Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith officially declared himself a candidate for re-election this evening at a fundraiser at the Chandelier.
His political enemies grunted the idea out there this week that maybe Smith wouldn't pick up petitons, but they were there for him at the event tonight.
"I believe in building on what we have accomplished these last 18 months and the only way to do that is to continue this journey together," Smith told a crowd of about 175 people. "The best is yet to come."
Among those candidates running against him in the May nonpartisan election is Assemblyman Tony Chiappone (D-Bayonne), who's battling state charges that he funneled state paychecks to aides into his own campaign account.
Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith officially declared himself a candidate for re-election this evening at a fundraiser at the Chandelier.
His political enemies grunted the idea out there this week that maybe Smith wouldn't pick up petitons, but they were there for him at the event tonight.
"I believe in building on what we have accomplished these last 18 months and the only way to do that is to continue this journey together," Smith told a crowd of about 175 people. "The best is yet to come."
Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith digested with no great or urgent sense of drama the news of Assemblyman Tony Chiappone (D-Bayonne) running against him.
"I'm a cop for 26 years - nothing surprises me," he said, referring to Chiappone's decision today to obtain petitions from the clerk's office.
The state Attorney General's Office has indicted the assemblyman for funneling aides’ paychecks into his personal and campaign accounts, a rap Chiappone says he can beat.
Regardless, Smith said he'll beat Chiappone.
"Anybody has the right to run," said the mayor. "But I'll take my 18 months in office and put them before the voters. Let the folks decide. I'm confident we'll prevail for the right reasons. We started to turn this battleship around in the bathtub, and I think people appreciate that."
Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith digested with no great or urgent sense of drama the news of Assemblyman Tony Chiappone (D-Bayonne) running against him.
"I'm a cop for 26 years - nothing surprises me," he said, referring to Chiappone's decision today to obtain petitions from the clerk's office.
The state Attorney General's Office has indicted the assemblyman for funneling aides’ paychecks into his personal and campaign accounts, a rap Chiappone says he can beat.