West New York has had some memorable commissioners meetings this year. One name that keeps coming up is Frank Ferreiro, the leader of Residents For A Better West New York.Â
By Kate Mosso/Hudson County View
At a town meeting in February, Frank was escorted out by police after calling Mayor Felix Roque “a piece of ****” in front of a packed crowd. At the next meeting, Frank and other members of his community action group wore t-shirts that expressed the same idea, making it doubly clear: Frank Ferreiro didn’t think highly of Mayor Felix Roque.
That is until now, as West New York Spokesman Pablo Fonseca confirms a truce has been called between Ferreiro and the Mayor.
According to Fonseca, he approached Frank and offered him the opportunity to talk and be heard about creating positive changes in WNY. “It’s about having actual conversations, instead of everybody screaming and nobody listening,” Fonseca explains.
As Ferreiro puts it, Fonseca posed him with the question “do you want to keep fighting or do you want to make the changes you are fighting for?”
Ferreiro says he’s already engaged in some productive conversations with the town spokesman and expressed his grievances, “I want to see progress in West New York, I want to get a town cleaner, I want a working, productive chamber of commerce.” He says the administration has already shown more transparency, and there are plans in the works to clean up litter, among other things.
Ferreiro says he’s gotten backlash from members of the community for agreeing to the truce, explaining, “I know it’s crazy, Kate. It’s shocking, it is crazy to believe.”
He says he’s aware some people think he must be getting more in return than the opportunity to be heard, “some people swear that I’m gonna be the chief of staff next week, I’m not doing this for a job, Kate.. I never got into this for a job.”
Ferreiro volunteered the information that Fonseca has directed business to Frank’s “High Impact Advertising” company, also known as “TV On Wheels,” on multiple occasions.
“I’ve known Pablo for a very long time, I respect him…he’s hired me for a lot of campaigns,” he added.
Furthermore, the once outspoken Roque critic insists he hasn’t been offered any financial incentive or secret deal in return for his cooperation with the Roque administration.
The Director of Residents For A Better WNY even shook the Mayor’s hand at the last commissioners meeting. Still, he says he doesn’t regret calling Roque “a piece of ****” insisting,”he deserved every bit of it. He knows I was right.”
Ferreiro opened up about a past aspiration to become a political campaign manager, but added that the past year and a half of fighting the town administration has lead him to change course on that goal.
“I really don’t have the thick skin for this crap.”
Bunch of bs…… interview the members who decided to leave Frank and residents4roque. …. keep sucking it Froque. He must of got a sweet deal from Pablo to work with #fidelroque
[…] response to a story on Hudson County View about former Residents for a Better West New York director Frank Ferreiro joining up with Mayor Roqu…, two former members of the group, Danny Parrales and Oscar Echeverria, went on the record about the […]
Frank should go support a POS for mayor in his own town where he lives — it ain’t WNY — and leave WNY alone.