Erik Simonsen,
Assemblyman

Education:

B.F.A. Trenton State College

M.S. University of Scranton (Educational Administration)

Occupation:

Director of Athletics and Activities, Lower Cape May Regional School District

Public Service:

Township of Lower Council 2011-19

Mayor 2017-19

Legislative Service:

General Assembly 2020-present

Whether it’s serving the people of Lower Township, New Jersey, where he and his wife, Anna, raised two daughters,　Katya and Viktoria, or fighting for South Jersey residents in Trenton, family and community are the backbone of　Assemblyman Erik Simonsen's life. 

Following in his parents’ footsteps, Simonsen has spent his career teaching our district's youth, ensuring special needs students have career training experience and providing athletic opportunities to students.　

His mother, Betty, was a long-time educator teaching children with special needs and his father, Frank, coached football for over four decades. Simonsen currently serves as the athletic director of Lower Cape May Regional High School.

In 2020, he was sworn into the New Jersey General Assembly. He has since introduced legislation to provide coaching opportunities for veterans honorably discharged from the military, fought for small business funding, provided assistance with unemployment benefits to families in need, and re-opened the local Motor Vehicle Commission agency in Cape May County. He also serves on several legislative committees, including the Community Development and Affairs, Education, and State and Local Government committees and the Joint Committee on Public Schools.

The assemblyman started his career as an elected official, serving as a city councilman in Lower Township. Later, as Lower Township Mayor, he placed conservative principles into action when he cut taxes and grew the municipal surplus by $1.5 million. He also worked hard to revitalize the Bay Shore in Lower Township, as well as Schellenger's Landing.　

On Sundays, you can find Assemblyman Simonsen at the Macedonia Baptist Church, where he is an ordained deacon, or taking a bike ride through the Belleplain State Forest and Tuckahoe wildlife preserve.　

Simonsen has a diverse background beyond elected office. He is a singer, songwriter and front man of the band Twelve:01. Over the years, he has performed with: They Might Be Giants, Nils Lofgren of The E Street Band, Edwin McCain, Jewel, and many more national artists. In 2015, the assemblyman's children’s CD, "E is for Erik," was considered for a nomination at the Grammys.

Simonsen graduated from the College of New Jersey with a degree in fine arts. After earning a degree in special education from Rutgers University, he attended the University of Scranton where he received a master’s in educational administration.