Play all audios:
BY DAVID CRUZ In West New York, calls have begun for the resignation of Mayor Felix Roque after his arrest on computer fraud charges for allegedly hacking into a website run by his political
opponents. Mayor Felix Roque’s official parking space was empty this morning, although some town employees said they were told to expect the mayor to be at work today. The low profile is in
contrast to the gregarious mayor who, in less than a year in office, had become chummy with Gov. Chris Christie and challenged the Hudson County Democratic establishment. Gerald Lange, who
was a town commissioner before being swept out of office by Roque last May, said he wasn’t surprised to see the new mayor brought low. “He’s a dangerous person,” said Lange. “Dangerous in
the respect that he’s not going to hurt people but dangerous in the respect that he’s drunk with power, and when you have that combination, you think you can do anything that you want.”
Lange is now leading the call for Roque to resign, but not everyone is so quick to agree. “Everybody’s used to the same routine for so many years that when people see change they don’t like
it,” he said in front of town hall this morning. “Especially people that are big in politics, like in Hudson County.” Rich Rivera is a former West New York cop and current anti-corruption
activist. He’s seen how corruption in previous administrations has wrecked his small town’s spirit more than once. “I’ve seen it first hand,” said Rivera. “I worked undercover for the FBI
for close to two years rooting out the corruption in city hall. We were very successful in making changes here and it changed. It really did change for the people in town and there was a
better quality of life.” Rivera, who supported Roque’s election, says he spoke with the mayor today and that he was upbeat. He says Roque needs to handle this matter quickly before it bogs
his administration down. Already, some former supporters are expressing doubts. “He’s a good man but you don’t do what he did,” said Dennis Romano, a former West New York Library employee.
“He went behind the people’s back and hacked the system. You need to have the trust of the public.” The FBI first raided Roque’s medical practice, his home and town hall in March in what was
believed to be an investigation into insurance fraud, but yesterday’s arrest made no mention of that. The frequent rumor around Hudson County is that the FBI is lurking around every corner,
but the facts are that, today, the mayor is still the mayor, and to the extent that it’s possible, it was business as usual in town hall. NJ Today’s David Cruz reports on the reaction to
yesterday’s events. WATCH VIDEO: