A political dynamo who loved his home county and reveled in strategy and the interactive human dimensions of his trade, William “Bill” Layton, the former long-serving chairman of the Burlington County Republican Committee, has died.

He was 55.

The cause of death was cancer.

Sharp elbowed, with a penchant for political infighting, Mr. Layton nonetheless did his job with a twinkle in his eye.

A partner with CLB and retired as chair of the Burlington GOP, Mr. Layton had over two decades of public affairs experience servicing his clients. Recognized for over a decade straight as one of the 100 most powerful people in New Jersey politics, Mr. Layton routinely occupied the power lists of various political websites and magazines. One of the founding members of CLB Partners , he was instrumental in its growth from the 21st largest lobbying firm in New Jersey to its recent ranking as third largest. He served as the Executive Director of the New Jersey Concrete and Aggregate Association (NJCAA), and spearheaded numerous legislative initiatives enacted into law.

Mr. Layton made a significant contribution to Burlington Republican politics as the chair of the organization, succeeding his mentor, Glenn Paulson in 2007. Involved in numerous political fights and campaigns and elections in his home battleground county as the GOP fought to remain in power and frequently did battle with the Camden County Democratic machine, he would serve as chairman for nearly 12 years.

“I’m saddened to hear about Bill’s passing,” said BurlCo labor operative Jason Carty. “Despite our 12 years of political battles, Bill was the guy on the other side of the aisle that would take your call and have a normal conversation or buy you a drink when you ran into him. Unlike the constant hyperbole of campaigns today, Bill was old school and understood that after Election Day we all had to be neighbors. He worked hard and was proud to carry the torch passed to him from Paulson and Demarco. Bill had a lot of victories over the years that no one else could have won.”

In December of 2018, InsiderNJ wrote the following:

Burlington County Republican Chairman Bill Layton is formally leaving his position next week.

“Tuesday night is my last night,” said Layton, who has served as chairman for 11-plus years.

The county has changed over the course of his tenure as chairman, growing by 20k to 30k Democrats, he noted.

This year, the GOP lost control of the freeholder board and endured the loss of U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-3).

“It was an amazing run, but I’m not going anywhere, just taking a step back,” said Layton, a principal at CLB Partners.

Lumberton Committeeman Shawn Earlen is working the phones now to replace Layton.