Walter Reed Gusciora (born March 27, 1960) is an American Democratic Party politician who has served as the mayor of Trenton, New Jersey since 2018. He previously served from 1996 to 2018 in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he represented the 15th Legislative District. Early life Gusciora was born in Passaic, New Jersey and raised in Jamesburg, where he attended public schools and graduated from Jamesburg High School in 1978. Gusciora's father, Walter, worked at the New Jersey Department of Health in Trenton and the city was an integral part of his childhood. As a teenager, Gusciora worked for his family's company, Aardvark Pest Control, and in his free time, he spent time visiting Trenton's prominent museums and restaurants. He received a B.A. from The Catholic University of America (CUA) in Politics/International Relations and worked his way through college by working at the Library of Congress. After graduation, he worked on Capitol Hill in the congressional offices of U.S. Representatives Andy Ireland (D-FL) and the late Mike Synar (D-OK). Gusciora was awarded a J.D. in 1988 from the Seton Hall University School of Law. He also served as the prosecutor for Lawrence Township, Hopewell Borough, and Princeton. Legislative career In 1995, Gusciora beat Joseph Constance, a former Mercer County Freeholder and deputy police chief of Trenton Police Department, who received support from the National Rifle Association and campaigned against New Jersey's teachers' union. At the time, Republicans outnumbered Democrats 53 to 27 in the New Jersey State Legislature, and Constance received the momentum of the State's shift towards moderate Republicanism under popular Governor Christine Todd Whitman. Gusciora's victory maintained New Jersey's 15th Legislative District as a Democratic stronghold. Gusciora was the Deputy Majority Leader between 2008 and 2018, and was the Assembly's Assistant Minority Leader from 1998 to 2001. He served as Chairman of the Assembly Regulatory Oversight, Federal Relations, and Reform Committee and the Environment and Solid Waste Committee; he was a member of the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance and Assembly Labor Committees. Gusciora authored the "Paramount Safety" Law that changed the legal standard in child custody cases to protect the health and well-being of the child when abuse has occurred. He is the author of a law that streamlines services for people with developmental disabilities through the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education. He is also the original prime sponsor of