Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari, who was first elected as a Democrat in 2010 and will serve for a record-setting five terms, has just switched to the Republican party prior to his term expiring at the end of the year after a primary loss to Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“After decades of service, I’ve come to understand that leadership isn’t about party lines, it’s about standing up for what’s right, even if it’s not popular,” he said in a statement.
“My job has always been to protect and serve this community and I believe this shift allows me to do that without compromise.”
He added that the move reflects his steadfast dedication to law enforcement, public safety, and the values of accountability and common-sense leadership.
Also a U.S. Navy veteran and former Hudson County undersheriff, Schillari elaborated that the change comes due to a commitment to fiscal responsibility and community over politics.
“Our officers deserve leaders who support them, not just with words, but with policies and resources that allow them to do their jobs safely and effectively. Taxpayers are struggling. We must run our government like we run our households, with discipline, transparency and accountability,” he declared.
“This is bigger than politics. It’s about putting our communities, our families and our future first. My oath never mentioned a party, it mentioned the people. That’s who I serve. That’s who I fight for.”
Schillari also noted that while he respects colleagues on both sides of the aisle, he expressed concern that today’s Democratic party no longer reflects the principles that guided his public service career.
Davis, who ran with the support of the Hudson County Democratic Organization, bested Schillari, who was a part of Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop’s “Democrats for Change” gubernatorial slate, by about eight points in the June 10th primary.
While Davis is heavily favored to succeed Schillari next year, the November 4th general election also has independent Justin Avishay and Republican nominee Elvis Alvarez on the ballot.
Republican Party is just an apparatus of the old Democrat county machine. GOP should be more than a homeless shelter of last resort for Democrats rendered politically homeless by the contemporary, pro-October 7th DSA/Gaza/Hamas defund the police mob.
God bless you Sheriff and you did the right thing. I salute you my friend.
Oh good so his stances on heavy gun control and rigorous social programs will now be red flavored instead of blue. The two parties in New Jersey are “The Ruling Party” who own the entire state apparatus and “The Party of People pushed out of The Ruling Party” a rag-tag coalition of ‘okie-dokie’ naive fools that want to remain in public service but feel like “the world is just moving too darn fast, ya know?” who you can impotently “protest vote” for.
Please note that the red-flavored policies that are offered would make even FDR blush because in actuality, all political figures in New Jersey think in the exact same direction with the only significant distinction being varying degrees of participation/coercion. Do you want 45% or 40% income taxes? Should firearms licensing have a 30 or 24 month wait? (if issued at all but don’t mention that) Should you wear two masks in the grocery store or just one? (still a thing here in NJ) Instead of transitioning your son into a girl fully, red team will advocate for only removing one testicle instead of both and only half the dosage of HRT medication.
TL;DR It makes no difference what this guy has decided. Plus, given his extremely advanced elderly age of 78, he won’t even be in public life anymore before the decade is out. It’s all a circus.
You are a libertarian narcissist
When Zohran Mamdani becomes the face of your Democratic Party, the only surprise about this defection is: What took you so long?
Lots of Hudson Democrats voted for Trump last year. That is surely a protest vote. When do other elected officials switch parties to avoid being associated with a candidate (likely the next Mayor of New York City) who literally wrote that he wants to seize the “means of production”? When do Mamdani supporters start eyeing the multimillion dollar homes of men like Steven Fulop, Ravi Bhalla and Larry Wainstein, among others?
Maybe he can get the Pedo-in-Chief’s endorsement.
All Hail the Pedo-in-Chief… loved by pervs and pedos. Welcome to the club, Sheriff!