Oceanport BOE Candidate Profile: John (Jay) Coffey

Family & Education:

• Two children, Clayton and Evan, both of whom attended Wolf Hill School and graduated from Maple Place School.
• Wife, Susan S. Coffey, CPA & CGMA, is a graduate of Shore Regional High School (1982) and Fairfield University (1986 – B.S.) and is a Senior Vice President with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
• Graduate of St. Peter’s Prep (1980), Fairfield University (1984 – B.A.) and New York Law School (1987 – J.D.).

Professional History:

• Assistant City Attorney for the City of Bayonne, 1990 through 2002.
• Law Director of the City of Bayonne, 2002 through 2009.
• General Counsel to the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority, 2002 through 2009.
• General Counsel to Carteret Free Public Library, 2009 through 2011.
• Self-employed attorney with a general law practice located in Bayonne, New Jersey since 1990.

Community History:

• President, Oceanport Basketball Association since 2005.
• President, Oceanport Sports Foundation since 2009.
• Past President of Oceanport Soccer Association, 2003 through 2011.
• Oceanport youth recreation and travel soccer, baseball and basketball coach from 2002 through 2011.
• Co-Chairman, Oceanport Economic Development Committee, 2006-2007.
• Attended all but a few Board of Education Meetings since May of 2011.
• Coordinated opposition to both the FMERPA and FMERA enabling legislation arising out of Fort Monmouth’s closure.
• Resident of Oceanport since 2002.

Reasons for Running for the Board of Education:
I believe that my near two decades’ worth of experience representing public entities and my decade of interaction with Oceanport parents and children through Oceanport’s various youth sports organizations make me uniquely qualified to help optimize the Board’s ability to serve the sometimes conflicting and constantly changing needs of its students, parents, teachers, administrators and taxpaying public.