Peter C. Eagler

Peter C. Eagler (born November 23, 1954, Clifton, New Jersey) is an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey. He is currently a city councilman in Clifton.

Eagler a former member of the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 34th legislative district. He served as an assemblyman from 2002-2006. Eagler served on the Assembly's Regulated Professions and Independent Authorities (as Chair), Telecommunications and Utilities (as Vice Chair) and Senior Issues Committees.

In 1977 Eagler began working as the Safety Inspector for the New Jersey Highway Authority, serving in that capacity for ten years until he was selected to head the directorship of the Heritage Festivals at the Garden State Arts Center. When the Arts Center was privatized, Mr. Eagler was assigned to the computer area of the Highway Authority where he now works.

Councilman Eagler was first elected to the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 1996, and was subsequently re-elected in 1999 and 2002. In 1998, Freeholder Eagler was selected as the first Democrat to serve as Freeholder Director in twelve years and he served a second one-year term as Freeholder Director in 2001. He did not seek reelection as freeholder in 2005.

In 2001, Eagler decided to run for state assembly as a Democrat alongside Willis Edwards III. Eagler and Edwards won seats thanks to a redrawing of District 34 in which more Democratic-leaning towns and cities joined Clifton in the district (previously Clifton had been part of a district with several Republican-leaning towns; the wins by Eagler and Edwards as well as running mate Sen. Nia Gill swept the remaining Republican officeholders in the district out of power).

Eagler won re-election in 2003 despite a divided Democratic ticket (Eagler and Sheila Oliver were on one ticket and Sen. Gill was on the other, with Gill, Eagler, and Oliver being the ticket in the general election; Edwards did not seek re-election to his seat), but was knocked off the party line and did not to run for reelection to the Assembly in 2005, and was succeeded by Thomas P. Giblin who took office on January 10, 2006. [Brubaker, Paul. [http://www.montclairtimes.com/page.php?page=9624 "Giblin focusing forward: 34th District candidate is on the move toward Dem primary"] , "The Montclair Times", May 4, 2005. Accessed April 11, 2008. "Despite what some local offline Democratic candidates have said after incumbent Assemblyman Peter Eagler, D-34, was bumped off of the party line in favor of Giblin, Giblin maintains he is not part of a political machine."]

Eagler served on the Clifton Municipal Council from 1990-2002, declining to see reelection to the council in the '02 election. He decided to return to the campaign for the 2006 Clifton council election and won a seat, making him one of four non-incumbents to win election to the Clifton city council. He took office on July 1, 2006.

For a brief period in 2002, Eagler was a triple public officeholder, serving simultaneously as assemblyman, freeholder, and councilman. Eagler graduated with a B.A. in 1976 from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Political Science and Russian Area Studies.

District 34

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 34th Legislative District for the 2004-2005 Legislative Session were:
*Assemblyman Sheila Y. Oliver, and
*Senator Nia Gill

References

External links

* [http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/eagler.asp Assemblyman Eagler's Legislative Website]
* [http://www.njvoterinfo.org/cb/eagler.html New Jersey Voter Information Website 2003]
* [http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/ethics/FinancialDisclosure/EaglerP2004.pdf New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure form for 2004 (PDF)]