats, intelligence officers, chief commanders and dozens of troops. In The Record article of February 28, 2007, entitled "Rothman: Get Troops Home In Six Months", Rothman said his visit to the war-torn region confirmed his belief that U.S. troops should leave Iraq within the next six months. Rothman was also quoted as saying "The United States should be involved as advisors to the military in Iraq and we should be playing a very robust diplomatic role instead of remaining in combat.[94]"

Advocating for other legislative priorities

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Rothman was also an advocate for tax reform and comprehensive immigration reform, reasonable gun control laws, gender and marriage equality, a woman's right to choose, clean air and water, smart land and energy use and conservation, and the humane treatment of animals.[95]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Washington University in St. Louis (Class of 1977) Commencement". Archived from the original on 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  2. ^ a b c d Maisel, Louis Sandy (2001). Jews in American Politics. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7425-0181-2.
  3. ^ Johnson, Sid (January 2, 2012). "Congressional Districts Change for Several Towns", NorthJersey.com.
  4. ^ Blake, Aaron (December 27, 2011). "New Jersey Tilts Redistricting Battle Toward GOP", The Washington Post; accessed May 28, 2017.
  5. ^ Steven Rothman, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed October 9, 2018. "Rothman, Steven, a Representative from New Jersey; born in Englewood, Bergen County, N.J., October 14, 1952; graduated from Tenafly High School, Tenafly, N.J., 1970"
  6. ^ Tenakin [Tenafly High School Yearbook] '70, p. 150.
  7. ^ Tenakin '69, p. 73.
  8. ^ Tenakin '70, p. 146.
  9. ^ "Rothman Named New UJB Chief Justice." The Daily Orange. April 4, 1973.
  10. ^ "Moot Court Team Wins Regional." Washington University School of Law Newsletter. Spring 1976.
  11. ^ "Bergen County Legal Services Annual Pro Bono Awards." New Jersey Law Journal. November 17, 1988.
  12. ^ Steinreich (November 18, 1983). "Englewood's Youthful Mayor Is Up and Coming Jewish Politician." The Jewish Standard.
  13. ^ Hollander, Ron (January 20, 1988). "Two Terms Are Enough." The Record (New Jersey). p. d16.
  14. ^ a b "Happy Birthday To Englewood's Steve Rothman". Englewood Daily Voice. 2016-10-14. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
  15. ^ Taplin, Clinton R. and Meg Lundstom (December 22, 1982). "Libya's U.N. Mission Buys Englewood Site." The Record (New Jersey)
  16. ^ Sarasohn, David (June, 1983). "Englewood's Middle East Crisis." New Jersey Monthly Magazine. 48–52.
  17. ^ Sarasohn, David, Ed. (August 1983). "Housing Crisis." New Jersey Monthly. p. 33.
  18. ^ Rothman, Steven R. (March 18, 2010). "Libyan UN Ambassador's 27-Year Presence in Englewood and Why Kaddafi Never Made it There." The Huffington Post [Blog].
  19. ^ Lundstom, Meg (February 16, 1984). "11 Mayors Offer to Rescue Ailing Health Agency." The Record (New Jersey). pp.131–32.
  20. ^ Swearing in Ceremony at Sheraton Heights. Hasbrook Height, NJ. May 19, 1985(12–3 PM).
  21. ^ Hollander, Ron (1988). "Two Terms."
  22. ^ Overby, Peter (November 8, 1989). "GOP Freeholders Retain Control. Will Have 5-2 Edge on Bergen Board." The Record (New Jersey).
  23. ^ "New JCRC Chairman." The Jewish Standard. June 29, 1990.
  24. ^ "Interfaith Breakfast Held." The Connection. March 30, 1991. p.1; The Press Journal. March 7, 1991.
  25. ^ Bottinelli, Terry Paul (July 1993). "Steven Rothman is New County Surrogate." Bergen Barrister. p.4; Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey.
  26. ^ "Accomplishments as Bergen County Surrogate." Campaign Piece for Democratic Convention Nomination to Run for Congress from New Jersey's 9th Congressional District. April 1996; Bottinelli, p. 4.
  27. ^ The Three Legal Documents Recommended for Every Bergen County Adult: Foe Married, Divorced, Widowed, Single, Parents and Non-Parents. 25, 000 copies were eventually printed in English (March 1995) and Spanish (January 1996) and distributed at hundreds of seminars by Surrogate Rothman; Bottinelli, p.4.
  28. ^ "Rothman Receives AQCES Award for Excellence." The Palasadium Newspaper. December 1, 1993; "Accomplishments."
  29. ^ "Bergen County Surrogate Resigns, Takes Aim at Torricelli's Seat." The Record (New Jersey). January 20, 1996. p. ao4.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives.
  31. ^ a b c Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives
  32. ^ N.J. Redistricting Commission
  33. ^ Friedman, Matt (December 21, 2010) "N.J. Loses Seat in Congress as Census Bureau Unveils Population Numbers." The Star Ledger.
  34. ^ NJ.com, Matt Friedman (2011-07-15). "Former N.J. attorney general to be tiebreaker of commission to redraw congressional districts". nj. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  35. ^ "John Farmer | Rutgers Law". Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  36. ^ "House Appropriations Committee | Congressional Chronicle | C-SPAN.org". Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  37. ^ Bill Pascrell, Jr. "Bill Pascrell, Jr". Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  38. ^ NJ.com, Matt Friedman (2011-12-23). "GOP wins N.J. congressional redistricting battle". Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  39. ^ a b Johnston, Sid. (January 2, 2012). "Congressional Districts Change for Several Towns" NorthJersey.Com.
  40. ^ "Office of the Clerk". Archived from the original on July 25, 2007. Retrieved November 14, 2010. Website of the Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives
  41. ^ NJ Secretary of State 2010 election results
  42. ^ See H.J. Res. 17 (105th Congress); Congress.gov.
  43. ^ Transcript: U.S. House Judiciary Committee Impeachment Hearings on the Impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton. November 19, 1998.
  44. ^ Kane, Paul (January 10, 1999)."Rothman's Moment in the Spotlight." The Record (New Jersey).
  45. ^ Kaptur, Marcy (1998-06-11). "Cosponsors – H.J.Res.17 – 105th Congress (1997–1998): Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to contributions and expenditures intended to affect elections for Federal and State office". www.congress.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  46. ^ a b c Jacobs, Andrew (2003-05-13). "Meadowlands Plan Envisions Central Park 10 Times Over". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  47. ^ "Rep. Steven R Rothman – New Jersey District 09". OpenSecrets.
  48. ^ Jacobs, Andrew (2000-12-18). "Shops vs. Swamps In the Meadowlands; Debate Over a Huge Shopping Mall Marked by Rival Claims and Spin". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  49. ^ "Deadly jet crash renews old fears for residents near airport". The Columbian. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  50. ^ Decheine, Bob (2007-04-28). "House Of Representatives Approves Rothman Measure". Archived from the original on 2007-04-28. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  51. ^ James, George (2003-11-02). "The Battle Over Teterboro: From Romance to Hostility". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  52. ^ James, George (2004-02-01). "Briefings: Aviation; Teterboro Keeps Weight Limit". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  53. ^ "Rothman in the Ninth." (2002); "Rothman in the Ninth." (2004); "Effective and Ethical." (2006); "Rothman in the 9th." (2008); "Rothman in the Ninth." (2010).
  54. ^ Fujimori, Sachi. (August 23, 2009). "Rothman Seeks Action on Safety Issues." Herald News (West Paterson). p.A-07.
  55. ^ Rothman, Steven (January 3, 2013). "Reflections on 25 Years in Public Office and the End of a Political Career" The Record; Also Huffington Post [Blog].
  56. ^ Alex, Patricia (September 17, 2008). "Schools Get Grant to Improve Security." The Record (New Jersey). p.L02.
  57. ^ Alvarado, Monsy (October 15, 2004). "3 Bergen School Districts Get Grants To Boost Security, Hackensack, East Rutherford, Paramus, To Buy Cameras."The Record (New Jersey). p.L05.
  58. ^ Alex, Patricia (September 17, 2008). "Schools Get Grant To Improve Security." The Record (New Jersey). p.L02.
  59. ^ Gavin, John A. (October 24, 2003). "Little Ferry Gets Federal Grant For School Lighting; Borough Match $40,000 In Aid." The Record (New Jersey). p.L03.
  60. ^ Fasbach, Laura (November 19, 2002). "325,000 Boost For Security in School; N. Bergen District Awarded U.S. Grant." The Record (New Jersey). p.L03.
  61. ^ Sampson, Peter J. (April 12, 2002) "Rothman Sets Sight on School Violence; Asks For $30M To Build Security." The Record (New Jersey). p. L3.
  62. ^ Davis, Tom (April 14, 2004). "Bergen Schools to get $1M for soundproofing." The Record (New Jersey). p.L01
  63. ^ Gold, Ben. "Can Congressman Steve Rothman take on Rabbi Shmuley Boteach?". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  64. ^ Fabian, Jordan (2010-04-13). "The dividends of U.S. support for Israel (Rep. Steve Rothman)". TheHill. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  65. ^ "Lawmaker Cites $1B in U.S. Funding for Israeli Missile Defenses | Analysis | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  66. ^ "US to buy Israeli missile defence system". 2019-02-06. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  67. ^ "Rothman, Payne, Among Congressmen To Vote No On Bailout Plan". The Jersey Journal, September 29, 2008; Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. September 29, 2008.
  68. ^ The Record Staff (July 26, 2007). "Rothman Takes a Role in the Obama Campaign; Will Cochair Efforts in Northeast States." The Record (New Jersey). p.A04.
  69. ^ Rothman, Steven (January 3, 2013). "Reflections."
  70. ^ Stile, Charles (October 4, 2007). "Rothman Going Out on a Limb for Obama." The Record (New Jersey). p. L01.
  71. ^ Jackson, Herb (June 5, 2008). "Rothman's Early Endorsement May Benefit Him, State." The Record (New Jersey). A-01.
  72. ^ Congress.gov: H.R. 3939; H.R. 5133; Public Laws 108-257 and 111-359.
  73. ^ "Fugitive Dies After Chase and Shootout," By Robert D. McFadden, April 21, 2003; and "Fair Lawn Remembers 10th Anniversary of Officer Mary Ann Collura's Murder," By Zak Koeske, May 7, 2003, Fair Lawn Patch.
  74. ^ http://www.mac136.org/honors.htm. "We Will Never Forget Police Officer Mary Ann Collura." In Memory of Fair Lawn Police Officer Mary Ann Collura "Mac 136." 2003. Web 19 October 2017.
  75. ^ "Carlstadt Post Office Dedication," Nam Knights America, M.C., April 27, 2011.
  76. ^ Military Times, Honor the Fallen
  77. ^ "Marine Lance Cpl. Michael Schwarz, November 27, 2006," By Beverly Reid, The Star Ledger, May 21, 2007.
  78. ^ "Carlstadt post office is renamed for two residents killed in Iraq," By The Star Ledger Continuous News Desk, January 6, 2011.
  79. ^ "Engel Applauds DHS Decision In Favor Of Malachy McAllister". House Foreign Affairs Committee. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  80. ^ McAllister Returns to Family Pending Appeal." Irish Republican News. November 26, 2003.
  81. ^ McAllister, Malachy. Online Interview with Diana Byrnes (October 31, 2004). "Echoes of Erin." WEDO Radio, 810 FM.
  82. ^ Kim, Yung (December 18, 2003). "Mom, Three Kids Avoid Deportation, For Now." The Record (New Jersey).
  83. ^ Staff and Wire Reports (November 28, 2006). Court Turns Away Assylum Seeker." The Record (New Jersey).
  84. ^ "Malachy McAllister Released & Quoted" (Written Statement of McAllister's Attorneys: Smith, Dornan & Shea, P.C.). Online. December 10, 2003.
  85. ^ Washburn, Lindy (August 20, 2009). "Rothman on Health Reform's Frontline, Addressing Fear and Anger." The Record (New Jersey.); Rothman, Steven (2013). "At the Close."
  86. ^ Rothman, Steven (2013). "Reflections on 25 Years in Public Office and the End of a Political Career" The Record (January 3, New Jersey); Also Huffington Post [Blog].
  87. ^ Text of H.J. Res. 114 (107th Congress) October 10, 2002, Gov.track.us
  88. ^ "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 455".
  89. ^ "Excerpts from congressional debate on Iraq." The Record, October 11, 2002
  90. ^ H.J. Res. 73 (109th Congress), December 7, 2005, Gov.track.us
  91. ^ "Effective and Ethical." 9th District Well Represented By Rothman, Editorial Board, The Record, November 1, 2006
  92. ^ "Why We Must Take All Our Troops Out of Iraq", by Congressman Steve Rothman, February 23, 2006, The Record
  93. ^ "Bergen County Briefs" By Adrienne Lu, August 23, 2006, The Record
  94. ^ "Rothman: Get Troops Home In Six Months", by Giovanna Fabiano, The Record, February 28, 2007
  95. ^ "Steven Rothman on the Issues". www.ontheissues.org. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 9th congressional district
1997–2013 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative 		Succeeded byas Former US Representative
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