Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis’ campaign for Hudson County sheriff is targeting Paul Swibinski, the spokesman for incumbent Frank Schillari’s re-election campaign over old defenses of a “sexting” lawsuit, which he is embracing ahead of the June 10th primary.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“I’ve known Sheriff Frank Schillari for a long time. I do believe I am the best and most qualified candidate to lead the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office in these challenging times,” Davis said in a statement.
“Repeating a lie over and over does not make it true, and trying to distract from the horrible mismanagement of that office will not make it any better for taxpayers or any safer for Hudson County residents.”
Citing an Insider NJ article from 2017, Swibinski, then working for Davis’ mayoral re-election campaign, called the alleged sexually explicit messages sent to former City Hall employee Stacie Percella an attempt to make the campaign about ” sex, lies and sleaze.”
About a month later, a copy of a notice from the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission to Percella concluded that they were “unable to conclude the information obtained establishes violation of the statutes,” a document Swibinski had provided to The Jersey Journal.
While the messages allegedly coincided with Davis’ first year in office in 2014, the case, along with another unrelated legal matter, was settled in early 2023 for a total of $450,000 and it has been a vocal point of Schillari’s re-election bid.
“It’s baffling that the Davis campaign keeps bringing up the Stacie Percella case, where Bayonne taxpayers paid her $450,000 after Davis sent lewd and disgusting sexting messages from his own phone,” Swibinski responded today.
“No one is to blame but Davis himself for sexually harassing a city employee he had power over. If I were him, it’s the last thing I’d want in the news. I defended Davis in 2017 when my firm was paid to work on his campaign. Like many in Bayonne, we believed him when he looked us in the eye and vigorously claimed she was lying. Today it’s clear Ms. Percella was telling the truth because Mayor Davis and the City settled her lawsuit in 2023 for almost a half million dollars.”
The long since settled court matter has been a consistent focal point in the Davis versus Schillari grudge match, with Swibinski again on Wednesday calling for the release of the depositions, and interrogatories, and texts in the case.
Davis has twice asked Schillari to debate and he said he would, but only if the aforementioned documents were made public first.
The Peninsula City mayor is backed by the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO), while Schillari is a part of Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop’s “Democrats for Change” gubernatorial slate.
Has anyone actually heard Frank speak? There’s a reason he refuses to debate he can’t even tell you what day it is. He spent 10 years in Secaucus before being forced to resign, and somehow, 17 years later, he resurfaces as Undersheriff? Something doesn’t add up.
At 79 years old, it’s time for Frank to step aside. Public service requires sharp judgment and accountability two things he clearly lacks. And if even half of the allegations posted on the HudsonExposure Instagram page are true, Frank shouldn’t be holding office he should be facing charges.