To the Editor:
So now that it has been made official and Nicholas Chiaravalloti is running for Assembly, you’re probably wondering who he is. While the name may appear unfamiliar at first glance Nicky is no stranger to politics.
Nicholas Chiaravalloti got his start working in the law offices of Donald Scarinci in 1999. Scarinci along with his childhood friend, a young lawyer by the name of Robert Menendez, served as aides to former Union City Mayor Musto. In 1982, Musto went to prison. Menendez began his political ascendency and Scarinci maintained a close proxy to his friend while going on to build one of the most powerful law firms in the state. I highly recommend reading the book, The Soprano State, by Bob Ingle.
In April of 2000, Chiavaralotti was appointed executive director of the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority by Mayor Joe Doria. The BLRA board was created to oversee the development of the Military Ocean Terminal. The most fascinating thing about the BLRA was the unique selection process for a developer, which was based not on price but rather on the subjective assessment of the director’s authority. While many companies expressed interest, one written proposal was accepted, Fidelco Bayonne Realty, a client of Nicky’s previous boss, Mr. Scarinci. After assembling the contract specifications, Director Chiaravalloti resigned and accepted a job on Menendez’s congressional staff. This is notably documented in The New York Times editorial titled “Waterfront project reflects 2 images of a senator,” by David Kocieniewski.
Chiaravalloti served on Menendez’s congressional staff from 2003-2005 and was named Menendez’s state director in 2006. A minor setback occurred when Nicky unsuccessfully ran for Assembly in 2007, but in true political fashion he safely landed in the lap of Menendez’s other pal, State Senator Lesniak and arrived at Weiner Lesniak LLP with the Fidelco Bayonne Realty account currently locked in a lawsuit with the city of Bayonne.
In 2010, Chiaravalloti and Mayor Joe Doria started a consulting firm called Magis Strategies LLC. Take out your highlighters just in case this firm should be awarded a contract on a future council agenda. In early 2014, Chiaravalloti resurfaced in Bayonne as a public policy consultant to then candidate-for-mayor Jimmy Davis, donating time, money, and services to the Committee to Elect James Davis. With the support of Doria, Lesniak, and Menendez, a candidate that no one had ever heard of became mayor. In turn the Bayonne mayor, who historically selects an assembly candidate, lobbied the Hudson County Democratic Organization to back Nicholas Chiaravalloti. Nicky who? That’s who.
PETER FRANCO