Remembering Salena Lesniak
Today, we say goodbye to Salena Lesniak, our founder & president, Senator Raymond J. Lesniak’s wife and partner for over 20 years. Salena will be greatly mourned by so many, as she touched the lives of so many people…
Take Action To End The Abuse of Solitary Confinement In New Jersey
The abuse of solitary confinement in prisons is well documented. This abuse was on the brink of ending in New Jersey, but Governor Christie vetoed my legislation ending it. “The move was a blow to civil liberties advocates in…
Juneteenth
We celebrate Juneteenth as a reminder that the Emancipation Proclamation was only the beginning of the end to slavery in America and that the struggle for justice never ends. As Dr. King stated “We shall overcome because the arc…
From LGBTQ Supporter to Advocate
As a state legislator, I always supported LGBTQ Rights. In 1991, I supported amending New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity – but I was not a co-sponsor of the legislation. Supporting equality with…
Sports Betting Anniversary
Today, we celebrate the first anniversary of the Supreme Court decision declaring the federal ban on sports betting, PASPA, unconstitutional. My journey to bring legal sports betting to America started eleven years earlier on March 30, 2007 when my…
Golf with Donald Trump
Some years ago before Donald Trump expressed any interest in running for President, my friends Mike Sciarra, George Norcross and I played a round of golf with The Donald at his club in West Palm Beach. Trump is actually…
The Last President of The Greatest Generation
President George H. W. Bush exemplified the greatest generation of Americans who grew up during the great depression and fought during World War II, the greatest threat to our nation and the world. His entire history of service to…
September 11 Tribute
On September 10, 2001, at 9:30 am, I was in a meeting at the Port Authority’s office in the World Trade Center Building. One day later, 2,977 men and women died. There but for the grace of God go…
What John McCain’s Life & Death Taught Me
Never let adversity hold you back. Let it inspire you. There’s a line in a song by The Band Perry – If I Die Young – “Funny when you’re dead how people start listenin”. Senator John McCain didn’t die…
Our Commitment to the Community
The Lesniak Institute For American Leadership has seven specific causes in its advocacy mission- Animal Welfare, Community Service, Criminal & Social Justice, Addiction, Curbing Gun Violence, Education, Environmental Protection.