Perth Amboy mayor Wilda Diaz, deep into her second term, know what she wants from New Jersey's next chief executive.
By Paul Brubaker | The Backgrounder
Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz does not want to be governor, but she knows what she wants in New Jersey's next chief executive.
Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz Diaz hasn't thrown her support behind any of the expected candidates in the 2017 race, but the criteria are simple: she'll support the person who best supports New Jersey's urban communities.
"They need to have us - the cities - at the forefront," said Diaz on the latest edition of The Backgrounder Podcast. "How are they going to help the cities with the infrastructure problems that we're having? What are we going to do about these areas that for many years have been abandoned? And education - I think that's a real big part of the urban agenda.
"I'm going to be listening closely and I'm going to be making an educated decision on who I'm going to support. "
Diaz, who was elected mayor in 2008 in an upset against the entrenched incumbent Joe Vas, inherited a city that the The Star-Ledger characterized as "teetering on the edge of bankruptcy." Then, in 2012, Superstorm Sandy destroyed the city's waterfront.
In this episode, Diaz -- who is incidentally the state's only Latina mayor, the first Latina to be elected mayor, and the president of the N.J. Urban Mayors Association -- discusses the challenges the city has faced. She also explains her city's new identification card program, who it benefits and what privileges it provides. She also presents her case for a third term as Perth Amboy's mayor.
To hear the entire interview, simply click on the orange play button at the top of this page.
Paul Brubaker, former journalist and congressional spokesman, keeps it real with the people who make New Jersey the most fascinating place on Earth. Check back every week for a new episode of 'The Backgrounder.'