Although she sees herself as a progressive candidate, Dina Grilo said her primary challenge against East Newark Mayor Joseph Smith is less about a progressive agenda and more about what she believes residents want.
Grilo, 48, is challenging the longest-serving mayor in Hudson County, partly because members of the community approached her.
She’s been a resident of East Newark since early elementary school. “I’m a borough girl,” she said. “I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve been close to the same people I grew up with. We’re all borough boys and girls.”
Underdeveloped
East Newark, which sits on the eastern shores of the Passaic River, has not risen from its industrial ashes.
While Harrison to the north and Kearny to the south have made huge strides in converting their factories and warehouses into residential and commercial development, East Newark has lagged behind.
Although the smallest town in Hudson County – less than half the size of Hoboken and with far fewer people – East Newark has the potential for growth. She said this is one of the concerns residents have raised in asking her to run against Smith.
Smith, 78, has been mayor since 1987. While his administrations have sought to redevelop some areas of the town, Grilo said this doesn’t compare with the massive changes that are taking place along the “Other Gold Coast” of Hudson County.
Harrison, Kearny, and Jersey City with its massive developments downriver, have already launched large-scale plans for converting the county’s Rust Belt into a new residential destination.
Democratic stronghold
If Grilo beats Smith in the Democratic primary on June 4, she would go on to a general election against a possible GOP or independent candidate in November.
East Newark has less than 1,000 registered voters, but 650 of them are Democrats. This means the person who wins the primary will likely win the general election.
She’s not worried about the impact of the Hudson County Democratic Organization on the election. “I reached out to the HCDO to let them know I was running, but I wasn’t looking for their support,” she said.
Grilo could become only the third woman mayor in Hudson County history behind one-time Jersey City Acting Mayor Marilyn Roman and former Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer.
“This election is not about my being a progressive or a woman. This is about doing what the people of East Newark want done.” — Dina Grilo
Pleasing the people
“But this election is not about my being a progressive or a woman,” Grilo said. “This is about doing what the people of East Newark want done.”
East Newark has a low crime rate and stable taxes, but Grilo said this election is about other issues. “While taxes are stable, we do not have many of the things we ought to have. We have no recreation center, no public events. We see progress being made all around us, but we’re not doing it here.”
There are opportunities such as at 900 Passaic Avenue, the former Clark Thread Company, part of the town’s historic district; and the BASF facility on Central Avenue. She said development can be done without having to give developers abatements, the way other towns in Hudson County have.
While Smith is well respected in the community as well as a powerful political voice in Democratic-dominated Hudson County, Grilo believes changes in the demographics of the town may help her cause.
A fresh face
Grilo, who is of Portuguese decent, would be serving a town with a significant Portuguese and Latino population if she becomes mayor.
A volunteer firefighter and an executive at J.P. Morgan Chase, Grilo is not concerned about becoming part of the male-dominated political environment if she succeeds in being elected.
“I work in business,” she said. “When I walk into a boardroom I’m not concerned about how many men there are, only how to collaborate and how to focus on what needs to get done.”
For updates on this and other stories check hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Al Sullivan can be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com
