JACKSON — Alex Sauickie III, a lifelong resident of Jackson who has been serving on the Township Council since January 2019, has been elected by Republican representatives to succeed Ron Dancer as a state assemblyman in New Jersey’s 12th Legislative District.
Dancer, 73, a Republican from Plumsted Township, died on July 23 after a long illness. He was representing the 12th District at the time of his passing. His district colleagues were Republican Sen. Sam Thompson and Republican Assemblyman Robert Clifton.
Sauickie, who will step down from his position on the Jackson Township Council, was tapped for the Assembly post on Aug. 11 by Republican representatives from Ocean, Monmouth, Middlesex and Burlington counties.
The 12th District includes portions of Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex and Burlington counties, specifically the municipalities of Allentown, Jackson, Manalapan, Matawan, Millstone Township, Old Bridge, Upper Freehold Township, Englishtown, Chesterfield, New Hanover, North Hanover, Plumsted Township, Roosevelt and Wrightstown.
As initially reported by the New Jersey Globe, Sauickie won a special election convention to succeed Dancer. Republican representatives from the four counties in the district selected Sauickie over Dominick Cuozzo, a township committeeman in Plumsted Township, and Scott Martin, a former councilman in Jackson.
Sauickie will serve in the Assembly at least through the end of 2022. He was also tapped by the district’s Republican representatives to run in a November special election for the final year (2023) of the term Dancer was serving, as reported by the New Jersey Globe.
In comments to Newspaper Media Group, Sauickie said he is a lifelong resident of Jackson who “decided at a young age that I wanted to serve the town and do some good.”
In addition to serving on the Township Council, he has been a member of the Environmental Commission and the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Sauickie was elected to the Township Council in November 2018, joined the governing body in January 2019 and has served as the council’s vice president and president.
He said he has supported land preservation efforts to reduce overdevelopment and is most proud of the council’s purchase of Rova Farms and the current development of that property into a park; fiscal responsibility that resulted in Jackson’s AA+ bond rating; and a reduction of the municipal tax rate in 2022.
Regarding his interest in serving in the state Assembly, Sauickie said, “District 12 includes Jackson and I believe I can help Jackson, the rest of Ocean County and the rest of the counties and municipalities within the district by doing some good at the state level.
“There are state mandates, such as the one that requires municipalities to cover the cost of private (school) busing. Representing Jackson and those towns most impacted, I will work to ensure changes that reduce the burden on local municipalities. If it’s a state mandate, the state should pick up the cost.
“District 12 includes some of the most beautiful farmland in the state. Assemblyman Dancer was the champion for agriculture; I want to pick up where he left off and ensure that meaningful steps are made to ensure farmland preservation.
“We have enough warehouses in our state. We need to preserve what made us the Garden State while simultaneously reducing the chances of more traffic in our rural areas.
“I appreciate the endorsement of Mrs. (Brenda) Dancer, the endorsement of the Jackson County Committee and the support of all of the municipal county committee members within the 12th Legislative District for their support in nominating me as their representative,” Sauickie said.
Sauickie said in the private sector, most of his career has been spent as an executive, having been the CEO and COO of multiple software companies.
He has also been a small business owner and a volunteer, having served as chairman of the Kimball Medical Center Foundation (now Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus), Lakewood.
Sauickie is the father of five children and an avid marathoner.