Union City Commissioner Tilo Rivas will not be seeking re-election on May 8th and will be replaced by Board of Education employee Wendy Grullon, according to circulating petitions of nomination.Â
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Rivas, a commissioner since 2002, will continue to serve as Union City’s freeholder (D-6) after being re-elected in November – at least for the short term – sources said.
Grullon has been a modest contributor to Union City Mayor/state Senator (D-33) Brian Stack in the past, donating $600 to Union City First in December 2012 and then $400 in April 2013, according to reports filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJ ELEC).
Additionally, she earned a salary of $67,944 from the BOE in 2016, according to public records.
However, Victor Grullon, another BOE employee who lists the same Roosevelt Street home address as Wendy, has been a much more generous supporter of the renowned North Hudson power broker in the past.
NJ ELEC indicates Victor Grullon contributed $2,000 to Stack’s Senate campaign in 2007, $500 to Union City First in 2015 and $500 to Stack’s Senate campaign last year.
Furthermore, he doled out $4,250, a max donation, to Union City First in 2011 (a $1,250 contribution to the same entity in 2014 was refunded), campaign finance records show.
As usual, Stack’s slate, which also includes returning Commissioners Maryury Martinetti, Lucio Fernandez and Celin Valdivia, appears to be a sure thing: they currently face no opposition for the spring municipal elections and that is extremely unlikely to change.
Known for utilizing one of the best get out the vote (GOTV) operations in the state, Stack scored over 20,000 votes in his Senate re-election bid in 2017.
While that tally includes the entire 33rd Legislative District, the smart money is on Stack easily surpassing 10,000 votes on his home turf on May 8th.
