Vargas resigns as commissioner
Commissioner Ruben Vargas announced his resignation on Thursday, citing personal reasons.
Vargas was elected as a commissioner in May 2011 on a ticket headed by Felix Roque. He said he was thankful for the opportunity to serve the residents of West New York, and thanked Mayor Roque and the commissioners for allowing him to work with them.
Vargas has recently served as the commissioner of the Department of Public Works.
Mayor Roque to run for reelection
Mayor Felix Roque made his intention to run for reelection official on Friday, Jan. 16 by filing his paperwork with the city clerk to seek a second term. Pablo Fonseca, spokesperson for Roque, said the mayor will run with a full ticket. His running mates will be announced over the next few weeks.
Voters will be asked to pick five commissioners. The commissioners will then select one of their own to serve as mayor. Commissioner Court Wiley has already announced his ticket in opposition to Roque.
Roque was acquitted on federal hacking charges in 2013. He and his son were accused of hacking into a political opponent’s web site.
County agencies lost more than $2 million in Hurricane Sandy aid
Hudson County lost more than $2 million out of $4 million in Hurricane Sandy renter and home owner relief because agencies assigned with the task of finding people in need failed to reach out into the community, county officials said at the Jan. 20 Board of Freeholder caucus.
The one noted exception, said Freeholder Bill O’Dea, was the Bayonne Equal Opportunity Foundation, a not-for-profit that runs a number of programs including Head Start, senior meals programs, weatherization, and homeless prevention.
The Sandy/Homeowner/Renter Assistance Program (SHRAP) is time-limited to six months of assistance per household. In order to be eligible for the program, an individual or family unit must have financial distress directly related to housing as a direct result of Superstorm Sandy.
Freeholder Chairman Junior Maldonado said the ineffectiveness of the outreach to distribute funds to people in need caused the state to take back half of the original allegation.
Free citizenship application help available on Jan. 31
We Are One New Jersey will host a Citizenship/DACA clinic on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 830 Bergen Ave. Jersey City. They will provide pro-bono lawyers to assist people with their citizenship and deferred action applications at no cost.
Priority will be given to those with an appointment. To reserve your spot now, call (201) 209-2839 or email info@weareonenj.org.
Documents you must bring with you, if you have them, include:
• Legal Permanent Resident card (Green Card)
• Driver’s license or other identification with photo
• Social Security card
• List of all your places of residency over the past five years and the dates you lived in each place of residency
• List of all employers and their addresses over the last five years and the dates of employment
• List of all travel outside the U.S. since the date you obtained your Green Card, including destinations and dates of travel
• Current and expired passports, and travel itineraries/boarding passes (if you have them)
• List with the complete names, dates of birth, home addresses, and Alien Number (if applicable) of all children
• Copy of each child’s birth certificate (if available)
• Certified court disposition and arrest report from police (if applicable)
• Most recent tax return
If you are seeking U.S. citizenship based on marriage, please bring:
• All marriage and divorce certificates
• Proof that your spouse has been a Legal Permanent Resident for at least three years
• Proof that you and your spouse share the same address (bank statements, etc.)
• Lease agreements or mortgages and tax returns of the past three years
• Court order authorizing name change (if you have changed your name through the courts)