Rocky Hill Resident Zimmerman Announces Candidacy for Assembly Seat in District 16

Republican Ed Zimmerman, former mayor of Rocky Hill, announced his plans for 2019 on New Year's Day — to pursue an assembly seat in Legislative District 16.

"I am prepared to tackle the difficult issues our state faces with real hands-on experience," Zimmerman wrote in an email to The Montgomery News on Jan 1.

He will be running for one of two seats now occupied by Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker (D-16) and Assemblyman Roy Freiman (D-16).

District 16 is located in parts of Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset counties. It includes the following towns: Branchburg, Delaware, Flemington, Hillsborough, Manville, Millstone (Somerset), Montgomery, Princeton, Raritan (Hunterdon), Readington, Rocky Hill, Somerville, South Brunswick, and Stockton.

Zimmerman cited his experience in politics as: having served as a mayor, councilman, and a member of the planning and zoning boards in Rocky Hill. He also has served as a governor's appointee to the NJ Council on Local Mandates; an emergency management coordinator; an executive director of the Governing Officials Associations for both Somerset and Warren counties; a member of the board of trustees for Somerset Treatment Services; and a president of the board of the Somerset County Library Foundation.

The NJ state legislature consists of two houses: a 40-member Senate and an 80-member General Assembly. The Senate and Assembly chambers are located in the State House in Trenton. Senators must be at least 30 years old and residents of the state for four years prior to election. Members of the Assembly must be at least 21 and state residents for two years. All legislators must live in the districts they represent.

Members of the Assembly serve two-year terms. Base salary for NJ Assembly members is $49,000. Senators serve four-year terms, except for the first term of a new decade, which is only two years. This "2-4-4" cycle allows for elections from new districts as soon as possible after each reapportionment.

Senator Christopher "Kip" Bateman (R) represents District 16. His term ends in 2022. A senator's base salary is $49,000, according to Ballotpedia.

Learn more about the NJ Legislature.

“This is going to be an exciting, and expensive, journey,” Zimmerman wrote in an email to The Montgomery News. “I truly hope I can earn your support.”