On Monday, residents at the Hillside Terrace Apartments in Union City got a bit of a scare. Letters were slipped under their doors claiming that effective May 1, rents would be raised at the public housing building in order to “not terminate the jobs at the schools.” The letters, riddled with typos, were written in English and Spanish and signed “Most sincerely, Brian P. Stack,” featuring the mayor’s photo and the phrase “paid for with taxpayers funds” – but they were a campaign hoax likely perpetrated by one of Stack’s enemies.
With Union City having only one of two contested mayor/commission elections in Hudson County this May, the campaign heat is on between a slate of incumbents led by Mayor Stack and the opposing slate, led by frequent Stack critic Frank Scarafile.
Rents at the Hillside Terrace Apartments cannot be changed on a local level.
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‘Creepy’ correspondence
The false campaign literature violates state election law because it does not contain a “paid for” note with the name of the actual author(s).
It’s not the first time that anti-Stack flyers were handed out recently.
In December, Scarafile and a group of Stack critics allegedly handed out literature signed with Stack’s name. They were doing so in public, and a supporter of theirs said the literature was meant to be satirical. They were taken to jail, and both their group and Stack subsequently filed legal complaints against each other.
Last week, Scarafile said that his slate is committed to an issue-oriented campaign and because of the current pending litigation, he doesn’t have “the time or energy” to have been involved with the latest flyers.
“It’s unfortunate what it’s come to,” said Scarafile. “The people of Union City deserve better.”
Scarafile added a jibe, saying that while he may be the only “public enemy” of the mayor, there must be a lot of others who feel similarly.
Press conference
Stack and his five-member Board of Commissioners held a press conference in front of Hillside Terrace Apartments, the public housing building where the flyers were slipped under doors, on Wednesday.
Stack said the flyers went beyond the usual campaign mudslinging.
“I’ve been around long enough to know that mud is thrown,” he said. “But in Union City it seems we go to lows that are unbelievable by anybody’s standards.”
Stack apologized to residents who gathered in front of the building during the conference and said there is no excuse for using such scare tactics with residents, especially during the current tough economy.
Later, Mary Bruno, who has lived in the building for over 50 years, said, “I didn’t receive one. But my sister did.”
Her sister, Catherine, has lived in the building for 20 years and said she recognized one of the two men she saw slipping the flyers under the door.
“I think I know, but I don’t want to say,” she said. “It was creepy.”
Identity theft, not satire
Stack rebutted the idea that the letter and previous flyers with his photo and signature are “political satire,” because it is not simply using a photograph or drawing to make fun of him. He noted that the scare tactic was being done at the expense of the people.
Commissioner Christopher Irizarry, who also spoke at the press conference, said the circulation of the letters is ridiculous. He likened it to opening a false bank account in someone else’s name.
“It’s identity theft,” said Irizarry. “What happened here is very similar.”
He also called it “Communist tactics.”
“There’s no excuse for this,” said Stack. “This is not something that should happen at all in society today.”
Stack urged residents to “be aware of what you receive in your mailbox and under your door. You’ll know when it’s from me.”
Federally controlled public housing
As a public housing building, the Hillside Terrace Apartments are run by a federal agency, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Executive Director of the Union City Housing Authority Virgilio Cabello said the rents are federally mandated to be 30 percent of the resident’s income (regardless of unit size) and there’s no way that this would be changed on a local level.
Cabello said a few residents called his office immediately after they received the forged letters, and the maintenance staff then removed the flyers. His office also sent a letter to the residents of the building clarifying that the flyer was fraudulent.
The flyer distribution was confined to the one building, which houses 250 apartments.
As for how the anonymous flyer distributors got into the building in the first place, Cabello said that although the Housing Authority has tried several security measures, it is hard to control the flow of people because residents often leave the door propped open for family members.
Pending litigation
At the press conference, Stack said he is “absolutely” alleging that individuals arrested for flyer distribution in December are the same people responsible for the recent letters distributed at Hillside Terrace.
Scarafile denied his involvement. He said his own campaign has sent out its own introductory campaign materials over the past few weeks.
Two of the individuals arrested with Scarafile during the incident in December are involved with his Vision 4 Union City slate. Carlos Lopez is running on the slate with Scarafile and Armando Hernandez is the group’s spokesperson.
Days after the arrests, Stack filed a civil complaint against them seeking an unspecified amount of damages and a consent order was filed a week later forbidding the six defendants from distributing communications “purporting to be authored, signed by, approved by or endorsed in any way by Plaintiff, Mayor Brian P. Stack.”
Weeks later, Scarafile and his associates filed a counterclaim for “no less than $1,000,000” for each defendant.
While the case is being hashed out in civil court, criminal charges are still pending as well.
The mayor and commissioners said there were eyewitnesses to most recent flyer distribution and they intend to pursue the matter with both the Hudson County Prosecutor’s office and the U.S. Attorney General’s Office.
Stack won’t debate
Stack said last week that even though he’s “all for exchanging political ideas,” he will not be participating in any debates or forums with the opposing slate, including one set up next week by the Hudson Reporter staff.
That one will be filmed and shown on www.hudsonreporter.com regardless of candidates’ attendance.
“I don’t know how you can debate with these types of individuals,” Stack said.
Scarafile said he will attend.
Lana Rose Diaz can be reached at ldiaz@hudsonreporter.com.