Speziale Running for Passaic County Sheriff in Democratic Primary
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Former Passaic County Sheriff Jerry Speziale will run in the Democratic Primary for sheriff this year against incumbent Sheriff Richard Berdnik, according to a Passaic County source.
It’s happening.
It’s been a long and dramatic road back for Speziale.
A year after Governor Chris Christie put the Republican Party on the staewide map, he left the sheriff’s office in 2010 to take a job at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in what the Democratic Party establishment absorbed as a gut punch to the party.
Then he left the state, to Alabama.
He returned in 2014 with support for Paterson Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres, who won his local seat back that year after losing it in 2010.
He appointed Speziale police director, where he has since sat.
Now he wants to go countywide again.
His plan to run signaled real fracture in the Passaic County Democratic Party commanded by Cairman John Currie, who as state party chair found himself at odds with the South Jersey Democratic brain trust that was close to Christie.
When the freeholder board earlier this month ejected County Counsel Bill Pascrell III, son of the congressman with the same name who operates as the other half of a countywide power share, sources groaned about the inevitability of a coming war.
Currie’s close to incumbent Berdnik.
He personally plucked Berdnik to supplant Speziale.
Now the chair will be tested with his sheriff as he attempts to withstand a challenge to his party power with Speziale, and the real question is where the congressman and his allies will stand.
With Currie/Berdnik or with Speziale?
Back in 2010 amid Tea Party clamor, Pascrell was irritated at Speziale for bailing on a reelection bid, and soldered himself to Currie (and Berdnik) to convincingly win and shore up his organization in time to stare down a 2012 primary.
But with his son ousted (and Pascrell allies blaming Currie despite the chairman’s allies counter arguments that he had nothing to do with tomahawking BP3), the game might have changed.
Blood dictates.
More later.
This poor excuse of a law enforcement officer left Passaic County high and dry back in 2010 when he decided to leave the position(mid term) for a more lucrative position in NY port authority so that he could line his filthy corrupt pockets some more. He cant even handle the role he plays in Paterson PD, just look at the recent news of his officers robbing drug dealers, Paterson cops getting indicted left and right. He up and left when the going got tough, that right there should be enough for people to confirm who he really is, and for former Mayor Torres(in prison) and Bernard Kerik(served 4 years in prison) to have vouched for him in the past and present that just shows the types of company he keeps. Once he gets a better offer from another department in a different state (who doesn’t know his dirty deeds), he will probably leave Paterson high and dry as well. And just so everyone knows he is also still serving as Chief of Police in Hazleton while also being the Director of Paterson Police, sounds like he has enough on his plate already. Do yourself a favor and spare yourself the embarrassment Jerry, no one wanted you in Passaic county then and we damn sure don’t WANT or NEED you now!
How on earth does this guy get to hold so many public sector jobs? Chief in Hazleton, PA; Director in Paterson; and if he wins, Sheriff in Passaic County? This guy is a poster boy for all that’s wrong with the public sector in NJ!!! What will Murphy do about this?
Has anyone ever heard of the mob?
They are pretty active in our area.
Just look at the names in “I paint houses”
“The quiet Don”, they’re still people involved in this area.