DeCroce Seat to Be Filled Next Week; Widow Announces Campaign

The widow of late 26th District Assemblyman Alex DeCroce says she wants to fill her husband's seat.

Betty Lou DeCroce issued a letter to county Republican leaders Wednesday stating her intent to seek the Assembly seat. The Morris County Republican Committee will hold a special convention next Wednesday, Jan. 25, for the purpose of choosing a replacement for DeCroce.

The just after the end of the legislative session. He was 75 years old.

In her letter, Betty DeCroce said she looked forward to showing 26th District citizens that she is "the best candidate to work with Gov. Christie on the important issues facing the state."  

"I realize that some will be skeptical of my motivation to run," she wrote.  

"All I ask of those people is to consider my proven record of community involvement and strong combination of private and public sector experience, and judge me as you would any other candidate for office. I am confident if people do that, I will earn their support and their vote on the merits.”  

DeCroce is the current deputy commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. In the past, she has served in a number of elected and appointed positions, including as Roxbury's municipal clerk. She also is a Realtor with , as was her husband.

“Gov. Christie and the Republican leadership in the Senate and Assembly are transforming the state through their advocacy of lower taxes, less spending and smaller, smarter government,” her letter continued. “I look forward to joining that team and working side-by-side with them to bring about public sector austerity that paves the way for private sector job growth and jumpstarts New Jersey’s economy.”  

, a Republican committeeman and former council member from Kinnelon.

The convention, to be held at the Zeris Inn in Mountain Lakes on Jan. 25 at 7:15 p.m., allows two representatives, one male and one female, from each district, to cast ballots, according to the Morris County Republican Committee staff. The candidate who wins serves in the Assembly through the end of this year. The person who keeps the seat throughout the final two years of DeCroce's unexpired term must win the privilege in the November 2012 election.