(Press Release) PERTH AMBOY – With four weeks remaining in this year’s general election, Attorney Joseph B. Vas released an eye-opening critique of his principle opponent in the Perth Amboy Mayoral contest. Vas has charged Wilda Diaz with lying to voters while seeking a fourth four-year term.
“When you lie in political propaganda and public statements in order to obtain something of value, in this case a high paying job as Mayor, that is misleading,” said Vas.
Vas said her term as Mayor started as a lie when Diaz reneged on her promise, published as part of her 2008 campaign, to seek a charter amendment requiring term limits for elected officials. “It is very clear that Diaz will say and do anything to get elected. From day one her tenure as Mayor has been one lie after another,” added Vas.
Vas and his two Council running mates, Vanessa Bermudez and Angel Mota Ramirez have taken their campaign directly to the residents of Perth Amboy. To date they have visited nearly 50% of the City’s registered voters. “Voter’s reactions have been consistent throughout the City. They are disgusted with Diaz’s election time antics and are demanding real leadership to provide answers to the City’s looming problems. Taxpayers question Diaz’s and the Council’s broken promises to stabilize taxes witnessing a rise in taxes by nearly 40% in the past 12 years. Renters feel abandoned by Diaz and the City Council and are frightened to know they now have lost their rent control protection over large politically connected Landlords and unwarranted rent increases. Families are uncertain about the safety of the City’s drinking water discovering that the City’s potable water lab tested to have at least 25 known carcinogens,” continued Vas.
There is an overall sense that Perth Amboy has become governmentally dysfunctional. The electorate has lost confidence in both Diaz and the City Council, seeing them as one and the same, unable to resolve the problems they themselves have created. Residents are questioning the lack of enforcement of basic and visible violations affecting their quality of life. Furthermore, residents have concluded that this same lack of enforcement addressing overcrowded housing created a public health crisis which contributed greatly to Perth Amboy’s staggering number of reported Covid -19 cases, up until recent day, the highest in the county.
“City government’s most important job is to protect the health and safety of its residents. Diaz and the City Council have chosen politics over governance. Their failure to govern has cost many resident’s their lives in the midst of this global pandemic. I know in my heart we can do better,” an emotional Vas shared.
Simply because Diaz and the other Councilmembers now running for Mayor want to ignore the problems of the City, doesn’t mean the problems don’t exist, that’s politically convenient. The residents want qualified and honest leadership to fix the problems, repair the streets, actually stabilize taxes, address the surge of violent crime, and protect their health and safety.
This year’s local election will require the next Mayor and Council candidates convince 50% plus one voter in order to be certified as the winner. The election change was mandated by the voters in last year’s referendum decision which Diaz opposed and used taxpayer’s dollars to unsuccessfully challenge in the Courts.
“Capitalizing on the generosity of food donors and pretending that she is somehow responsible for the donations while taking a photo op is far from leadership and only insults the intelligence of Perth Amboy voters. The voters deserve to know the truth. That’s what our campaign has been about,” ended Vas.
