Last month, while hundreds of families enjoyed the holidays and time spent with their families, one powerful local politician suffered a fate that led to much gossip in Hudson County – and more evidence that there really isn’t “peace” among county Democrats.
West New York Mayor Silverio “Sal” Vega was pulled over by Fairview police after midnight on Dec. 22, according to Fairview Police Chief John Pinzone.
Pinzone said Vega was pulled over for making an improper turn. Pinzone added that while he was pulled over by the town’s DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) patrol, he was not pulled over for a DWI violation.
Vega was given a verbal warning and released, Pinzone said.
However, a week after the incident occurred, some local officials began claiming the incident may have been part of a cover-up.
The suspicions
Shortly after the New Year, the topic of conversation wasn’t celebrations of the preceding night but rumors that Sal Vega was let off the hook.
Last June, Vega was part of a bitter political civil war in Hudson County. He was serving both as mayor of West New York and as state assemblyman for the 33rd District. He wanted to move up from assemblyman to state Senator, but so did the mayor of neighboring Union City, Brian Stack.
Stack and Vega fought a bitter battle in the June Democratic primary for the position, publicly accusing each other of various offenses.
In an effort to mend what became a war among Democrats countywide, a press conference was held last month by Stack’s ally, Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner, and Vega. The conference was meant to show that peace had been restored locally, although some said it was just for show.
With Vega’s political enemies spreading information on his traffic stop so quickly, it appears that the peace is not so pervasive.
Last week, Paul Swibinski, a spokesman for Vega, said that rumors spread by Vega’s opponents about the traffic stop being DWI-related were “total lies” spread by “gutless losers.”
Vega himself declined to comment on the traffic stop.
According to Pinzone, Vega was traveling south on Broad Avenue when he was then pulled over for illegally making a left turn onto Fairview Avenue, a turn that requires one to use the jug handle marked before the intersection.
Swibinski attributed the rumors to “greedy officials.”
DWI Patrol
According to Chief Pinzone, the DWI Patrol is a police unit that enforces safe driving via state funded grants.
The chief added that because most drivers operating under the influence commit other infractions, the two-man police car can pull over anyone for any infraction.
“It does not have to be a DWI,” said Pinzone, “They [the officers] look to see if there’s other types of situations. [The traffic stop] was for an improper turn…and he was not issued a summons.”
“That night, there were a number of summons issued, and some [officers] issued a verbal warning,” he added. Chief Pinzone said that out of 13 vehicles pulled over that night, there were only a total of seven summonses issued and the rest were issued verbal warnings.
Verbal warnings, Pinzone said, are permitted and are up to the discretion of the police officers.
In this instance, the warning was issued by police officer Fred Dingertopadre and police officer Ronald Bononno between midnight and 3:50 a.m. on Dec. 22.
But if only two officers were on the scene, how did word get out about the traffic stop to so many of Vega’s political enemies?
Swibinski speculated that Vega himself may have mentioned to friends that he was pulled over, and the rumors spread from there.
At press time, Vega did not return additional calls for comment.
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