State Sen. Brian Stack leads the effort to elect Albio Sires, who spent sixteen years as a congressman from Hudson County, as mayor of West New York in the May 9 non-partisan municipal election.
That won’t dissuade one of Sires’ rivals for the mayoral post, Cosmo Cirillo, from supporting Stack for re-election to his 33rd district State Senate seat in the Democratic primary and the general election, win or lose.
Legislative redistricting significantly altered the 33rd legislative district, adding West New York and North Bergen. That put Stack, the mayor of Union City, and another longtime senator, North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, in the same district. An unhappy Sacco quickly announced his retirement and endorsement of Stack.
Cirillo had served on the Apportionment Commission as Sacco’s pick.
“I have a lot of respect for Senator Stack,” said Cirillo, a three-term town commissioner. “We had a phenomenal senator in Sacco, and now we’ll have an equally phenomenal senator in Stack.”
Cirillo also pledged to support Stack’s running mates for the State Assembly: West New York Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez and North Bergen Commissioner Julio Marenco.
“The better they do in the Assembly, the better it is for West New York,” he said.
Cirillo has assembled a five-candidate slate for town commissioner – in West New York, the winners of the commissioner race select the mayor in what is essentially a proxy war between Sires, Cirillo, and a third candidate, former mayor Felix Roque – which includes incumbent Margarita Guzman and Assemblywoman Angelica Jimenez (D-West New York).
Last night, Cirillo said that about 400 people attended a campaign fundraiser for his slate Thursday night.
“People have energized in action for this movement,” said Cirillo.
Despite Stack’s support of Sires, Cirillo sees him as a role model.
“He’s the type of mayor I would like to emulate if I get elected,” Cirillo explained. “He provides great services to Union City. “
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