Local politician heads to Trenton...finally

After some delay, Wirths confirmed as Christie’s Labor Commissioner, By Gretchen van Nuys Trenton — Wantage Township resident Harold J. “Hal” Wirths Jr. was confirmed on May 20 as New Jersey’s Labor commissioner. Wirths’ confirmation, after a full Senate vote, had been delayed after the Senate Judiciary Committee adjourned in April without deciding on his nomination. At the time, Democrats said he didn’t have enough votes to be approved. “I’m excited to be Commissioner of Labor now, to be able to serve all of New Jersey,” Wirths said on Monday after his swearing-in ceremony, where he was joined by his wife and family. Wirths, who has been a Sussex County freeholder since 2000, most recently serving as deputy director, resigned that post on May 20 after learning he was confirmed in his new position. “I unpacked my office there Saturday — it was sad,” he said. “I put 10 years of my life into being a freeholder. It was a life-changing experience.” Wirths garnered high praise from County Administrator John Eskilson. “The county’s loss is the state’s gain. I’ve worked with Hal as a county employee for the better part of eight years. He will be missed and his knowledge will be missed — he has one of those steel-trap minds that forces you to be sharp around him.” Wirths’ freeholder term would have expired on Dec. 31. A replacement will be selected by the Republican party for the remainder of his term. What he’ll do According to a written statement from Wirths’ new department, as Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, he heads a 3,200-person agency that oversees county career centers and develops training initiatives and programs. The department also operates the state’s unemployment insurance and disability insurance programs. Wirths said he will be travelling all over the state in his new role, and that one of his highest priorities will be working to protect the Unemployment Trust Fund, which has a deficit of $1.75 billion. “It’s the biggest obstacle we face as a state. We need funds to pay people who are unemployed,” Wirths said.