Irvington Haitian leaders endorse Vauss

IRVINGTON, NJ — Haitian community leaders have thrown their support behind Irvington Mayor Tony Vauss and the Team Irvington Strong candidates, who are running for reelection this May. In their official endorsement announcement on Jan. 20, the various leaders applauded Vauss, Council President Renee C. Burgess, Council First Vice President October Hudley and Council Second Vice President Charnette Frederic.

Irvington Board of Education member Luis Antilus is excited for the upcoming elections and supports Vauss in his reelection campaign.

“I’m very excited of the fact that we have a mayor like Tony Vauss who is a forward thinker, who was elected prior to the pandemic and led the town through the worst disaster that our country has ever faced, kept the town safe, kept the residents calm and provided services to residents despite what COVID-19 has done to us,” Antilus said Jan. 31. “I’m very excited to make sure that he is reelected and that he receives my full support.

“He and I have been working together for quite a while, ever since 2014,” Antilus continued, adding that Vauss is someone who assists “not only the residents but also our scholars to meet their potential, and he also advocates for many services for our district. I’m very excited to support him, and I think he will lead and continue to lead us in a positive way.”

If Team Irvington Strong wins reelection, Antilus said he would like to see the politicians continue what they’ve been doing within the community.

“I think Vauss already accomplished most of the things that he had put on the table when he first ran,” Antilus said. “The only thing that we would want to see is for progress to continue, as well as attracting more businesses to town. Other than that, he already kept the town safe, the murder rate is low, where it used to be double digit; now, under his leadership, it has tremendously been reduced. He has more police presence, and, most of all, the property taxes have been stabilized. We want those things to continue for his next term. I will work diligently to ensure that he is reelected. I don’t believe we can afford to have someone new at this time, because (Vauss) is a proven leader.”

Irvington Board of Education member Joseph Sylvain agreed with Antilus.
“My expectations are very high because Vauss is running again. I’ve lived in Irvington for the past three decades, so that means that I have never seen anyone deliver the same things Tony Vauss has delivered,” Sylvain said on Jan. 31. “The reason why I endorsed Tony Vauss was because I believe that he has done a very good job within the township of Irvington, and, as for the first three decades I’ve lived in Irvington, there isn’t anyone that has done as much as Mayor Tony Vauss. I support him because of his initiatives, his communication with the people who live in the township, and he is a servant of the people. I support him because he is a leader considering the diversity here and serving every sector of the area. He doesn’t have any exceptions.

“He has the character, the personality and the determination to move Irvington forward towards the next four years,” he continued. “This makes me excited to support him for the upcoming election.”

Other Haitian community leaders who have voiced their support for team Irvington Strong include former council candidate Micano Evra, FamiCare founder Thecy Faustin, tax preparer Ludin Pierre, Phillipe Toussaint, Marios Dubois, Marckenzy Pierre, Paul El Sadate, business owner Dallen Samedy, Anks Cadet, Irvington Zoning Board member Edouard Latonnelle, Zoning Board alternate Jean Fritz Thomas, Lesly Vilsaint, Lovely Defender, Creole promoter Odson Pierre-Louis and the National Haitian American Elected Official Network.