Assemblyman Paul Kanitra

Paul Kanitra was sworn into the assembly in January 2024.

Previously, he was mayor of Point Pleasant Beach from 2020 until 2023 following a term as councilman. He also served on the board of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors.

He is a proud 2001 graduate of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Prior to his career in government affairs, he was an aide to four-term Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson in central New Jersey for two years. He oversaw government relations for the Associated Locksmiths of America from 2003 to 2005, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony in Nevada from 2005 to 2006, and vehicle history company Carfax from 2006 to 2010. He founded Lobbyit, a Washington-based lobbying firm, in 2009 and currently serves as its president.

He has earned awards from several community organizations, including Distinguished Citizen of the Year in 2021 from the Grand Lodge Order of Elks, Rotary International’s 2022 community service award, Tuesday Morning Group’s Mayor of the Year for Ocean County in 2022 and Insider NJ’s Top 100 Millennials in 2021, 2022 and 2023. In 2015 he was inducted into the Point Pleasant Beach Education Foundation’s Hall of Fame.

He resides in Point Pleasant Beach with his wife, Alora, and his Labrador retriever, Jetty.