Commissioner James E. Baker, Jr.

Commissioner
James E. Baker, Jr.

Commissioner James E. Baker, Jr. was elected in 2021 to serve his first three-year term as a Union County Commissioner. A lifelong resident of Rahway and dedicated public servant, Commissioner Baker has devoted his career to providing the families and residents of Union County with vital human services and supporting vibrant community development.

In 2024, Commissioner Baker serves as the Chair of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee and a member of the Open Space Recreation and Historic Preservation Trust Board. He also serves on several advisory boards, including the Local Advisory Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (LACADA), the Industrial Pollution Control Authority, the Middlesex County Utilities Authority, the Senior Citizen & Disabled Resident Transportation Board, and the Shade Tree Advisory Board.

From 2006 to 2021, he served as an At-Large Councilman in the City of Rahway. His previous experience includes roles on the State Legislative Committee of the New Jersey School Boards Association, the Urban School Board Association, the Rahway Board of Education, the Rahway Planning Board, and the Rahway Housing Authority. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Rahway Day Care Center and Jefferson Park Ministries in Elizabeth.

Commissioner Baker worked for the County of Union for 30 years, first as a Senior Program Development Specialist in the Division of Planning in the Department of Human Services, and later in the Office of Community Development in the Department of Economic Development.

A graduate of Wilberforce University with a degree in Sociology, Commissioner Baker also earned a Master’s degree in Psychology from Kean University.