Joseph E. Kelley, a commissioner of the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation and the father of Gov. Phil Murphy’s former deputy chief of staff, died today after an accident last week. He was 73.
A former administrative law judge and official with the New Jersey Board of Utilities’ Office of Cable Television, Kelley was appointed to the SCI in February by Murphy to fill an open seat.
As a BPU examiner, Kelley led a fight in 1978 to prevent an increase in basic residential telephone bills by New Jersey Bell Telephone.
He spent sixteen years as a senior trial lawyer for Zirulnik, Sherlock & DeMille in Roseland. Since 2024, he has operated Joseph E. Kelley Law in Chatham, specializing in alternative dispute resolutions.
In addition to his son, Joe Kelley, a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Murphy’s top economic growth aide, he is survived by his wife, Gwen, his children, and grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
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