Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis has challenged Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari to debate ahead of the June 10th primary and he accepted, though under very specific parameters that probably won’t happen. 
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Voters deserve to hear directly from the people asking for their support. Times are very different from when Frank first stepped into a leadership role in 1997,” Davis said in a statement.
“These different, and difficult, times require a new vision and true leadership and that’s not something Sheriff Schillari’s handlers can provide for him in a mail piece or a soundbite. Frank, I’ll save you and your handlers some seats at the debate.”
Davis is running on the Hudson County Democratic Organization’s ticket, while Schillari is seeking sixth term on Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop’s “Democrats for Change” gubernatorial slate.
The Hudson County sheriff’s race is very rarely a hotly contested race, with the last time a competitive election emerged being in 2010, when Schillari defeated then-Sheriff Juan Perez, who is now a Bayonne councilman-at-large and Davis ally.
“Hudson County residents are sick and tired of paying the ‘Hudson County Corruption Tax’ that wastes many millions of taxpayer dollars on political patronage and nepotism. Mayor Davis is a symbol of this corruption and he is one of the most unsavory candidates ever to carry the HCDO banner,” Schillari’s campaign replied.
“In order to have a thorough debate, we call on Mayor Davis to order the Bayonne Law Department to release all documents, discovery, depositions, emails, text messages and photographs from [the Stacie Percella and Sincerrae Ross] cases. If Mayor Davis has nothing to hide, no pun intended, he should be happy to release these public documents. We aren’t holding our breath.”
The Percella case alleging that Davis sent her sexually explicit messages and pictures ended in a $450,000 settlement (which included another unrelated case prior to Davis’ tenure in office).
Ross received a $500,000 jury award for a hostile work environment on Thursday, but that was overturned by a judge on Monday, as HCV first reported.
The Davis campaign also cited the endorsement of the Hudson County Sheriff’s Superiors FOP Lodge 127 and big overtime spending as reasons why it is time for a new leader to oversee the department.
Where is Mayor Carol Jean Doyle and who is she supporting? Playing Switzerland?
This should be good. I hear Jimmy Davis is a Master Debater!!
Debate who has the worse hair
Frank the “Rug” speaks out against political patronage and nepotism, yet he seems to overlook the current state of his own department. He is the only sheriff who has begun hiring Sheriff Investigators, a political title that circumvents civil service regulations.
A quick glance at his political contributions filed with the Election Commission reveals much: Election Commission Contributions. https://www.njelecefilesearch.com/SearchContributionByContributor
Moreover, he has not been transparent with his voters about the number of harassment complaints filed during his administration, nor the retaliation faced by employees who lack political connections.
How can he claim to protect victims of sexual harassment, when he has failed to safeguard victims within his own administration? Don’t just take my word for it—this is a matter of public record: HUD-L004094-22. This has a cost eventually to the taxpayers.