Matthew Feldman

My Tribute to Byron Baer
By Paul Swibinski

I met Byron in 1976, when he ran for Congress against Henry Helstoski, who eventually won after a scandal involving over 2000 altered absentee ballots. I was a young volunteer at that time. Later I became his media consultant and worked on all of his campaigns.

In 1993, Byron and Englewood Mayor Donald Aronson (also a friend and client) both wanted to succeed retiring Senator Matty Feldman and appeared before the District 37 county committee convention seeking the party endorsement.

Paul Fader was working for Don and I was working for Byron. Paul and I were both very intense and we began arguing over where campaign posters would be placed. We had one of those "gentleman square-offs" where we circled each other, both waiting for someone to separate us because neither wanted to throw a punch. Fortunately someone did!

During a 34-year career in the New Jersey Legislature, Byron Baer had six Democratic running mates that served with him in Trenton: Albert Burstein, a former Assembly Majority Leader who served from 1972 to 1982; Bennett Mazur, who served from Burstein's retirement until his resignation, due to illness, in 1992; Loretta Weinberg, who had been Mazur's legislative aide, from 1992 until 2005; Charles "Ken" Zisa, who went to the Assembly when Baer moved up to the Senate in 1993 and served until he ran for Bergen County Sheriff in 2001; and Gordon Johnson, who replaced Zisa. During Baer's 22 years as an Assemblyman, he served with State Senator Matthew Feldman, who defeated GOP Senator Joseph Woodcock in 1973.