Anthony Russo (mayor)

Anthony Russo was the 35th mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey, serving from 1993 to 2001. He won two terms, but failed to get enough votes to get a third term. (David Roberts beat him in 2001 when he got 6,064 votes and Russo only got 4,759 votes.)

Biography

In the 1993 election that got him into office, Russo beat his main opponent, Ira Karasick, by 7,023 to 5,623 votes. During his two terms, people who were loyal to Russo were put into the Hoboken Zoning Board and Planning Board by Russo.

In 2000, it was discovered that Russo had cancer, in the form of a brain tumor. He said he would only live another 8 months, but doctors were successful at fighting the cancer temporarily. In March 2000, the tumor was removed, but another tumor was found in August 2001. In 2002, the tumor went into remission, and because of this the doctors told Russo he could run for office again. He ran for 3rd Ward Council, but had to tearfully resign shortly after being elected because the cancer reappeared.

After Russo left office, he admitted to accepting thousands of dollars in cash bribes from bar owners and city contractors for nearly his entire tenure as mayor. He was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison. (2004)^[1][2]

References

1. ↑ http://www.wnyc.org | Feb 6, 2014 | If its bribery, this must be Hoboken by Sarah Gonzalez
2. ↑ [ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/nyregion/21hoboken.html]

Further reading