Richard Turner

The Hudson County peace agreement was meant to be formalized in Jersey City today, with virtually every major elected official in the county coming together the put the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO) together again.

This morning, citing scheduling conflicts among several officials, the HCDO postponed the event to an unscheduled time next week. But multiple sources say that the real reason the presser was cancelled was because the most important player – Union City Mayor and State Sen. Brian Stack – refused to attend.

Hudson County Democratic Organization Executive Director Craig Guy said, however, that Stack did not refuse to attend the press conference.

It was one of those Hudson County moments. West New York Mayor Silverio “Sal” Vega, who ran in a nasty State Senate primary race against Union City Mayor Brian Stack, stood with Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner, a Stack ally, to announce a peace agreement of sorts in the 33rd district.

During the primary campaign six months ago, Vega had called Stack “crooked,” compared his hold on Union City to a cult of personality and accused him of bribing county committeemen and women to take their names off the ballot. Stack responded by Vega a “puppet” of the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO).

West New York Mayor/outgoing Assemblyman Silverio "Sal" Vega, who lost a bloody state senate primary campaign against Union City Mayor Brian Stack, appears ready to bury the hatchet.

Tomorrow, Vega and Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner will hold a press conference in 56th Street and Blvd East in West New York to call for unity in the 33rd legislative district. Vega said that Turner will appear on behalf of Stack, U.S. Rep. Albio Sires and the rest of the rival Democrats for Hudson County.

Congressman Albio Sires endorsed Brian Stack for Senate in the 33rd district today, characterizing the campaign tactics of Silverio “Sal” Vega, his own Commissioner when he was Mayor of West New York, as deplorable.

“In all my years of politics, I haven’t seen tactics -- smear, dirty tactics like this -- in a long, long time,” said Sires. “My former commissioner, Sal Vega, is responsible for that type of campaign.”