Jim McGreevey on the Passing of Senator Sandra Bolden Cunningham

New Jersey has lost a champion of Second Chances, and my family has lost a dear, beloved friend.

Senator Sandra Bolden Cunningham was a friend to my family, to my parents, to me, and to my daughters, as was her beloved husband, Mayor Glenn Cunningham. Their friendship was grace in our lives.

Sandra believed in the power of Second Chances. When our men and women came home from prison, she showed up. She visited our reentry sites when no one else was present, sat with the guys and gals, listened, and then fought for them in our State Legislature.

She "banned the box" so court involvement would not end a job application. She rewrote New Jersey's expungement laws so a person could address life's mistakes. She sponsored the "Earn Your Way Out" Act so that every person leaves prison with a reentry plan. Her legislation ensured that people leave prison with the basic documents, an ID, a birth certificate, and a Social Security card. And she did this work across three governors, Corzine, Christie, and Murphy, because to Sandra, Second Chances was the mission.

I loved her. My family cherished Sandy. New Jersey is better because of her. May she rest in God's peace. Requiescat in Pace.