The governmental primaries will take place June 7. Locally, the seats for Assemblyman of the 33rd District and Hudson County Freeholder for District 6 are up.
Running to keep their Assembly seats are incumbents Mayor Albio Sires of West New York and Mayor Brian Stack of Union City. Running for Hudson County Freeholder is incumbent Tilo Rivas, who also serves as a Union City commissioner.
The 33rd Legislative District encompasses Guttenberg, Hoboken, Union City, Weehawken, West New York, and a portion of Jersey City.
But in order to maintain their seats, they will be going head to head with new challengers vying for the Democratic nominations under the column “Democrats for Reform.” Whoever wins the Democratic primaries in June may face a Republican challenger in November.
The challengers for Assemblyman are Union City residents Vincent Lombardi and Julio A. Fernandez, and in the race for Hudson County Freeholder is Union City resident Luis Ruiz, Jr.
These three men said they want to improve services for seniors and families, and want to reduce government corruption and cut down on politicians holding multiple offices at once.
They are profiled here today. Next week, we will profile Sires, Stack and Rivas.
Lombardi
Vincent T. Lombardi, a veteran Hoboken police detective who lives in Union City, has decided to throw his hat in the ring for Assemblyman of the 33rd District.
“I have just been dissatisfied with the current Democratic Party and how it’s been going,” said Lombardi. “I believe that with my experience in law enforcement, I will be able to bring a more moral and ethical balance to state government.”
One of Lombardi’s major concerns with current elected positions is the lack of term limits.
“Career politicians tend to lose touch with the people and fall victim to corruption,” said Lombardi. “I will work tirelessly to introduce and support legislation that would impose term limits for all elected positions in state, county and local government. Two terms is sufficient, and shorter terms will force our elected officials to work harder and faster for the people.”
In addition to limited terms for office, Lombardi also wishes to address the officials who hold more than one elected position at the same time.
“There is a present political power monopoly of mayors holding offices as freeholders and state legislators,” said Lombardi. “I will impose legislation to prevent elected officials from holding multiple elected positions.”
He also hopes to introduce laws to better protect for seniors and the disabled from abuse in homes by caregivers. He would like to block rising prescription costs. He also would like to give municipal courts more power in matters of juvenile delinquency, and hire and train more personal focusing on those matters as well.
As for development and public space, Lombardi wants to introduce legislation that will preserve the Palisades and limit high rise development, specifically along the riverfront.
Lombardi also has legislative plans to benefit law enforcement and firefighters with the possibility of earlier retirement, which open opportunities for younger recruits, and increase the widow pension benefits.
Born and raised in Hoboken, Lombardi is a veteran Hoboken Police Detective serving in the fields of Public Housing Bureau, School Safety Bureau, Community Policing, Patrol and as a member of the SWAT team. Throughout his career he has received numerous awards and citations, and extensive education in law enforcement and public service.
Lombardi said, “My experience as a police officer has given me a unique insight into the needs of public safety from the perspective of those that protect and serve, which will allow me to focus on attention legislatively on the requirements of the Public Safety community to effectively keep residents safe.”
Prior to joining the police force in 1994, Lombardi had been an Assistant Director of Public Safety for Long Island University (LIU) Brooklyn Campus and a certified Emergency Medical Technician in Hudson and Bergen counties.
Fernandez
Born in Santo Domingo of the Dominican Republic, Julio A. Fernandez moved to the states with his family when he was six months old, and resided in Hoboken for 20 years. He now lives in Union City.
A graduate of Jersey City State College with a degree in business administration, Fernandez also hopes to bring new blood into the current political parties, who he feels have not performed to the best of their ability.
“There is major corruption going on,” said Fernandez. “I will bring values back into Hudson County such as integrity, professionalism and respect.”
Fernandez has been a resident of Union City for the last 21 years and has worked at UPS in Secaucus for the last 18 years. In his commitment to community outreach, Fernandez has volunteered with the Senior Citizens of Union City. He also volunteers as an assistant coach with the Union City Little League and with Jersey City’s Angels on Earth organization.
Some of the focuses for Fernandez’s platform encompass tax alleviation for the residents of New Jersey, and car insurance alleviation, which he feels is an important issue that elected officials have yet to touch upon.
“My solution is simple; let’s study other states and see how they solve it,” said Fernandez. “They have done absolutely nothing about car insurance so far; let’s find a solution.”
As an Assemblyman, Fernandez also intends to preserve historic sites all over Hudson County. Union City itself has its share of endangered historical sites set for demolition, which will be part of the new school construction. Fernandez plans to support the preservation of New Jersey’s history like Roosevelt Stadium and the R.H. Simon Silk Mill in Union City.
He also wants to focus on the issue of affordable housing. Growing up in Hoboken, Fernandez remembered how the continuous increase of the cost of living drove many low-income families, including his own, out that area, and wants to prevent that from happening in other areas like Union City, where a recent number luxury high rises are scheduled to be built.
“I would not want that to happen in Union City [or anywhere else] because people have been working hard for so many years trying to find a better way of life for their families,” said Fernandez.
Like his Assembly running mate, Fernandez also opposes duel elected positions, and suggests legislation for salary caps on municipal positions in order to alleviate some of the tax burden on the local residents.
As part of the Democrats for Reform, Fernandez believes that it is the fundamental job of the legislator to make difficult decisions.
“We need to listen to the people,” said Fernandez. “Before I used to just sit by and watch, but now its time to step up to the plate. It’s time for real people to take the government back.”
Ruiz
Much like his running mates Luis Ruiz Jr. is also thoroughly dissatisfied with the current elected officials, which is why he has decided to run for freeholder.
As a Hudson County Freeholder for District 6, Ruiz would be representing the needs of the people in Union City on the county level.
“I feel I am more of an asset on the county level, and this county is in desperate need of new ideas,” said Ruiz.
One of Ruiz’s main goals for Union City is bring new ways to help solve what he has described as the parking crisis.
“I will make it mandatory that new buildings meet necessary parking codes, and pass an ordinance of ‘One bedroom means one parking spot,’ ” said Ruiz.
In addition, Ruiz is also heavily focused on preserving the open space in the Hudson County community, as well as gearing the rising developments to include more affordable housing.
“We need to strengthen our families by providing a tax relief to low-income families,” said Ruiz. “I would pass an ordinance that will mandate new developments in Hudson County to include affordable housing apartments within their buildings.”
As Freeholder, he hopes to mandate that all new buildings provide appropriate recreational space for all ages, and also proposes a large recreation complex that will include all types of physical recreation, from basic basketball to Martial Arts classes.
An interest in education includes providing more programs to juniors and seniors in high schools, which will make them more competitive in gaining admission to prestigious schools, and a parental program where children and parents learn from one another.
“I advocate students teaching parents,” said Ruiz. “Children have computer skills that can be taught to parents, and the program can encompass students teaching English to their parents as well.”
In addition, Ruiz also hopes to: provide more convenient transportation for senior citizens for doctors’ visits, find solutions to lower property taxes for seniors with fixed incomes, and create more activities for them as well.
In safety matters, Ruiz wants to bring back the Hudson County Sheriffs to patrol county roads and parks, in order to free up local law enforcement agencies to dedicate their time to infiltrating local gangs, removing drugs from the streets, and protecting the citizens of Hudson County.
A lifelong resident of Union City and the son of Cuban immigrants, Luis Ruiz Jr. holds a degree in Science/Information Systems and is a Microsoft Certified Professional. Working in Manhattan’s financial district for many years, Ruiz has gained experience in the New York Stock Exchange and the Pacific Stock Exchange, where he helped resolve critical issues within the market.
“I am the working man and I know what the working man needs,” said Ruiz.
As a community servant, Ruiz has volunteered his time, along with his father’s, in the Union City Babe Ruth League, where they managed and coached boys and girls from 12 to 15 years old. He has also volunteered his time as an Emergency Medical Technician for Union City and West New York.