BY TALI ISRAELI
Staff Writer
The state Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of acting Gov. Richard Codey’s nomination of Assistant U.S. Attorney Luis Valentin to become Monmouth County prosecutor. The committee’s vote came Monday.
A vote by the full Senate is scheduled for June 30. If appointed, Valentin’s term as prosecutor will begin Aug. 1, according to a spokeswoman in the office of state Sen. Ellen Karcher (D-Monmouth).
Valentin, 39, of Manalapan, was nominated by Codey on June 20 to succeed John Kaye as Monmouth County’s prosecutor. Valentin, whose family is originally from Puerto Rico, would, if appointed, become the first Hispanic county prosecutor in the state.
Kaye, who has been the county’s prosecutor for more than two decades, resigned from his position on June 24, a few days before his term was scheduled to end. First Assistant Prosecutor Robert A. Honecker Jr. was named acting prosecutor.
In an interview with Greater Media Newspapers, Karcher said there had been some concern raised regarding Valentin’s nomination because he has only been living in Monmouth County for about a year; however, she said that was not an issue for her.
“I believe he is highly qualified” for the position, Karcher said.
Following a Senate meeting last week, Karcher said she believes the other two senators in the county, Sen. Joseph Palaia and Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, are now comfortable with Valentin’s nomination.
Senators reserve the right to block any appointment in their county by using a process known as senatorial courtesy.
Karcher said she believes Valentin is the “best possible fit for the type of work that needs to be done in this county.”
In a prepared statement, Karcher said, “The nomination of Luis Valentin to the position of Monmouth County prosecutor is one more indicator of the dawning of a new era in Monmouth County, an era of good government and of public servants who are working for the public’s best interest. Luis Valentin is the type of prosecutor we need in Monmouth County.”
Valentin served in the Special Prosecutions Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, helping to fight corruption throughout New Jersey. He was later appointed by U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie to chief of the Violent Crimes Unit.
Karcher said she believes Valentin’s experience in the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuting federal crimes involving public corruption will serve the county well.
“Monmouth County will surely benefit from the dedication, hard work and lack of partisan bias that have been Mr. Valentin’s trademark throughout his impressive law enforcement career. Hopefully, with him leading the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, we can put the corruption of the past behind us once and for all,” Karcher said in a press release.
Christie said that as the chief of the Violent Crimes Unit, Valentin has led the federal effort to fight gang violence and gun violence.
In a prepared statement Christie said, “Our effort has been successful in no small measure because of the hard work and creative thought Luis has put into the fight against violent crime. I will miss the advice and counsel that Luis has provided to me since I became the United States attorney. I believe that, if confirmed, he will make an outstanding prosecutor for Monmouth County.”