Harold J. Wirths

Harold J. Wirths
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from the 24th Legislative District
Assumed office
January 9, 2018
Preceded by Gail Phoebus
Personal details
Born (1965-04-05) April 5, 1965
Political party Republican

Harold J. "Hal" Wirths (born April 5, 1965) is an American politician who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2018, representing the 24th Legislative District. He previously served as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (2010-2016). Wirths was appointed by Governor Chris Christie in 2010.[1][2]

Biography

Harold J. Wirths is the adopted son of Wallace R. Wirths (1921–2002), a former Westinghouse executive, author, newspaper columnist and radio commentator, who was a benefactor of Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey (now defunct).[3]

Wirths was a small business owner in Sussex County in northwestern New Jersey, owning and managing furniture stores located near Hamburg, New Jersey.[1][2] He also helped to establish Noble Community Bank, which today is part of Highlands State Bank, and he served on the Highlands Bank board of directors.[4][1][2] Wirths ran for the county's Board of Chosen Freeholders as a Republican and served as a freeholder for nearly a decade from 2000-2010.[1][2]

Wirths resides in Wantage Township, New Jersey with his wife and two daughters.[1][2]

Labor Commissioner (2010-2016)

After Chris Christie's election as New Jersey's governor, Wirths was nominated to be the state's Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (2010-2016) and was sworn in on May 24, 2010.[2] One of his focuses since becoming commissioner, has been to modernize the state's unemployment insurance benefits system and reducing waste attributed to benefits fraud.[2] He currently serves on the boards of several state government commissions and authorities, including the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, New Jersey State Ethics Commission, New Jersey State Employment and Training Commission, and the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority.[2]

Under the leadership of Commissioner Wirths, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development launched an employer-focused approach to reshape the state’s workforce development and training programs.[5]

Initiatives launched under Commissioner Wirths’ leadership include:

The anti-fraud initiatives launched by Commissioner Wirths in his first year evolved into a multi-pronged attack on fraudsters by employing computer software and common sense business practices to protect the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. The measures, most designed to prevent Unemployment Insurance benefits from being improperly paid out, are conservatively estimated to have saved taxpayers approximately $800 million since March 2011. The program also helped to bring the UI Trust Fund, which had gone into debt in 2009, back into full solvency by May 1, 2014 – two years ahead of expectations. The ongoing solvency of the UI Trust Fund has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in tax savings for New Jersey employers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Office of the Governor, State of New Jersey. Harold J. Wirths: Commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Labor. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Department of Labor and Workforce Development, State of New Jersey. About the Commissioner. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  3. ↑ Strunksy, Steve. "IN BRIEF; Dream of a College Tinged With Sadness", The New York Times, August 2, 1998. (Retrieved July 10, 2012).
  4. ↑ "Highlands Bankcorp Inc (HSBK:OTC US) - Executive Profile: Harold J. Wirths, Former Director, Highlands Bancorp, Inc.". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  5. ↑ fkloepping. "Department of Labor and Workforce Development | About the Commissioner". lwd.state.nj.us. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
  6. ↑ fkloepping. "Department of Labor and Workforce Development | About the Commissioner". lwd.state.nj.us. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
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