NEWARK – The retirement this year of Augusto Amador forced a contest for his East Ward Ironbound seat among four contenders, all of them competing in today’s Newark election.

Mayor Ras Baraka decided to back former cop Louie Weber for the seat, and every indication shows Weber running s strong race in some tough weather.

Perennial candidate businessman Jonathan Seabra was also trying to break through.

But most eyes fastened on former cop Mike Silva, who has the backing of Amador and of the local Democratic Party establishment; and former Police Chief Anthony Campos.

On Election Day, Silva and Campos, who lost (barely) to Amador four years ago, appeared to be battling for supremacy.

Since first undertaking a shot at the East Ward seat in 2018, Campos sharpened has style as a candidate and reemerged this year as the frontrunner.

Faced with the same skeptical old school Portuguese base that Amador commanded against him, Campos even cut a good-natured Facebook ad in Portuguese, to emphasize his own roots in the community.

Silva has tried to cohere that base, which hangs on amid a changing Ironbound.

Inevitably, perhaps, as the contest intensified, the tough guy and diabolical, devious antics began on Election Day.

“Someone”, to quote a Silva ally, “took down all Silva signs early this morning….sad [above]”

More later from the Ironbound.