Passaic Mayor Hector Lora won’t seek the Democratic nomination to replace the late Bill Pascrell in Congress, saying he wants to make good on his pledge to Passaic city voters to put their interests first.
“I will not divert my attention from the needs of Passaic. The residents of this city deserve my unwavering dedication,” Lora told the New Jersey Globe. “I made a promise to the people of Passaic to give my all and work diligently to serve the residents of this city, as well as those who work, visit, and seek to partner with us to improve our communities.”
Lora was serving his second term as a Passaic County freeholder in 2016 when Mayor Alex Blanco resigned after admitting that he accepted over $100,000 in bribes from two developers. Blanco was the second consecutive Passaic mayor to go to prison on bribery charges; Sammy Rivera pled guilty in 2008.
He said his “focus and priorities are firmly rooted in Passaic.” Lora was elected mayor in 2017 and re-elected in 2021; he’s up for re-election next year.
“While I greatly respect the ambitions of others, my own ambitions lie in leaving a positive legacy in a city that has faced many challenges,” stated Lora. “I recognize that I am far from a perfect mayor and still have much to learn and grow, but I am fully committed to the people I serve. There is still a significant amount of work to be done here.”
Lora said he intends to serve as mayor “until I can confidently say that I have done my job well and positioned our city for continued progress.”
“At this time, I will not consider any role other than Mayor of the city in which I was born and raised,” Lora stated. “I love serving others, whether through ministry and helping those in need or through government. I have the honor of doing both right now, and that is my intention moving forward, with God’s help.”