Albio Sires

As expected, Hudson County Freeholder Silverio "Sal" Vega has succeeded Albio Sires as the Mayor of West New York. Sires, the former Assembly Speaker, is expected to take his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives tonight.

Sires' seat as a West New York Commissioner was filled by Claridad Rodriguez, who has served as Sires' secretary for many years.

Vega is widely expected to also take Sires' seat in the State Assembly. Democrats in Hudson County's 33rd district must hold a Special Election Convention within the next 7-35 days to fill the vacancy.

While Vega could continue as a Freeholder while serving as Mayor and as an Assemblyman, Hudson insiders suggest that West New York Commissioner Gerald Lange is headed to the Hudson County Board of Freeholders.

Sal Vega, West New York Commissioner and Hudson County Freeholder, is the leading candidate to replace Congressman-Albio Sires as Mayor of West New York -- and possibly as the 33rd district Assemblyman as well. Sires is eligible to take his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives as soon as the state certifies his election -- as long as the House returns for a lame-duck session. (In 1988, Frank Pallone won a Special Election to fill the remaining two months of the late James Howard's term, but never took the oath of office.)

If Sires' running mate, Assemblyman/Union City Mayor Brian Stack runs for the State Senate next year against Senate Majority Leader/Hudson County Democratic Chairman Bernard Kenny, look for Hoboken Councilman Christopher Campos to run for the State Assembly.

Republican State Chairman Tom Wilson asks: "Do you think any of this would've happened if Joe Doria were the Speaker?" Wilson suggests that the source of the state's current government shutdown is ex-Governor James E. McGreevey, who engineered an Election Night 2001 move to dump Doria and replace him with Albio Sires.

The quest for party unity in the 13th district does not seem to be coming easily. Joseph Vas, the Mayor of Perth Amboy and a State Assemblyman, has been telling supporters that he intends to challenge Albio Sires in the 2008 Democratic congressional primay. Vas, who won just a quarter of the vote against Sires earlier this month, must first defend his Assembly seat. Sires, who will go to Congress in November (he is unopposed in a special election to fill the remaining two months of Bob Menendez's term), seems to be interetsed in backing a candidate against Vas in the 2007 legislative primary.

Joe Vas' campaign research director, Donna Gefter, filed a lawsuit against Vas for Congress today, alleging that Vas failed to pay her more than $4,000 for opposition research she conducted on former Assembly Speaker Albio Sires. Sires defeated Vas on Tuesday by a 75%-25% margin. The suit, filed in Middlesex County, comes a day after Vas announced that property taxes in Perth Amboy will go up abolut 50%.

Last February, Vas made a big deal about Sires campaign staff checking out his record in Perth Amboy. Vas told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he would prefer to talk about issues than the "politics of personal destruction."

Former Assembly Speaker Albio Sires is headed to Congress: he is unopposed in a November special election for the remaining two months of Bob Menendez's term, and can take his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives as soon as the state certifies the results of that contest. To stay on for another two years, Sires must first beat Republican John Guarini -- a race he is the overwhelming favorite to win.

Sires will go to Congress twenty years after his first try, when he was the Republican nominee against incumbent Frank Guarini. (For trivia enthusiasts, Sires' campaign manager was Rick Shaftan.)

Sires won a landslide victory in an especially bitter campaign against Perth Amboy Mayor/Assemblyman Joseph Vas, capturing 74% of the vote districtwide. He won 80% in Hudson County. The results were substantially different from a poll the Vas campaign leaked last week showing him within two points of winning -- a move that could damage Vas' future credibility.

Democratic insiders say that Sires is unlikely to make peace with Vas anytime soon, and there is a chance that Sires supporters will seek some retribution next year, when Vas seeks Democratic party support for re-election to the State Assembly. Perth Amboy Councilman David Sylagi, who actively backed Sires, could emerge as a legislative candidate.

Assemblyman Joseph Cryan, the Democratic State Chairman, says that Vas has 'lot of fence mending to do within the party."

Perth Amboy Councilman and Community Leaders Endorse Albio Sires for Congress
Point to Failure of Vas Tenure As Reason For Sires Support

(Perth Amboy) Pointing to a record of failed leadership by Perth Amboy Mayor Joseph Vas, Perth Amboy Councilman David Szilagyi and community leaders Israel Varela, Carmen Ramirez and Scott Farber today endorsed former Speaker Albio Sires for Congress in the 13th Congressional District. Sires is running against Vas to fill the vacancy created by now-Senator Robert Menendez, who had previously represented the 13th District in Congress.

Yesterday's election results in Perth Amboy are a mixed bag for Mayor/Assemblyman Joseph Vas. Vas' slate eked out a very close election against candidates who made Vas' leadership of the city the focal point of the campaign. Despite the fact that Vas himself was not up for election, the race was viewed as a referendum on his leadership as mayor.

Vas, who is engaged in an uphill battle against former Assembly Speaker Albio Sires for the Democratic nomination in the 13th Congressional District, cannot be encouraged by the fact that nearly half the voters in his hometown voted against his endorsed council candidates. The split in Perth Amboy, where four years earlier the incumbent slate faced no opposition at all, could also encourage Carteret Mayor Dan Reiman and others to challenge Vas for his 19th District Assembly seat next year

South Asian Organizations Endorse Albio Sires for Congress

(Jersey City) Indian American organizations today endorsed Albio Sires for Congress, citing his commitment to promoting issues of importance to the Indian American community.

“Whether it is expanding opportunities for immigrants across New Jersey, providing affordable college education for our children or improving the quality of life for our families, Albio Sires has demonstrated that he is a leader who can get results in Washington,� said Rishi Mehta, President of the Indian American Political Action Club [IMPACT].

What Is Vas Hiding In The Perth Amboy Budget?
Secrecy and Lack of Disclosure Surrounds Vas’ Budget

West New York – The Albio Sires for Congress campaign today called on Perth Amboy Mayor Joe Vas to stop hiding revenue relating to his FY 2006 budget. The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs has notified Vas that it refuses to approve his budget because he has repeatedly refused to supply the department with “items of revenue,� despite repeated requests from the DCA over a six month period.