Did Bayonne Mayor James Davis accept contributions from Suez Water even though he said he had not?  His opponents say so.  When a Hudson County View article discussed the contentious campaign between Mayor Davis and challenger Council President Sharon Ashe Nadrowski, the Nadrowski campaign asserted that Davis was in the pocket of Suez Water, with whom Bayonne has a massive water infrastructure contract.  Mayor Davis stated he had not accepted any money from Suez, nor would he.

On March 15, the Nadrowski campaign fired back, with two ELEC files indicating the Davis campaign had received a $1,000 contribution from United Water Inc NJ PAC on October 10, 2015, and a $2,500 contribution from Suez Water Inc NJ PAC on April 24, 2017.

The Nadrowski campaign said that Davis’ assertion he had not and would not accept monies from Suez was “an attempt to buck responsibility” and that his claims were “proven false.”

“We’ve heard nothing from Mayor Davis himself for the longest time, and as soon as he chooses to comment he lies to us,” said Jodi Casais in a statement.  Casais is running for Council-at-Large on mayoral candidate Sharon Ashe Nadrowski’s ticket. “Silence on an important issue is disrespectful, but not telling the truth about political contributions is low, even for this administration’s standards.”

Casais called for a “change in leadership,” saying “…once again, the average Bayonne resident can’t get a straight answer from City Hall. Our bills are skyrocketing, our Mayor lies about taking political contributions from special interests, and the confidence in our government is shattered.”

Davis had said, according to the Hudson County View, that the Suez Water contract had been negotiated before he was mayor and that to change or cancel the contract would cost the city in excess of $300 million.  The Nadrowski campaign was not satisfied.

A voicemail left with the Davis campaign for comment was not immediately responded to.