Sterley Stanley, a Democrat, joined State Senator Vin Gopal and Assemblyman Raj Mukherji in the state legislature of New Jersey earlier this week. He is the third Indian American and first South Asian to represent Middlesex County in the New Jersey Legislature after winning the 18th district assembly seat in a special election.
Endorsed by the Middlesex County Democratic Organisation, Stanley was sworn in on January 27, 2021, after pipping fellow Democrat, Edison Councilman Joe Coyle at the post. Stanley now serves as a member of the assembly committee on law and public safety. He is also a member of the assembly committee on health.
Karnataka-born Stanley immigrated to Brooklyn, New York, at a young age. During the 21 years he spent over there, he worked in the finance industry as a life insurance agent and as a mortgage broker. He has previously served as a Trustee of the Lighthouse Christan Fellowship church in East Brunswick and as President of the Fox Meadow Condominium Association. So, he has been active in the Middlesex County community.
Later Stanley won the Democratic primary in June and now he plans to contest the General Election in November 2021. The 18th district has the highest number of Asian Americans of any legislative district in the state, and Middlesex is the largest home to the Asian population in the state.
Before filling the seat of Middlesex County Clerk left by former Assemblywoman Nancy Pinkin, Stanley served two terms as an East Brunswick Councilman. During the terms, Stanley addressed fiscal responsibility, economic redevelopment and community-building programmes. Hence, he was re-elected with 5,137 votes in 2020 against Republican Suzanne Blum and served as council president.
As the council president, Stanley strived hard to establish a redevelopment agency, which was greatly appreciated by the public. He has always encouraged residents to participate in the process through town halls and other outreach and worked with them.
Other than these endeavours, he also collaborated with the East Brunswick Police Department to strengthen dialogue around cultural diversity within the community.
