Can you train to be a politician? Ray Lesniak may soon teach you how. | The Auditor

After almost 40 years in the state Legislature, state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, has learned a thing or two about getting laws on the books. And while he's retiring in January, he's not about to let it all go to waste.

Lesniak told The Auditor he's pairing up with longtime activist Steven Goldstein to create a university-based institute on political leadership.

Which New Jersey university?

"I can't say, but they're fighting over us," said Lesniak, when the Auditor reached him on Friday.

The pairing would be something of a progressive politics Dream Team.

Goldstein founded Garden State Equality, New Jersey's statewide organization for LGBT rights in 2004, stepping down after gay marriage was legalized in 2013 to become an associate chancellor for Rutgers University.

Today he's executive director of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, a perch from which he's been bedeviling President Donald Trump.

And having served in the state Senate since 1983, Lesniak has been responsible for sponsoring or co-sponsoring many of the state's major environmental statutes, animal rights laws and marriage equality legislation.

Lesniak said he became interested in forming the institute after years of seeing policy organizations like New Jersey Policy Perspective "do original research on an important issue and hold press conferences, and then fall flat on their face -- no offense intended."

He became convinced the answer lay with the next generation of leaders early on.

"This is about educating and training them to go out in the real world and advocate for what their passions are, whatever they are," said Lesniak.

But he insists while their institute will seek to give students "the support they need to see their beliefs blossom into reality" -- whether by getting laws passed or even running for elective office themselves -- it won't necessarily be liberal lions den.

"This is political, but not partisan," said Lesniak late Friday. "The goal is to energize students into participating in our democracy...I will have a substantial amount of influence, but if they they want to advocate for conservative causes that's OK, too. People define social justice in different ways."

Lesniak paused a moment.

"Although I don't believe there'll be too many college students signing up for these courses who want to cut taxes for the top 1 percent of Americans."

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