Alfred E. Steele

The Reverend Alfred E. Steele (born January 22, 1954) is an American Baptist clergyman and Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly starting in 1996, where he represented the 35th legislative district. He resigned on September 10, 2007, in the wake of his arrest the previous week on corruption charges.

Alfred E. Steele
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 35th Legislative District
In office
January 9, 1996 – September 10, 2007
Serving with Bill Pascrell and Nellie Pou
Preceded byDonald Hayden
Succeeded byElease Evans
Personal details
Born (1954-01-22) January 22, 1954
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materNortheastern Bible College

He had been the Assembly's Deputy Speaker since 2002 and was the Assistant Minority Leader from 1998-2001. In the Assembly, Steele served as Vice Chair of the Regulatory Oversight Committee, and also serves on the Budget Committee and the Law and Public Safety Committee.[1] In the past, he had served as Chair of the Assembly's State Government Committee and on the Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee.

Steele has served as Chaplain in the Passaic County Jail from 1990–1994, a position he is currently holding. He also served as Councilman and Council President on the Paterson City Council.

Steele graduated with a Bachelor of Theology from Northeastern Bible College. He is the Pastor of Seminary Baptist Church in Paterson, New Jersey.[1]

2007 Corruption charges

Steele was arrested by the FBI on September 6, 2007, in a Federal corruption probe that also included the arrests of Assemblyman and Orange mayor Mims Hackett and Passaic Mayor Samuel Rivera.[2] The charges are that Steele accepted $14,000 in bribes to steer insurance brokers new business from Newark, Orange, Passaic and Paterson, where he allegedly boasted that he could secure the business as he "had five votes on the City Council."[3] On September 7, 2007, Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine called on both Steele and Hackett to resign from their seats in the New Jersey Legislature.[4]

Steele submitted his letter of resignation from his Assembly seat on September 10, 2007; Hackett filed a resignation letter that same day.[5] In resigning before September 17, 2007, the Democratic Party would be able to put an alternate on the November ballot in lieu of Steele.[6]

District 35

Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The other representatives from the 35th Legislative District are:

References
  1. Assemblyman Steele's Legislative Website Archived 2005-10-27 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed September 7, 2007.
  2. Baldwin, Tom. "11 arrested in N.J. corruption probe", USA Today, September 6, 2007. Accessed September 6, 2007. "Among the arrested were state Assemblymen Mims Hackett Jr. and Rev. Alfred Steele aides in their legislative offices acknowledged. Also reportedly arrested was Samuel Rivera, the mayor of Passaic, and Keith Reid, the chief of staff to Newark City Council President Mildred Crump."
  3. Staff. "Who's who: Overview of the politicians charged in bribery scandal" Archived December 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, The Record (Bergen County), September 7, 2007. Accessed September 7, 2007.
  4. Reitmeyer, John. "Corzine: Steele, Hackett should step down", The Record (Bergen County), September 7, 2007. Accessed September 7, 2007. "Governor Corzine and fellow top Democrats urged two North Jersey legislators to resign by the end of the weekend, after the pair was arrested as part of a sweeping corruption investigation."
  5. Rispoli, Michael. "Two legislators quit over arrests", Courier-Post, September 11, 2007. Accessed September 12, 2007. "The resignations of Assemblyman Mims Hackett Jr., D-Essex, who is also mayor of Orange, was received Monday afternoon by the Assembly clerk.... The letter from Assemblyman Alfred Steele, D-Passaic, was received later in the afternoon."
  6. "NJ Assemblyman Hackett Steps Down", WNYC, September 8, 2007. Accessed September 8, 2007.
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