JERSEY CITY – Sacco, Stack, and Smith. Oh yeah, and Sires. For a politicker in Hudson County, that pretty much covers your bases.

Last night, former Hudson County Undersheriff Frank Schillari had the two of the three Ss of Hudson County and U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ13) gathered in his honor at a fundraiser in Liberty State Park.

State Sen./Mayor Brian Stack was waylaid (he sent a stand-in), but state Sen./Mayor Nick Sacco and Hudson County Democratic Organization Chairman/Mayor Mark Smith were in the flesh.

The three represent Union City, North Bergen, and Bayonne, respectively. That support alone should translate into a victorious multitude of votes for Schillari in November as he challenges Sheriff Juan Perez, former Democrat who sought asylum in the Republican Party after losing HCDO support.

Last night, Sacco called Schillari, "A man who will heal the rift in the Sheriff's department."

Support of the mayors means everything to county candidates.

The tale of Schillari's candidacy begins with Perez losing support from North Hudson because he was using officers to issue tickets rather than patrol parks against the will of the mayors'.

It ends with Schillari standing next to these powerbrokers at his fundraiser.

In the middle, Schillari was fired as undersheriff in March by Perez, after Schillari announced his intention to run against Perez in the Democratic primary.

Convinced the firing was purely political, Schillari filed a lawsuit claiming the same, only to be reinstated in April. He dropped the lawsuit in July to save taxpayers from footing the bill.

He was also accused of assault by a Perez ally in the department, but video tape of the encounter showed a ticky-tack bump and no criminal investigation was undertaken.

Schillari, a Navy vet and former Secaucus police sergeant, isn't exactly at home in the political arena, but he's not exactly a foreigner.

"I will work with all of the mayors," Schillari promised. "My office will be open seven days a week (…) and there will be no political reprisals."

"The HCDO is on the comeback trail," Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise said during his speech. "I know that it's only going to get better."

If that's the case, the party owes Smith a debt of gratitude. The Bayonne mayor and new party chair rallied the crowd last night, and most days insiders say.

"This is a man who worked his way through the ranks," Smith told the crowd. "It's not a man who's switching parties now and then when it suits him."

Also in attendance were Assemblypersons Joan Quigley (D-Jersey City), Ruben Ramos (D-Hoboken), Vincent Prieto (D-Secaucus), and all the way from Burlington County, Herb Conaway Jr. (D-Delanco).