HUDSON COUNTY — Frank Schillari, the Hudson County Democratic Organization-backed candidate in the upcoming race for sheriff, was reinstated as undersheriff Monday morning following his abrupt dismissal last month.
Last month, his boss and chief rival in the political race, current Hudson County Sheriff Juan Perez, fired Schillari, claiming that he was “not in compliance with the requirements of the sacred trust of the office and for a period of time has undermined my authority.”
A spokesman for the undersheriff fired back that Schillari’s dismissal was “illegal.”
Perez promoted his brother-in-law, Robert Lamboy, to the undersheriff’s post, though the promotion was later rescinded after Perez received bad publicity for the move, sources said.
Perez, who ran and won as a Democrat for Hudson County Sheriff seat in 2007, has been frustrated ever since Hudson County Democrats decided to back Schillari over him in the June party primary. Perez has since switched his party affiliation to Republican and will try to run on the Hudson County GOP line.
Thursday afternoon, a spokesman for Schillari did not have a comment as to why Schillari was reinstated to his job. But he promised to release a statement Friday morning. – E. Assata Wright
UPDATE:
On Friday, a spokesman for Schillari said: “Reinstating Frank Schillari doesn’t change the fact that his firing was a political hatchet job and that his civil rights were violated. Sheriff Perez [in our opinion] broke the law and he should be held accountable for that. Perez should just let Frank and the other officers and staff do their jobs and leave politics out of it.”
Deptuy Sheriff Schillari reinstated after being fired by political rival
