Background
Renna, John P. was born on May 19, 1920 in West Orange, New Jersey, United States. Son of John P. and Adeline (Mauriello) Renna.
Renna, John P. was born on May 19, 1920 in West Orange, New Jersey, United States. Son of John P. and Adeline (Mauriello) Renna.
In 1962, Renna sought a seat on the West Orange, New Jersey Township Council, but was unsuccessful. During the administration of Governor William Cahill, Renna served as Executive Director of the New Jersey Housing Finance Agency (HFA. He also served as Essex County Purchasing Agent and was the longtime West Orange Republican Chairman. In 1977, Renna backed Raymond Bateman, a State Senator from Somerset County, for the Republican nomination for Governor.
In that race, there were two Essex County candidates: former Assembly Speaker Thomas Kean and former State Senator C. Robert Sarcone.
With the support of Bateman, who was leading in the polls, Renna defeated Assemblyman Carl Orechio of Nutley. Renna endorsed Kean for the gubernatorial nomination in 1981.
Kean was one of five Essex County candidates seeking the Grand Old Party nomination, along with State Senator James Wallwork, Assemblyman Anthony Imperiale, former Superior Court Judge Richard McGlynn, and millionaire businessman Bo Sullivan. In 1985, Renna left the cabinet.
In 1986, he was again elected Essex County Republican Chairman.
Renna had a few wins by watching the Democratic primary from the sidelines and then figuring out his ticket over the summer. That"s what happened in 1986, when Essex County Executive Peter Shapiro"s popularity plummeted -- especially among Democrats. Foreign Surrogate, Renna ran another party switcher: Earl Harris, the Newark City Council President.
The result was a Grand Old Party landslide.
He tried to pull off a coup in 1988 when he convinced Joe Louis Clark, the nationally famous principal of East Side High School in Paterson, New Jersey, and the subject of a semi-biographical film, Lean on Maine, to run for Essex County Freeholder as a Republican. In a heavily Democratic district based in East Orange, Clark was trounced by LeRoy Jones.
But after Trefinger took office, he feuded with Renna and in 1996 engineered a coup to oust him. Renna died in 1998. The John P. Renna House, Section 8 low senior citizen housing in West Orange, is named for him.
Member of National Association Redevelopment Officials, Metropolitan Builders Association New Jersey, National Association Home Builders.
Married Grace Baldanza Renna, January 18, 1953. 1 child Adrian Dru.