Ridgefield Mayor Anthony Suarez isn’t backing down, despite numerous calls for his resignation after he and 43 others were arrested on July 23 on corruption and money laundering charges.

Much of the pressure is coming from New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, who is threatening a state takeover of the borough.

Despite Corzine’s threat, Suarez has since maintained that he’s perfectly capable of holding on to his part-time job as mayor, and what he calls his day job at a Jersey law firm.

“I am just doing what I have to do to do the job. There is no reason for me to resign. I’m completely innocent,” Suarez said. “If the governor wants to have the state comptroller to come in and do whatever is necessary, I welcome that.”

Mayor Suarez said he still hadn’t officially heard from Corzine about a possible state takeover of the borough or the executive order that freezes all borough business. All he ever heard was the call to resign.

“We have zero tolerance for that kind of behavior,” Corzine said on July 24. “I have asked for the resignations of everyone.”

As for whether Corzine was being a bully in calling for a state takeover, Mayor Suarez said he didn’t want to get into name-calling.

“I don’t want to get into a personal back and forth with the governor,” Suarez said.

Stephen Pellino, Ridgefield’s Democratic Party chairman and a Suarez supporter, criticized Corzine’s plans as “an outrage” and “un-American.”
Pellino said that “as a Democrat and as a citizen, when I hear that, it makes me more defiant because it’s ludicrous.”

Corzine has called on all elected officials charged in the probe to resign.

“It is very difficult for an individual to carry out their responsibility as a chief executive of a community” with the distraction of a corruption arrest, Corzine said on Sunday.

Practically everyone in Ridgefield has an opinion.

Business owner James Pentafallo thinks Corzine shouldn’t meddle in the town’s affairs.

“I think Mr. Corzine should worry about running New Jersey. He has more problems down there than the little old town of Ridgefield here,” Pentafallo said.

Resident Carmine Esposito said she’s ready for Suarez to get out of office.

“He should resign today, not tomorrow,” Esposito said.

Resident Jean Bonifacio, however, believes Suarez can stay in office.

“He hasn’t been found guilty yet,” Bonifacio said, “so I don’t think he needs to resign.”

The two other mayors charged in the July 23 sweep — Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell and Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano — recently resigned, but both maintain their innocence.

(Source: WCBSTV)