Fernando Irizarry For Perth Amboy Mayor

Platform

Fernando Irizarry

I will focus on the following quality of life issues:

•Make Perth Amboy a better place to live 

As a Councilman, I helped to implement alternate street cleaning in the Budapest section of Perth Amboy, a neighborhood chronically ignored by the current mayor. I’ve helped secure new garbage cans and a new garbage truck, making sure all areas of the city receive the same services. As Mayor, I will care for the streets so that residents that live throughout the entire city get the streets that they deserve.   

•Stabilize city taxes

Perth Amboy is bursting with potential. The city is blessed to be on the bay, to have a downtown, to have a rail station and be close to all major highways and byways in central New Jersey. As Mayor, I will capitalize on our ideal location and amenities to lower your taxes. I will work to attract businesses that would be interested in all that Perth Amboy has to offer, would be eager to invest here and offset the tax burden for our residents. 

•Improve city finances

Many residents are unaware that Perth Amboy is in debt, to the tune of approximately $100 million. With so much debt, it costs Perth Amboy higher interest rates to borrow money. Those extra costs are funded directly by taxpayers. As your Mayor, I would stop city borrowing, unless absolutely necessary, and begin to pay down all this debt that was created by past administrations. Perth Amboy needs to become a thriving city, where we have enough revenue so that we don’t need to rely on banks to afford basic government services.

•Obtain the resources to address the pandemic

As Mayor,  I will continue to concentrate on obtaining the resources that are needed to address the pandemic and this aftermath, as I do now as a member of the city council.

Fernando Irizarry Biography

Fernando is a life-long resident of Perth Amboy. He was educated in the Perth Amboy public schools and proudly graduated from Perth Amboy High School in 1979. After graduation he began attending Kean College, now known as Kean University. In 1985 he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology. His studies continued at Kean University until he earned certifications in bilingual education and supervision and a master’s degree in instruction and curriculum.

In 1982 he received one of the greatest blessings of his life, his wife Vivian. Their thirty-nine-year marriage was blessed with two beautiful daughters Erica and Jessica. Both of their daughters were educated in the Perth Amboy public schools and graduated from Perth Amboy High school. Erica is working at JFK hospital and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology from Kean University. Jessica attended Georgian Court University, earned a master’s degree in special education, and is working for the Woodbridge Township Public Schools.

From 1985 to September of 1993 he was employed by his father’s company, A & I Drywall, Inc. Then in September of 1993 he began his teaching career in the Elizabeth Public Schools. His career continued in the Woodbridge Public Schools, were he was employed as a science department head until the budget cuts of 2010. Then he continued working as a science teacher until he retired in June 2020.

His community involvement began in 1991 when he was elected to the Perth Amboy Board of Education. During his nine-year tenure he served on the curriculum, personnel, negotiations, and buildings and grounds committees. Along with his fellow board members he replaced crumbling schools, aligned the curriculum, approved balanced budgets and maintained a stable school tax. It was here were he learned the valuable lessons of disagreeing without being disagreeable and compromising without compromising his principles.

Upon becoming an ordained minister in 2002 his attention turned to the development of a different community – the community of saints. As a pastor of Flemington Christian Center and associate pastor of Perth Amboy Christian Center he has endeavored to develop concerned citizens by helping his congregants to understand that they have a God-given potential to positively influence the world in which they live.