Former state Assemblyman David Rible is the new director of New Jersey's Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
TRENTON -- A former top Republican state lawmaker has been sworn in as the new director of New Jersey's Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the board that regulates alcohol sales in the state.
David Rible, who was the second-highest-ranking Republican in the state Assembly, assumed the job Monday -- about a month after Gov. Chris Christie, a fellow Republican, nominated him and about two weeks after he was confirmed by the state Senate, the Assembly Republican office said.
The move leaves a vacancy in the Assembly, the lower house of the state Legislature, with less than five months before an Election Day in which all 80 seats of the chamber are up for grabs.
It is unclear who will replace Rible, a longtime Monmouth County legislator who served as the Assembly's minority whip before resigning to take the ABC post.
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Republican county committee members in Rible's legislative district -- the 30th, which includes parts of Monmouth and Ocean counties -- must now appoint a replacement that will serve out the rest of Rible's term, which ends in January.
It's likely whomever is chosen will also run in November's election and would be favored to win. The district is heavily Republican and hasn't elected a Democrat to the Legislature since 1991.
Christie, a Republican, nominated Rible last month to lead the ABC, which approves liquor licenses across the state and enforces alcohol laws.
The state Senate confirmed Rible on July 4, and he resigned from the Assembly after nearly a decade in the house. State law forbids people from holding two government jobs at the same time.
Rible, 49, of Wall, is a former police officer who retired at 31 on permanent disability because of a back injury. He was elected to the Assembly in 2008.
He replaces former ABC Acting Director Jonathan Orsen, whom Christie tapped to become a state Tax Court judge.
Rible would serve as ABC director until the end of Christie's second and final term in January. The new governor would be allowed to pick a new director.
As the Assembly's minority whip, Rible ranked second only to Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R-Union) among Republicans in the chamber.
Bramnick announced Tuesday that Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz (R-Union) has been named the new minority whip, while Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco (R-Morris) is the new Republican conference leader.
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.