Born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey on June 6, 1946,[1] Haines graduated from Lakewood High School in 1964 and attended Ocean County College.
She served on the Dover Township Municipal Utilities Authority and was the Clerk of the New Jersey General Assembly from May 1987 to January 1990.
[2] A resident of Toms River (then Dover Township), Haines and her Republican running mates in the 1991 general election – David W. Wolfe for the second assembly seat and Andrew R. Ciesla for the State Senate – were elected to office in the 10th Legislative District, covering portions of both Monmouth County and Ocean County.
James W. Holzapfel was appointed to fill the assembly seat vacated by Haines, taking office on August 15, 1994, before winning a November 1994 special election to serve the balance of Haines' term of office.
On January 27, 2016, Haines was sworn into office on the Ocean County Board of chosen freeholders, making her the second woman – Hazel Gluck was the first – to serve as a freeholder since the governing body of Ocean County was established in 1850.