Elizabeth councilwoman is new acting Perth Amboy administrator

Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz has named Patricia Perkins-Auguste as the acting city business administrator.

Perkins-Auguste, a seven-term Elizabeth city councilwoman, replaced Frederick Carr.  Diaz fired Carr last month.

The post pays $125,000-per-year, according to Council President William Petrick.

Petrick says Perkins-Auguste earns $40,000-a-year as an Elizabeth councilwoman and $23,357 annually as a clerk for the Union County Sheriff’s Department.

“This job doesn’t show up in her resume,” Petrick said.  “Now Wilda Diaz is willing to pay her $125,000? Puzzling.”

Diaz is seeking re-election to a fourth term as mayor in a November non-partisan election.  She faces challenges from Councilman Helmin Caba and attorney Joseph B. Vas, the son of the former mayor.

Perkins-Auguste has a long history of public service.

She was first elected to an Elizabeth At-Large council seat in 1992, running on a slate headed by 37-year-old Christian Bollwage.  Bollwage, a city councilman, ousted 28-year mayor Thomas Dunn that year in the Democratic primary.  Perkins-Auguste was the 30-year-old president of the Elizabeth NAACP.

In 2008, Perkins-Auguste came within five votes of winning a State Assembly seat.

Annette Quijano, then an assistant counsel to Gov. Jon Corzine, defeated Perkins-Auguste, 87 to 82, at a special election convention to fill the seat vacated by Assemblyman Neil Cohen (D-Roselle).

Cohen resigned after being charged with possessing child pornography on his legislative office computer.

Perkins-Auguste is also a Democratic State Committeewoman from Union County.