The Hudson County Circus

As of mid-afternoon no physical fights had broken out in Union City or West New York. But that’s not to say the scene here is calm by any other county's standard.

In West New York, a stranger visiting town could conceivably not notice that there’s a campaign going on. Sal Vega signs are plentiful, and there are even a few for Stack. But if the number of signs each candidate has on his turf was any indication of who’s going to win the 33rd district State Senate race, then Brian Stack and his Column B team would win this one by what must be a 10:1 margin.

You can’t look in any direction in Union City’s one square mile without seeing either a big red letter b, Brian Stack’s name or a smiling picture of the man himself. House after house and business after business declare their allegiance to Stack with one or more of those signs. A convoy of small trucks plastered with Stack signs honked their horns down New York Avenue, with a loudspeaker booming “Brian Stack, the peoples’ choice!” Stack’s image could even be seen guiding a jitney bus as it plodded down Palisade Avenue, his face stuck to its grill.

Vega’s backers have not entirely ceded Union City to Stack, however. Dozens of Vega supporters handed out flyers on the streets. The Hudson Coutny Democratic Organization even brought school kids in on the fun. At the HCDO headquarters, about 15 teenagers donned “Column A” shirts and prepared to hand out flyers on the corner (Union City Schools had a half day). Most of the students seemed apathetic about their assigned tasks. But Ryan Weatherford, a 17-year-old junior at Union City’s Emerson High School – not even old enough to vote – was enthusiastic about working against Brian Stack.

“He really hasn’t done much for the city itself,” said Weatherford as he handed out flyers on the corner of 40th Street and Palisade Avenue. “I just think he’s more of a political boss than anything.”

But despite the roaming campaign volunteers and the noise and sight pollution, so far there have been no serious altercations. Even Stack and Vega supporters who find themselves deep in enemy territory had few complaints about their treatment at the hands of their rivals’ supporters.

“They’re very respectful and nice,” said Maria Corons, the sister of Column B Assembly candidate Caridad Rodriguez, who was campaigning for her sister’s ticket in the “lion’s den.” She was standing just feet away from Vega in his strongest district. “Wouldn’t it be nice if at the end of the day nothing bad happens? I hope it stays that way.”

Francisco Nunez, a Union City administrator who was campaigning for Vega just a couple blocks away from Union City Hall, was taken aback by the relative peace so far. “I’ve never seen anything like this, with both parties respecting each other,” he said. “But it’s still early.”