He is a senior partner at Hardin, Kundla, McKeon, Poletto and Polifroni, a law firm in Springfield Township. He is married to Ann Mader McKeon, also an attorney at the same firm, and has three daughters.[7][8]
Political career
McKeon had served on the Township of West Orange Council from 1992 to 1998 as the Mayor of West Orange from 1998 to 2010.[1] From the time that he took office in the Assembly in 2002 until he left his position as mayor in June 2010, he simultaneously held a seat in the New Jersey General Assembly and was West Orange Mayor. This dual position, often called double dipping, was allowed under a grandfather clause in the state law enacted by the New Jersey Legislature and signed into law by Governor of New JerseyJon Corzine in September 2007 that prevents dual-office-holding but allows those who had held both positions as of February 1, 2008, to retain both posts.[9] On July 1, 2010, Robert Parisi took over the mayoral position.[10]
On August 14, 2023 State Senator and former New Jersey GovernorRichard Codey announced he would be retiring from the New Jersey State Senate at the end of his current term. McKeon was subsequently chosen as the new Democratic State Senate nominee for the newly redrawn state legislative district 27; he ultimately won the general election.[11][12]
New Jersey General Assembly
During his first term in the Legislature, McKeon was the prime sponsor of the Assembly version of the laws requiring school districts to adopt anti-harassment policies, strengthening school bus driver background checks and revising the State's laws concerning the release of wild animals, and was a prime sponsor of the Patients First Medical Malpractice Insurance reform legislation.[5]
Other leadership positions McKeon has held during his tenure in the Assembly include Assistant Majority Whip from 2004 to 2005, Assistant Majority Leader from 2006 to 2007, Majority Whip in 2008 and 2009, and Deputy Speaker from 2010 to 2011.[1] John McKeon was one of the 11 sponsors of the "New Jersey Insurance Marketplace Preservation Act" also known as bill A3380 which enacts the shared responsibility penalty in state income tax.[13]
New Jersey Senate
Following the 2021 reapportionment, all of the municipalities in Morris County were removed from the district, while the Passaic County municipality of Clifton was shifted from its longtime home in the 34th district.[14] In the June 2023 Democratic primary, the first held under the 2021 reapportionment, incumbent Senator Richard Codey defeated incumbent 34th district Senator Nia Gill, though Codey announced in August that he would retire at the end of the term. McKeon was selected to replace Codey on the November ballot.[15] McKeon defeated Republican Michael D. Byrne in the 2023 New Jersey Senate election.[16][17]
McKeon is married to Ann C. Mader, who is also an attorney. They have three daughters: Lacey Ann (McKeon) Rockefeller (born 1988);[23] Melissa McKeon (born 1990) and Jaclyn McKeon (born 1993).[4]
^Bondy, Halley. "New West Orange mayor longtime community activist and councilman", The Star-Ledger, May 13, 2010. Accessed January 17, 2015. "In the Eagle Rock section of town, where mayor-elect Robert Parisi grew up, Colgate Park saw an increase in crime in the early 1990s.... Parisi will be sworn in July 1 as the township’s first new mayor in 12 years to replace state Assembly deputy speaker John McKeon."
^Wildstein, David. "McKeon will get Codey’s Senate seat, Brendan Gill will run for Assembly", New Jersey Globe, August 17, 2023. Accessed January 24, 2024. "Democrats have settled on Assemblyman John McKeon (D-West Orange) to replace Richard J. Codey in the State Senate, with Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill (D-Montclair) set to run for the State Assembly, the New Jersey Globe has confirmed.... The deal averts a floor fight between McKeon and Gill for the Senate seat of Richard J. Codey, a former governor who announced on Monday that he would retire from the Senate at the end of his current term after 50 years in the New Jersey Legislature."
