PERTH AMBOY – A big caravan with Mayor Wilda Diaz in the lead car manuevered through the streets and past opposition headquarters on State Street.
The blare of horns brought Joel Pabon into a campaign fighting stance.
Standing on the sidewalk, he raised a sign with his name on it, shook it at the convoy in territorial fury until the last car went by, then ducked into headquarters to run through battle plans with just days remaining in the municipal election.
A veteran postal worker, Pabon ran on a ticket with Leslie Dominguez-Rodriguez, chair of the local Democratic Organization and a fierce critic of the mayor’s. There were other candidates competing in the race, but Pabon – and especially Rodriguez – wanted to prevent Diaz’s ticket from winning.
It was an important mid-term election for Diaz, a bank teller turned conqueror of the old regime, who in 2008 inherited a city in financial chaos after she deposed longtime Mayor Joe Vas.
Many of the mayor’s subsequent decisions to shrink local government and consolidate services, including privatizing EMS, infuriated a segment of the city’s population.
Inevitable backlash built.
Looking to win control of the council as three council people from the Vas era sought retirement, Diaz backed a team of rivals: Planning Board Chair Maria Garcia, retired Fire Chief Bill Petrick, and School Board Chairman Ken Gonzalez.
Last Tuesday, two of Diaz’s three candidates won, enabling the mayor (who first won elected office running with Councilman Ken Balut and Concilman Fernando Gonzalez) to build a majority of allies on the five-person governing body.
In a larger context, the same-night loss of Paterson Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres left Diaz one of just three urban Latino mayors (West New York Mayor Sal Vega and Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco are the others), and the only Puerto Rican.
It’s true Pabon – who ran and lost with Vas in the 2008 election – won the highest number of votes in landing the third Perth Amboy council seat. It’s true as well that Dominguez-Rodriguez only narrowly lost – by 12 votes – to Petrick.
But Diaz savored the pick up of two seats, just as she celebrated how Gonzalez and Petrick won.
“They worked hard and there was not one piece of attack literature from them (or from loser Garcia),” Diaz told PolitickerNJ.com. “You didn’t see anything negative – not one negative comment. I truly believe the council is going to work together. They are not always going to agree with me.
“But I really believe the residents of Perth Amboy realize that I’m trying to do my best,” the mayor added. “They realize I need help on the council. They know I can’t fix in two years – not even two years – the crisis that was left and the economy. I’m not here to hurt anybody. I wanted to support people who wanted to work with me, people who have a vested interest and a track record of volunteerism.”
Diaz heard the campaign criticism of her candidates.
Two of them – Gonzalez and Garcia – were former Republicans.
Although a registered Democrat, Petrick did not have an active party profile. Diaz backers and foes alike complained about her decision to select independents instead of diehard Dems to run – even in a nonpartisan election – in a Democratic Party stronghold.
But Diaz was comfortable with her candidates.
“These were people who gave back to the city, that’s why I looked at them and that’s why they came together,” she said.
“We have a vision and a goal for the city to move the city ahead,” the mayor added. “There are a lot of difficult issues here, and we’re going to have to work together. We have to think of the entire city. Everybody knows we’re in a crisis so we’re going to have to make some tough decisions. There are more changes coming and we got elected to do what’s right for the entire community not a few individuals.”
As she celebrated her own victory, the grassroots product with the independent slate of candidates lamented the North Jersey loss of Torres, de facto leader of urban Latino mayors.
“My heart went out to Joey Torres and his family,” said Diaz. “He’s worked really hard all these years. I have a lot of respect for him, and he has a lot to be proud of.
“I wish the new mayor the best,” added Diaz, referring to Mayor-elect Jeff Jones. “We are facing the worst economic times that we have seen since the Great Depression. Joey Torres did a lot for Paterson, and he should leave feeling proud. That city owes him a lot.”
She gave a nod to the reality of being the sole Puerto Rican in a mid to big sized city mayor’s chair, and the only Latina.
“As the daughter of a Perth Amboy family, it is a lot of responsibility,” said Diaz.
One of the first things she did after the election was sit down with Councilman-elect Pabon, last seen on a sidewalk in battle mode.
