In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the City Council sought to honor five public figures that made significant contributions to Jersey City’s Latin community. The list included very familiar names, including Ben Lopez, Fernando Colon Jr., E. Junior Maldonado, Nidia Lopez, and the late Jaime Vazquez.
Even before the ink was dry on the resolutions honoring them, news came that Vazquez – a former city councilman from Ward E, and a Purple Heart recipient after two tours in Vietnam as a U.S. Marine – had died of a heart attack.
“I was reading the five names yesterday,” said Councilman Daniel Rivera at the Oct. 12 City Council meeting, “and this morning I heard he was dead. This is a huge loss to the Latino community. He was the Puerto Rican/Latino leader of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, when Jersey City was at its worst. We lost an icon.”
“He was more than just a Vietnam veteran. He was also about peace, about bringing people together.” – Kabili Tayari
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Near tears himself, Former Jersey City Deputy Mayor Kabili Tayari called Vazquez “a great man and a public servant,” who he has known since 1969.
“He was more than just a Vietnam veteran. He was also about peace, about bringing people together. I knew him well, and though we didn’t always agree, I respected and loved him.”
A strong advocate for veterans, Vazquez was a leader in movements for peace. In 2003 when the United States was on the verge of going to war in Iraq, he joined a protest march in New York City, along with people such as Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Martin Luther King III. He had previously marched in an event organized by Veterans for Peace.
“I think we need to look at this conflict with Iraq from a historic perspective. When we fought in Vietnam, 60,000 Americans died. We found out later we had been misled about a lot of events,” Vasquez told The Hudson Reporter at that time. He said he felt America has a moral obligation to make certain that American military people are not “put in harm’s way” for oil or politics, and that if America goes to war, that the government had attempted every other means to resolve the conflict beforehand.
“For several decades when I talked about Vietnam to people I used to say that someone from Jersey City had to travel 10,000 miles to fight in Vietnam, when no one from Vietnam attacked Jersey City,” Vazquez said. “On Sept. 11 [2001], Grove Street was attacked, and I was on the waterfront to see it. So I thought our going after Bin Laden was right, I said, ‘Go get those guys.’”
But when the focus turned toward Iraq and Saddam Hussein, Vazquez had some questions.
A man of strong convictions
Active in the community long before he ever held public office, Vazquez was elected as Ward E Councilman in 1985 and served three consecutive terms. He briefly served as deputy mayor under Mayor Bret Schundler, but quit over differences in philosophy.
Vazquez, who spent most of his life in Jersey City, ran unsuccessfully for council in 2009. A graduate of St. Peter’s College, he was also the city’s director of Veterans Affairs for several years and hosted a talk show on WPIX-TV for a decade.
A constant advocate for human rights, Vazquez became the arch enemy of North Bergen-based white supremacist radio host Hal Turner, and frequently held protests against him. Once such protest led to Vazquez being injured.
A resident of Pacific Avenue with his mother, Vazquez rarely backed down from an issue when he thought he was right or it was right for the community.
“Everybody knows how much work he did advocating for veterans,” said Rivera.
Even if the council hadn’t scheduled the event to honor him and other Hispanic leaders, Vasquez would have been missed at the Oct. 12 City Council meeting, since he routinely appeared in the chamber, waiting for a moment for him to speak on issues related to veterans or the community.
His death of a heart attack on Oct. 11 was so unexpected, city officials didn’t even have time to amend a resolution honoring him as an icon.
Council President Rolando Lavarro describe him as “a fighter,” a man legendary for fighting for those under represented in the Hispanic and other communities. Lavarro, overseeing the honoring of the Hispanic leaders, called it “a bittersweet moment.”
“This is a loss personally, and across the city,” said Councilman John Hallanan
Councilman Richard Boggiano called it a sad day for Jersey City.
“Knowing him was an honor,” said Council member Candice Osborne. “He was tough as nails, but always smiling, and he always gave back.”
While Vazquez was not present, his family was, lining up near the podium to pay their own tribute. Some were so overcome with emotion they were unable to speak.
Four other icons of the Hispanic Community
Although a bit overshadowed by the loss of Vazquez, the council also paid tribute to those leaders who remain vigilant in the community
Former Councilman Benjamin Lopez, who serves as director of family services for Hudson County, and his wife, former Councilwoman Nidia Lopez, were both honored for their roles as elected officials and for the parts they played in helping the most needy in the community. Ben Lopez, a graduate of Princeton University, has been instrumental in helping the most underprivileged people in the county, providing services such as finding homes, training and jobs.
Nidia Lopez, a successful local businesswoman, was instrumental in addressing the needs of homeless, in particular around Journal Square.
E Junior Maldonado, a former Ward E Councilman, once bragged about losing the election that gave Mayor Steve Fulop his start in politics. Now a firm Fulop supporter, Maldonado represents Jersey City as a freeholder.
Reverend Fernando Colon Jr. served as a freeholder from Jersey City in the 1970s, went on to serve as a councilman in the 1990s, and has since become a major fixture in the Latino community.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.