Kevin Rooney was sworn in Monday as the newest member of the New Jersey Assembly.
TRENTON -- A former Wyckoff mayor -- and a television cooking-show champion -- was sworn in Monday as the newest member of the New Jersey Legislature.
Kevin Rooney in a photo from his LinkedIn page. Kevin Rooney was appointed to fill the state Assembly seat vacated when fellow Republican Scott Rumana became a state Superior Court judge in October.
Rooney, 56, will represent north Jersey's 40th District in the Assembly, the lower house of the Democratic-controlled Legislature, until Rumana's term ends in December 2017. The district includes part of Bergen, Essex, Morris, and Passaic counties.
"As a former mayor, I fully understand the many challenges our towns face in keeping taxes and costs down while delivering quality services," Rooney said in a statement. "I bring that experience and energy to Trenton where I will work to find common ground to deliver the results our residents want and deserve."
Democrats Robert Karabinchak and Blonnie Watson -- who were appointed to vacant spots in the Assembly last year and won special elections in November to keep their seats -- were also sworn in Monday.
Karabinchak, a former Edison councilman, beat Republican Camille Ferraro Clark to retain his seat representing Middlesex County's 18th District.
Watson, a former Essex County freeholder, defeated Republican Ronda Morrison to retain her seat representing Essex County's 29th District.
Rooney has spent his life in Bergen County, having grown up in Saddle River and attended Ramapo College in Mahwah.
He was elected to Wyckoff's township committee in 2009, serving as mayor in 2011, 2015, and 2016. The township has a system where mayors are not elected. Rather, committee members serve as mayor on a rotating basis. Rooney resigned as mayor last week to serve in the Assembly.
In addition to his political career, Rooney is a partner in a real estate development and management company. He and his wire, Hayley, own Holland Hills, an equestrian business located in the North Jersey Equestrian Center in Pequannock.
And Rooney, a self-taught cook, won the Food Network's amateur cooking show "Chopped: Untrained, Undaunted" in 2013.
Because Rumana is a Republican, the GOP committee members of the towns in the 40th district were tasked with picking a replacement.
The members voted 104-96 to pick Rooney over Mike Marotta of Wayne, according to a report by NorthJersey.com.
Rumana served in the Assembly from 2008 until June of this year, when Gov. Chris Christie nominated him to a Superior Court judgeship in Passaic County.
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.