Jack Kelly, who was nominated by Christie to the state Parole Board, played a key role in blocking Detective Laurel Hester's right to leave her police pension to her domestic partner.
Laurel Hester (Julianne Moore, left) and Stacie Andree (Ellen Page, right) in "Freeheld." (Photo by Phil Caruso)TRENTON -- A likely Democratic gubernatorial candidate, along with advocates who were depicted in the film "Freeheld," called for the rejection of Gov. Chris Christie's new nominee to the state Parole Board on Monday.
Jack Kelly, a Republican and member of the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders, was nominated last December by Christie to the New Jersey Parole Board. But Kelly has come under fire for his previous cushy public positions and the role he played in the 2006 battle to deny Detective Laurel Hester, a 25-year veteran with the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, the right for her to leave her police pension to her domestic partner after her death.
Hester's story was chronicled in the Oscar-winning documentary short film, "Freeheld," in 2007 and in a 2015 feature film of the same name starring Juliane Moore and Ellen Page.
At a news conference held at the Statehouse on Monday, state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) called on state Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union), who is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to put Kelly's nomination up for vote at the next committee meeting.
"Jack Kelly should not receive any judiciary committee votes, Democrat or Republican, in favor of his confirmation to the New Jersey Parole Board," said Lesniak, who is planning to run for governor in 2017.
Lesniak, who has previously called Kelly a "poster boy for what's wrong with politics in New Jersey," also pointed to Kelly's track record in public service as a reason why he shouldn't get the nod.
"In 1999 Kelly was given the title of 'airport analyst,' a high-paying position at the Atlantic City International Airport," Lesniak said. "The job called for five years of aviation experience and a bachelor's degree. Freeholder Kelly had neither."
Kelly also invented a $115,000 job last year for a relative already earning a state police pension, the Asbury Park Press reported.
If Kelly is appointed to the state Parole Board, he will earn a salary of more than $100,000.
Lesniak blocked a vote on Kelly last December. But, he said at the press conference, it wasn't until two weeks ago he realized Kelly played a role in trying to deny Hester's request a decade ago to assign her pension rights to her domestic partner, Staci Andree.
"Not only is Jack Kelly unqualified to serve on the New Jersey Parole Board because of his lack of qualifications," Lesniak said, "he's unqualified because he denied a dying police officer the pension rights she earned, while boosting his own pension without merit."
Lesniak was joined at Monday's press conference by Garden State Equality founder and LGBT civil rights activist Steven Goldstein, who was played by Steve Carell in "Freeheld," Hester's police partner Dane Wells and Hester's sister, Lynda Hester-D'Orio. Garden State Equality Executive Director Christian Fuscarino and state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) were also present at the press conference.
Hester died in February 2006 after a battle with lung cancer. Andree, Hester's partner, won the right to receive Hester's pension rights after a grueling battle with the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
"Although two movies have been made of their ordeal, its final chapter has not been written," Lesniak said. "The final chapter will be the rejection of Jack Kelly's nomination to the New Jersey Parole Board by the Senate Judiciary Committee."
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.