The acrimony surrounding the race for Hudson County sheriff has escalated in the past two weeks.
Hudson County Sheriff Juan Perez lost the support of local Democrats this year (for reasons unknown) and is now facing a challenge from his former undersheriff, Frank Schillari.
There were two major twists to the story a week ago Friday: Perez registered himself as a Republican, and he also fired Undersheriff Schillari.
Last week, Schillari continued to pick up political support in his campaign to unseat Perez. Schillari has already garnered support from the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO) and a number of high-profile individual party leaders.
Schillari’s firing has supporters crying foul.
“He was told that there was no reason for his termination, no justification.” – Paul Swibinski
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The lawsuit was filed the same day Schillari received an endorsement from the Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 334, which represents 231 uniformed officers in the sheriff’s office.
In a statement released on March 26, Perez explained the firing thusly: “The position of undersheriff is one of a confidential and sensitive nature and requires the full trust and confidence of the sheriff…It is evident through the actions of Undersheriff Schillari that he is not in compliance with the requirements of the scared trust of the office, and for a period of time has undermined my authority.”
When Perez’s spokesman, Robert Knapp was asked how Schillari has “undermined” Perez, he said, “There are well-documented things that have happened. But it’s a personnel matter, so I can’t give any details on that.”
In response, Schillari’s spokesman, Paul Swibinski, called Perez “cowardly and foolish.”
“He was told that there was no reason for his termination, no justification. No budget concerns. No performance issues,” Swibinski said. “It is illegal to fire someone for political reasons. Schillari’s firing is clearly a political retaliation and a violation of his civil rights.”
Some members of the department claimed last week that Perez replaced Schillari with Robert Lamboy, who is Perez’s brother-in-law. Knapp, however, denied that Lamboy has been promoted. “He was the sheriff’s chief of staff, and he continues to be the chief of staff,” Knapp said.
To endorse Schillari last week, several Local 334 PBA members, including the every member of the executive board, came to the Secaucus Public Library and Business Resource Center. Local 334 President Michael Hester said, “We are endorsing Frank Schillari to be our next sheriff of Hudson County. He has been our undersheriff for 14 years, and has shown leadership and dedication to our office. We look forward to working with him and for him.”
Perez now a Republican
Perez may now try to win reelection as a Republican, which could mean a fight this November rather than in the June 8 Democratic primary.
Whether Perez will win Republican support in his reelection bid still remains to be seen, according to Knapp. However, Knapp said Hudson County Republicans have tried to recruit Perez into the party before.
Winning could still be a longshot in a county where Democrats outnumber Republicans. But it’s likely that Perez, one of the most prominent Latino officials in Hudson County, will receive support from Gov. Chris Christie.
Despite the party switch, Knapp said Perez is still keeping his options open and could still decide to run as an Independent.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.