Local and county leaders from both sides of the aisle are endorsing Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis and his council slate in the May 10th non-partisan municipal elections.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The endorsements come from Bayonne Democratic Organization Vice Chair Rosemarie Martinez, Hudson County Democratic Organization Chair Amy DeGise, Hudson County Republican Organization Chair Jose Arango, and Bayonne Republican Committee Chair Vincent Cuseglio.
Davis chairs the BDO, hence Martinez, who was named the new vice chair in June, endorsed on behalf of the group.
“While I consider myself a strong Democrat, working across party lines is incredibly important and it’s something that we all wish our representatives in Washington did more often,” the mayor said in a statement.
“That’s why I’m proud to earn the support of local and county leaders from both the Democratic and Republican parties, who all agree that Team Davis is the right choice to keep moving our city forward.”
The support of DeGise, also a Jersey City Councilwoman-at-Large, is not unexpected, given the number of HCDO mainstays who attended Davis’ campaign kickoff in February.
“Mayor Davis has been a strong leader for Bayonne and his record is clear — the city is in a stronger place financially, it’s seeing real progress in developing the Military Ocean Terminal to create thousands of good-paying jobs, and investments in the community are evident in improvements to local parks and recreation programs,” she noted.
“I’m enthusiastically supporting Mayor Davis and his team because I know they are the best choice to move Bayonne forward.”
Similarly, Arango said he was backing the incumbent due to stabilizing taxes, investing in public safety, and pausing development in residential neighborhoods (though challenger Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski, the council president, has said that claim is false).
Easily the most interesting endorsement is from Vincent Cuseglio, given that he is the father of Raine Cuseglio: a former chief of staff to Assemblyman Nick Chiaravalloti, as well as an ex-aide to DeGise who is now co-managing Ashe-Nadrowski’s mayoral campaign.
“I’ve known Jimmy Davis for decades and his commitment to our city and our community is stronger now than it has ever been,” Vincent Cuseglio said.
“Mayor Davis grew up here in Bayonne and he knows how important it is to protect what makes our city special. He’s the clear choice for mayor.”
