Timberlake Sworn-In to Serve Legislative District 34

Assemblywoman Timberlake Replaces Oliver to Represent Parts of Essex and Passaic Counties

(TRENTON) – Britnee Timberlake, former President of the Essex County Freeholder Board, received the oath of office from Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin on Monday as a new member of the New Jersey General Assembly.

Timberlake will represent the 34^th Legislative District, which includes the cities of Clifton, East Orange, Montclair, and Orange in Essex and Passaic counties. She will take the seat vacated by Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver.

“I am honored to serve the residents in my district in this capacity,” said Timberlake. “I look forward to working with the community, Assembly colleagues and the Governor on critical issues such as minimum wage, environmental protection, and economic justice. I’m ready to get to work for District 34 residents.”

Elected Freeholder in 2014, Timberlake has supported measures that would foster job creation, combat foreclosures, and spur economic equity and development. She is the author of three laws that created job training and placement in the specialized trades of environmental lead, asbestos, and contamination remediation, increased economic opportunity for veteran-owned, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses; and focused on reducing foreclosures while increasing Community Reinvestment Act accountability. Timberlake served as the Freeholder President from 2015 until her pending appointment to the Assembly in January.

A graduate of Seton Hall University and EmergeNJ, a political training program for women, in 2014 Timberlake was the youngest Freeholder elected in the state and was the only sitting African American female President of a Freeholder Board as of January.

Timberlake is also a housing and community development practitioner. She founded the Essex Community Land Trust to strengthen communities by providing permanently affordable housing and financial empowerment opportunities for working families and individuals throughout Essex County.

She has received many honors including:  the “Community Leadership Award” from HANDS; the “Community Development Champion Award” from the Housing and Community Development Network of NJ; the “Donald Payne, Sr. Award” from the Montclair NAACP; the “Breaking Glass Ceilings Award” from New Leaders Council; and the “Power of Dreams Award” from Danny Glover.

Timberlake currently resides in East Orange with her growing family and is expecting a baby boy.