Kenneth William Faulkner

Kenneth William Faulkner (born 1947) is a former Republican Party politician who served for 10 weeks in the New Jersey General Assembly. After a collegiate career with the Campbell Fighting Camels basketball team, he was inducted into the Campbell University Hall of Fame.[1] He is also a retired teacher, school administrator and high school basketball coach.

Faulkner grew up in Riverside Township, New Jersey and graduated from Riverside High School as part of the class of 1966. After playing at Campbell College (now Campbell University), he became a high school basketball coach. During his 24-year coaching career at Burlington Township High School, Faulkner led the team to a 521-129 record and three NJSIAA Group I state championships. He stepped down from his position as coach in 1996 to take a post as principal of Thomas O. Hopkins Middle School, stating that he couldn't be both a basketball coach and an effective school administrator.[2]

Elected office

Faulkner, a resident of Delanco Township, was chosen to replace Carmine DeSopo on the Republican ticket for the 7th Legislative District, together with George Williams running for the other Assembly seat and Diane Allen for Senate.[3]

In the November 1997 general elections, Allen won the Senate seat, while Democrats Herb Conaway and Jack Conners were declared the winners in that year's Assembly race, after a recount which showed that Conaway was the top vote-getter and Conners winning the second seat by a margin of 74 votes.[4] In September 1998, the New Jersey Superior Court threw out the results of the 1997 election due to problems with 160 uncounted ballots from a voting machine that affected the results for the second seat; Democrat Conners was ordered to leave office and Republican Faulkner was seated in his place.[5]

The Republican committees of Burlington County and Camden County chose Faulkner to fill the vacated Assembly seat and the ballot position for the forthcoming special election; After being sworn into office on September 18, Faulkner used his first day in office to co-sponsor a bill raising awareness regarding arthritis, in addition to working to address issues related to education, healthcare and property taxes.[6]

In a November 1998 special election held based on the court order throwing out the 1997 election results, Conners defeated Faulkner by 5,500 votes and was sworn into office on November 23 for the second time that year.[7][8]

References

  1. ↑ Campbell University Athletics Hall of Fame, Campbell Athletics. Accessed August 15, 2016.
  2. ↑ Carchidi, Sam. "Burlington Twp. Coach Resigns New Duties As A Principal Sparked Ken Faulkner's Move. His Teams Won 521 Games In 24 Years.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 25, 1996. Accessed August 15, 2016. "During Faulkner's 24 seasons of coaching at Burlington Township, the Falcons compiled a 521-129 record and won 13 division titles, seven sectional crowns, and three Group 1 state championships (1985, 1987, 1992).... A former star guard at Riverside High (Class of '66) and Campbell (N.C.) College, Faulkner knew that he was going to retire before this season started."
  3. ↑ Mulvihill, Geoff. "Principal Is Tapped To Run For Assembly Ken Faulkner, A Burlington Twp. Middle School Chief, Won Key Gop Backing To Replace Carmine Desopo.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 14, 1997. Accessed August 28, 2016. "Ken Faulkner, a middle school principal in Burlington Township, yesterday won key endorsements to replace Carmine DeSopo as a Republican candidate for State Assembly from the Seventh District. Faulkner, 49, a Delanco resident, has never run for elected office."
  4. ↑ Mulvihill, Geoff. "Conaway, Conners Win In Recount Results Had Gone Back And Forth In The Seventh District Assembly Race. The Gop Could Appeal.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 3, 1997. Accessed August 28, 2016. "After four weeks of uncertainty, Democrats Herbert Conaway Jr. and Jack Conners announced yesterday that they are going to represent the Seventh District in the state General Assembly.... With the Seventh District results on all the voting machines rechecked and the absentee and provisional ballots recounted by hand, here are the results this week: Conaway, 27,457; Conners, 27,409; Faulkner, 27,335; and Williams of Maple Shade, 25,214."
  5. ↑ Staff. "CONNERS ORDERED TO LEAVE ASSEMBLY \ A DISPUTED ELECTION LED TO A RULING THAT A REPUBLICAN MUST TAKE HIS SEAT, SETTING STAGE FOR REMATCH WITH KEN FAULKNER.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 3, 1998. Accessed August 28, 2016. "Reversing a lower court decision involving a faulty voting machine, an appeals court panel yesterday ordered that Democratic Assemblyman Jack Conners be removed from office and replaced with a Republican until a new election is held Nov. 3. Barring a successful appeal to the New Jersey Supreme Court, the decision sets the stage for a rematch between Conners and Republican Ken Faulkner."
  6. ↑ Balona, Denise-Marie. "Faulkner Dives Into Assembly Job Seconds After He Was Sworn In, He Cosponsored A Bill. He Had Spent A Year Fighting For The 7th District Post.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 18, 1998. Accessed August 28, 2016. "Republican Ken Faulkner, who joined the State Assembly yesterday after a year-long court battle to attain the Seventh District seat, wasted no time getting to work.Just seconds after his swearing in at the Statehouse, he cosponsored his first legislation - a bill designed to promote public awareness about arthritis, the nation's No. 1 disabling disease."
  7. ↑ via Associated Press, "DEMOCRAT REGAINS ASSEMBLY SEAT IN 'DO-OVER'RACE", The Press of Atlantic City, November 4, 1998. Accessed June 23, 2010.
  8. ↑ Balona, Denise-Marie. "Jack Conners Is Sworn In Again For 7th District Assembly Seat The First Victory Was Contested By A Gop Rival. Nov. 3 Voting Reinstated The Democrat.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 24, 1998. Accessed December 14, 2014. "Conners, 55, a retired banker from Pennsauken, became the representative for the Seventh District in January, but because of a controversy over a broken voting machine used in the 1997 state Assembly election, he spent the next nine months wondering whether he would ever be declared the true victor."
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