Steve Lonegan is New Jersey’s number one champion for taxpayers. As a Mayor and as Americans for Prosperity state director, Lonegan has led the fight for the men and women who work hard and pay government’s bills.

Taking over as Mayor in 1996, Lonegan immediately cut municipal spending, bringing a "Taxpayers First" philosophy to boro government, leading to the elimination of wasteful and duplicative services, privatization of some functions and a more cost-efficient user-friendly government. 

As a result, Bogota's municipal spending remained constant for the entire twelve years of Steve's tenure.  Mayor Lonegan kept debt and tax increases far below inflation despite massive state mandates and aid reductions to suburban towns like Bogota.  None of the other 565 New Jersey Mayors could boast of such a record.

Thanks to Steve's strong, conservative leadership, Republicans kept council control for eleven straight elections and Steve was reelected in 1999 and 2003 by double digit margins over his Democratic opponent.  He did not run for reelection in 2007.

As Mayor, Lonegan stood up to powerful public employee labor unions by bringing in civilian dispatchers rather than highly paid police officers.  His successful effort to stop LOSAP benefits for volunteers saved taxpayers hundreds of thousands annually.  Steve Lonegan created the Taxpayer Protection Act requiring a public vote for new municipal debt or public employee contracts that exceed inflation and under Lonegan Bogota was the first town in New Jersey to pass a ballot initiative restricting Eminent Domain.

Steve Lonegan saw that his role as Mayor took him beyond municipal borders.  Whether it was fighting the Newark Arena, illegal state bonding, proposed gasoline tax hikes or countless other taxpayer rip-offs, Mayor Lonegan found that his work led him to speak out more and more for frustrated taxpayers all over the state -- even taking on Governors and legislators in both parties to do what was right for working families and all taxpayers.

After twelve years as Mayor, Lonegan stepped down to devote fulltime to his role as New Jersey Americans for Prosperity state director. He had compiled a record of taxes, spending and debt far below inflation -- a record unmatched in any of the other 565 New Jersey municipalities.

Since coming to Americans for Prosperity in 2006, Steve continued his fight for taxpayers by defeating two state ballot questions in 2007.  The first would have forced an 8% sales tax for phony property tax "reform" and the second that would have bonded nearly a half billion dollars for taxpayer financed Embryonic Stem Cell "research."

The Star Ledger’s Paul Mulshine said that "Lonegan single-handedly ignited the biggest taxpayer revolt since the Florio years" by defeating these two questions.  With the ink on the results barely dry, Lonegan led the successful fight to stop Governor Corzine’s $38 Billion Toll Hike and Borrowing Scheme. His efforts so perturbed the embattled Governor that his staff even ordered the Mayor arrested for daring to challenge Corzine’s radical proposal. And Lonegan’s AFP efforts led to the defeat of taxpayer-financed legislative elections in the state.

In between all this, Steve published a book "Putting Taxpayers First," where he outlines a blueprint for conservative victories in the Garden State, has been a featured columnist on politickernj.com and hosts the weekly program “The Taxpayer Minute,” heard on 17 radio stations serving the Garden State. He was a candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2005 and 2009, winning 42% of the vote against Chris Christie in the latter primary.

Steve Lonegan was born in Teaneck's Holy Name Hospital on April 27, 1956.  He grew up and graduated from High School in Ridgefield Park where he set several high school track records.  Steve earned a B.A. in Business Administration from William Paterson College where he was Football Team Captain and an All Conference Division Center, later earning an M.B.A. from Farleigh Dickinson University.

Steve built and managed retail, custom homebuilding and manufacturing businesses employing dozens of workers, prior to becoming Americans for Prosperity state director for New Jersey.
Married to the former Lorraine Rossi, Steve lives in Bogota with his daughters Brooke and Katherine.  The Lonegan family attends St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Bogota.

Whether it is speaking out for taxpayers, taking on state bureaucrats or fighting for homeowners, no one in New Jersey is as vocal, as active and as determined to succeed as Steve Lonegan.  Tough and independent, Mayor Steve Lonegan is the undisputed champion of New Jersey's overtaxed working families.