Bret Schundler

Bret Schundler (born 1959) is a Republican Party politician from the U.S. state of New Jersey. He was the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey from 1992 until 2001. In 2001, he was the Republican candidate in the election for Governor of New Jersey, but was defeated by his Democratic opponent, James McGreevey, 56%-42%.

In 2005, he again sought the Republican gubernatorial nomination. He was defeated in the Republican primary by Doug Forrester, a New Jersey businessman, former mayor, and former aide to Governor Thomas Kean.

Biography

Schundler grew up in Woodbridge and Westfield, New Jersey as the youngest of nine children. In high school, he was an All-State football player. He was recruited by Harvard University, where, to help pay for his tuition, he washed dishes, cleaned bathrooms, and worked as a security guard. He graduated with honors in 1981.

Schundler worked for a conservative Democratic Congressman, Roy Dyson, and for Gary Hart's 1984 presidential campaign. Also that year he began his career in finance in the sales department of Salomon Brothers. In 1987 he moved to a different firm, C. J. Lawrence.

His first venture as a candidate was an unsuccessful run for the New Jersey State Senate in 1991. The next year, Gerald McCann was removed from his post as the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey because of his criminal conviction unrelated to his public duties. Schundler won the ensuing special election to complete the term, becoming the first Republican mayor of Jersey City since 1917. He was re-elected in 1993 with 69% of the vote –- the largest margin of victory for the office of mayor in the city's history. In 1997, he won a second full term.

Schundler's victory in the predominantly Democratic city, and his subsequent actions in office, attracted media attention. During his terms as mayor, he improved the city's tax collection rate, lowered property taxes, instituted medical savings (insurance) accounts for city employees, privatized the management of the city's water utility and library, and supported charter schools.

In 2001, Schundler won a divisive primary battle against Bob Franks for the Republican nomination for Governor of New Jersey. He then lost to McGreevey in the general election.

Schundler is currently (as of 2005) the Chairman of Empower the People, a nonprofit organization that states that its goal is "to empower the people of New Jersey with more individual freedom and opportunity".

Schundler's 2005 campaign focused on the issue of property taxes. He proposed a series of steps to reduces property taxes statewide, and proposed to guerantee the reductions through a constitutional amendment.

Schundler continued his grassroots style of campaigning in 2005. He targeted the Republican County Conventions to spread his message and won several county endorsements, including in Hunterdon County and Somerset County. His 2001 campaign was said to have angered the Republican establishment and they had tried to deny him organizational support.

Schundler's grassroots targeting had him visiting many local GOP organizations and forming close relationships with the Young Republicans and the College Republicans. Schundler also continued his past grassroots relationships with conservative groups, including those active in home schooling issues.

Schundler's 2005 campaign for the Republican nomination was criticized for using a photograph that showed Schundler apparently standing with a crowd of enthusiastic young supporters. The photograph had actually been taken at a Howard Dean rally in 2004, with Dean's image digitally replaced by Schundler's and the campaign signs, hats, and shirts modified as well. [1] (http://www.bergen.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2MDcmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTY3MDMxOTEmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXky) Schundler's campaign responded that the photograph had been prepared by the campaign's website contractor, and that the campaign knew that Schundler's image had been superimposed on a photograph of a non-Schundler rally but did not know that it was specifically a Dean rally.

Schundler and his wife, Lynn, have two children, a daughter named Shaylin and a son named Hans Otto III. They live in Jersey City.

Schundler lost the primary to Doug Forrester. The results were:

Forrester: 36% Schundler: 31% Murphy: 11% Lonegan: 8% Schroeder: 6% DiGaetano: 6% Caliguire: 3%

Schundler won in Union County, Hudson County, Hunterdon County, and Somerset County. He had the county line in Somerset and Hudson and shared it with Forrester in Hunterdon.

External links

• Official Campaign web site (http://www.bret2005.com/)
• "Bret Schundler's Milestones" (http://www.njfaq.com/bret2001/preex/milestones.shtml) - campaign biography
• Empower the People website (http://www.empowerthepeople.org/)