Governor Phil Murphy will tap veteran attorney Arlene Quinones Perez, chair of the Hunterdon County Democratic Committee as a nominee for a seat on the New Jersey Racing Commission.

Quiñones Perez is an equity partner and the director of iiversity & inclusion at DeCotiis. She is a member of the Labor and Employment, Municipal, Education, Cannabis and Alternative Dispute Resolution practice groups.

Prior to joining the DeCotiis law firm, she served as General Counsel to the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (“NRCC”), a skilled trade organization that at the time represented carpenters in New Jersey, New York State and throughout the United States. Previously, she served as an Associate with Kroll Heineman Carton, LLC, where she focused on labor law, municipal law, securities fraud, and election law. From 2011-2012, Quinones Perez served as a Judicial Term Law Clerk for the Honorable Michael A. Shipp in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. From 2009-2010, she served as a Judicial Term Law Clerk to the Honorable Lisa P. Thornton in the Superior Court for the State of New Jersey.

A former Councilwoman in the Town of Clinton (where she was the youngest member of the municipality’s governing body and a pioneering Hispanic woman serving as an elected official in Hunterdon County), Quinones Perez has served as Hunterdon County Democratic Committee chair since 2013.

According to its website, “The New Jersey Racing Commission (NJRC) regulates horse racing, parimutuel wagering, account wagering and exchange wagering in New Jersey and is responsible for ensuring the integrity of the sport. NJRC is a nine-member, bipartisan body appointed by Governor, with a staff of career employees who are charged with conducting the daily functions involving regulation of horse racing, including the permitting and licensing procedures of horse owners, trainers, drivers and veterinarians involved in the sport. Starting in 2018, NJRC also assumed responsibility of overseeing sports wagering that occurs at New Jersey’s racetracks.”