In a city flush with over $240 million in state aid, Union City’s Board of Education (BOE) is paradoxically facing a financial crisis that has led to teacher layoffs, program cuts, and a dearth of classroom supplies. Meanwhile, political appointees and administrative positions remain untouched, raising questions about fiscal responsibility and governance.

A Budget in Disarray

Despite receiving substantial state funding, the Union City BOE is grappling with budgetary shortfalls. The district’s financial reports indicate that while funds have been allocated for infrastructure projects, such as a new $84 million middle school and a $2.2 million turf replacement at the Mid-Town Athletic Complex, there is a pressing need for “strong fiscal conservative practices” to align programs and staff with available resources .

Compounding the issue is the impending expiration of federal COVID-19 relief funds (CARES/ESSER II and III) in 2025, which threatens to exacerbate the financial strain on the district.

Teachers and Students Shortchanged

The financial mismanagement has had dire consequences for educators and students alike. Teachers are facing job insecurity, with layoffs looming despite their critical role in student development. After-school programs have been slashed, and essential classroom supplies are lacking, directly impacting the quality of education.

This situation is not unique to Union City. Across New Jersey, over 120 school districts are experiencing state aid cuts, leading to difficult decisions such as job eliminations and program reductions .

Political Patronage Over Educational Priorities

A significant factor contributing to the BOE’s challenges is the influence of Mayor Brian Stack, who has served since 2000 and also holds a seat in the New Jersey State Senate . The BOE, under his sway, has seen appointments of close allies to key positions. For instance, Justin Mercado, a top Stack ally, was appointed as the BOE secretary , and Ydalia Genao, a Stack aide, was appointed as a trustee . The City Commissioners hold administrative positions within the BOE. Retired police officers who are supporters of the Mayor become school officers SLEO III or administrative security positions such as retired Police Chief Paul Hanak, retired Police Inspector Brian Wolpert. Retired Police Chief Rich Molinari was once also held an administrative security position at the BOE and his daughter was favored a position as an educator in previous years. The list goes on.

These appointments raise concerns about the prioritization of political loyalty over educational expertise, especially when juxtaposed against the backdrop of teacher layoffs and program cuts.

A Call for Accountability

The current state of the Union City BOE underscores the need for transparency and accountability in educational governance. While infrastructure projects are essential, they should not come at the expense of educators and students. As the district navigates its financial challenges, it is imperative to reassess priorities, ensuring that resources are allocated to support the core mission of education.

The community, educators, and stakeholders must demand a reevaluation of the BOE’s fiscal strategies to prevent further erosion of educational quality in Union City.

Union City, NJ

In the tangled world of New Jersey politics, few names strike more fear into the heart of corruption than Leroy Truth — and no political figure has been more desperate or ruthless to stop him than Brian Stack, the embattled Mayor of Union City, State Senator for New Jersey’s 33rd District, and Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

For more than 16 months, Leroy Truth has waged an unprecedented grassroots investigation into Hudson County’s murky political machine. In return, he has been the relentless target of a vicious, multimillion-dollar campaign of harassment, violence, defamation, censorship, and retaliation orchestrated by Stack and his powerful network of political enablers.

But the attacks have only made him stronger.

Wherever Leroy walks — in Union City, West New York, Jersey City, and beyond — people recognize him, call out his name, and urge him to never give up. Even U.S. Congressman Rob Menendez — son of disgraced former Senator Bob Menendez — publicly acknowledged Leroy by name at a recent event, proof that Leroy’s fight has become impossible for the political establishment to ignore.

A Voice for the Voiceless: The Arrival of Leroy Truth

Leroy Truth first became active in Union City on December 1st, 2023, when he was invited to Union City, New Jersey City Hall by GOOD GUY ACTIVISM to accompany him on a first amendment audit of Union City, New Jersey City Hall.

This was a simple act they would forever change the course of New Jersey political history.

Leroy Truth and GOOD GUY ACTIVISM did a first amendment audit at Union City City Hall. Someone called 911 on a man with a camera as is Leroy Truth toured the run down and decrepit City Hall building.

A detective named Detective George Haber was called on Leroy Truth and instead of unlawfully arresting or trying to get Leroy Truth to leave city hall, he blatantly, openly and clearly told Leroy Truth and the city workers who were trying to stop Truth, that he had a right to be in City Hall which is a public building AND he had a right to document his interactions as he was recording on his cell phone.

The response was immediate:

Within 24 hours, Leroy was contacted by whistleblowers — citizens, municipal employees, and law enforcement officers — reporting:

That detective George Haber was immediately retaliated against by Mayor Brian Stack for not arresting Leroy Truth or removing him from City Hall even though Leroy Truth had an absolute first amendment right to be there as well as record and document his interactions

Political intimidation and retaliation against city workers Pay-to-play schemes targeting businesses Punishment of police officers and officials who refused to carry out corrupt orders Coverups of sexual assault and harassment, with retaliation against victims.

The shocking allegations inspired Leroy to relentlessly expand his investigation into the broader corruption, abuse of power, and retaliation entrenched within Union City’s government — placing him directly at odds with Brian Stack’s powerful machine.

Unlike establishment journalists who often trade silence for access, Leroy chose to:

Investigate aggressively. Speak openly and Challenge powerful figures fearlessly.

Covering topics such as:

Misuse of public funds.

Political retaliation against Union City municipal employees.

Conflicts of interest involving city contracts.

Union City Board of Education scandals tied to political patronage.

Allegations of teachers having sex with students and cover-up when that gets out to the general public.

Teachers sexually harassing in sexually assaulting students and coverups by mayor Bryan Stack and the Union City Board of Education when that is discovered.

Voter intimidation allegedly done directly by mayor and New Jersey state senator and head of the New Jersey state Senate judiciary committee Brian stack too his Union City, city employees

Sexual assaults and Sexual harassment cover-ups.

It did not take long for Mayor Brian Stack to retaliate against Leroy Truth in an attempt to get Leroy Truth to stop investigating and exposing the extreme amount of alleged corruption of Mayor and Senator Brian Stack

The Pattern of Attacks: Bribery, Smears, Censorship, and Violence

The retaliation began quietly:

Bribery.

Members of Stack’s circle allegedly approached Leroy offering money if he would abandon his investigation.

Leroy refused.

When bribery failed, the attacks escalated:

Smear campaigns launched through Mayor Brian Stack friendly media like the HudPost, a so-called news outlet CONFIRMED by New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) reports to be directly funded by Stack’s political committee, Union City First.

Disinformation campaigns online, with anonymous accounts blatantly lying about Leroy Truth and attempting to attack Leroy’s credibility and distorting his investigations.

Business sabotage, targeting Leroy’s clients to attempt cripple his livelihood.

Media censorship, with publications like the New Jersey Globe — owned by a former political operative implicated in the Governor Chris ChristieBridgegate scandal — refusing to report fairly on Stack’s corruption or Leroy Truth’s exposure of that corruption.

The very media that is supposed to serve the public interest became tools to protect the political elite and stack Weaponized them to attempt to take out the messenger of the exposure of Mayor Brian Stack’s corruption.

The Bella Vista Assault: January 23, 2024

The first major physical attack came during Leroy’s attendance at a Union City Board of Commissioners meeting at Bella Vista Apartments.

After Leroy raised uncomfortable questions about city corruption, eyewitnesses and three separate security cameras captured the shocking retaliation:

Justin Mercado, Union City Board of Education Secretary and longtime Stack loyalist, allegedly on Mayor Brian Stack’s direction, violently attacked Leroy a few minutes after Leroy spoke at the Union City, Nj Board of commissioners meeting.

Mercado ripped Leroy’s $1,200 phone from his hands, tried to punch him twice and attempted to destroy the evidence by slamming and stomping on the device.

Mercado even proudly waved the stolen phone in Stack’s face, showing Stack that he had indeed stolen Leroy Truth’s phone from from him with Stack standing motionless. Mercado was allowed to flee the scene of the crime by Mayor Brian Stack before police could arrive and arrest Justin Mercado .

And then in an explicable decision that was allegedly directed in ordered by Senator and May or Brian stack to New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin, despite incontrovertible video evidence showing that in fact Justin Mercado did attack in rob Leroy Truth, Attorney General Matt Platkin, allegedly acting under Stack’s influence, outrageously claimed there was “no probable cause” to prosecute Mercado — a move widely seen by legal experts as blatant political protectionism and blatant  corruption by New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin. 

This exposed Stack’s deep control over:

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin.

Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez (a former Stack employee and rumored former romantic partner)

The Parade Meltdown: March 2024

During New Jersey’s largest Hispanic Parade in October 2024, Leroy and his colleague Full Court Press were approved participants who had their own billboard truck in who marched in the parade.

Upon seeing Leroy Truth in the parade, Stack had the parade, demanded police remove Leroy, and had a public meltdown.

The police refused to remove Leroy Truth, respecting Leroy’s legal right to march.

Leroy completed the parade proudly, cheered on by the community, while Stack stood seething and humiliated — another blow to his crumbling authority and corrupt political empire.

Attacks on Faith: January 26, 2025

In another shocking violation, Leroy was ripped from a church pew while peacefully praying at Monumental Baptist Church.

Why? Because New Jersey governor Phil Murphy, disgraced ex-New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevy and Senator and Mayor Brian Stack did not want Leroy Truth to attend a worship service that they were not only attending but New Jersey governor Phil Murphy was going to be inexplicably in blatantly politically formally endorsing disgraced ex-New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevy in the middle of a formal worship service.

Inside sources claimed New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy panicked when he saw Leroy Truth in the church pews and claimed he was on a tight schedule an inexorable thought because we were in Truth was present that the service would be disrupted so he preemptively and illegally allegedly demanded that the church pastor have Leroy Truth immediately removed by Jersey City, New Jersey police.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, he ex governor Jim McGreevy and Senator mayor Brian stack did not want Leroy Truth in the church service even though a Governor, a Senator or any political figure has absolutely no authority to tell a church who can or cannot attend.

That is an absolute and blatant violation of the first amendment of the constitution.

Leroy Truth’s violent removal by Jersey City, New Jersey police on the order of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Jim McGreevy and Senator and Mayor Brian Stack was a major and complete violation of not only Leroy Truth’s constitutional and civil rights but his human rights as well.

Truth has filed a major lawsuit against them.

There was also no trespassing warning. No legal justification. No arrest. The government determined they didn’t want Leroy Truth the Monumental Baptist Church of Jersey City, New Jersey worship service so they made sure the police removed him with no justification whatsoever.

This was a blatant example of unconstitutional abuse of police power,

The local propaganda media outlet of Senator Mayor Bryant had to post immediately did it hit piece on Leroy Truth literally on the directive of Center mayor Brian Stack which blatantly and clearly lied and distorted what actually happened in Monumental Baptist Church in an attempt to hurt Leroy’s credibility.

Assault in the New Jersey State Senate: February 20th, 2025

During a New Jersey Senate Judiciary hearing, Leroy was violently removed by New Jersey State police on the orders of Senator and Mayor Brian Stack while speaking out against political corruption during the public time while Leroy Truth was seated at a desk — resulting in injuries and hospitalization.

Why was Leroy Truth removed and injured while he was speaking during his public comment time at the New Jersey Senate hearing?

Senator and Mayor Brian Stack didn’t like the words Leroy Truth was speaking about the bill and for also calling out Senator and Mayor Brian Stacks’s corruption while Leroy was speaking even though of course Leroy’s speech was 100% protected by the first amendment.

Sources says the aggressive and violent removal of Leroy Truth while he was speaking during the public speaking time was a premeditated preplanned act allegedly by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, New Jersey State Senator Brian Stack and some of the New Jersey State police who allegedly colluded before that Senate judiciary hearing and formulated that plan in an attempt to send Leroy Truth a message in the hopes of intimidating him into stopping his continued investigation and exposure of Senator and Mayor Brian Stacks’ extreme corruption.

Stack’s retaliation had crossed every imaginable line:

From political censorship to attacks on religious freedom to physical violence in the very halls of government.

Growing Isolation: Stack’s Political Collapse

As Leroy’s investigations gained traction, major political figures broke ranks with Stack:

Former State Senator and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco condemned Stack’s power consolidation, warning it leads to abuse.

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, a gubernatorial candidate, attacked Stack’s paranoia and retaliation tactics, calling him a “liability to the Democratic Party.”

Even as Stack tries to maintain his crumbling empire, insiders know his days of unchallenged power are ending.

Personal Sacrifices: The High Cost of Truth

Leroy has endured:

Over 33 physical attacks.

Unlawful arrest my speaking words senator and mayor I didn’t like during a Union City, New Jersey board of commissioners meeting.

Broken videography equipment.

Character assassination.

Multiple Bogus criminal charges allegedly directed by Stack and Union City Police Chief Anthony Facchini.

Attempted Financial sabotage of Leroy Truth.

Despite more than $2 million allegedly spent and nine private investigators hired to survey, tail and do a deep dive into Leroy’s personal life in an attempt to find dirt on and ideally be able to blackmail Leroy into stopping him from investigating and exposing stack, instead they found nothing.

The Mountain of Corruption Leroy Has Exposed

Since December 2023, Leroy has uncovered over 3500 allegations of corruption against Senator and Mayor Brian Stack including: 

Bribery and extortion.

Voter intimidation.

Sexual assault and harassment cover-ups.

Retaliation against Union City, New Jersey female city employees who go to the police after they claim and been sexually assaulted while they were working.

Coercion of public employees.

Misuse of public funds.

Obstruction of justice.

Illegal arrests and religious discrimination to name a few.

Leroy Truth has pulled back the curtain of corruption on major New Jersey political figures like:

– Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez

– NJ Attorney General Matt Platkin

– Former Governor Jim McGreevey

– Hudson County Executive Craig Guy

– Former US Senator Bob Menendez

– Mayor of Bayonne and Hudson County Sheriff candidate and alleged Sexter and sexual harasser of women Jimmy Davis

– Former Congressman and West New York Mayor Albio Sires.

– NJ/NY Port Authority Chairman, former State Senator, attorney Kevin O’Toole (Partner of O’Toole Scrivo Law LLC, law firm for Union City)

Union City attorney and Senator Bob and his best friend Donald Scarinsci

– And many others…

A New Kind of Journalism: Unbought and Unbowed

With over 7.5 million YouTube views, Leroy Truth is redefining journalism:

Fearless. Independent. Outcome-driven Incorruptible.

He speaks for the voiceless — exposing the powerful — and refusing to back down.

Conclusion: The Machine is Vulnerable

The relentless campaign senator and Mayor Brite and the New Jersey corrupt political machine has been doing against Leroy is not a sign of strength — it’s a sign of desperation.

When one American with a camera and courage can cause an entire state political empire to mobilize police departments, weaponize courts, corrupt the media and still fail — it proves the truth is winning.

The machine is cracking.

The people are awake.

And Leroy Truth — armed only with conscience, conviction and relentless, fearless determination — is leading the charge to build a better New Jersey.

#LeroyTruth #ExposeCorruption #BrianStackMustGo #UnionCity #HudsonCounty #NewJerseyPolitics #InvestigativeJournalism #JusticeForWomen #FirstAmendment #NeverBackDown

UNION CITY, NJ — April 26, 2025

Today, independent investigative journalist Leroy Truth attended a vibrant campaign rally in Union City hosted by State Assembly candidates Tony Hector and Frank Alonso, who are running for the 33rd Legislative District. The event also featured interviews with Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari, who is seeking reelection, and Marco Navarro, Republican candidate for State Assembly in the 37th District.

During these interviews, a powerful bipartisan message emerged. Despite representing different political parties, Tony Hector, Frank Alonso, Frank Schillari, and Marco Navarro pledged a united mission: to root out corruption across New Jersey, particularly in Hudson County and their own districts. Their shared vision includes implementing strict term limits at every level of government, restoring accountability, and breaking the cycle of political entrenchment that has long plagued the Garden State.

One of the key figures targeted in this bipartisan call for reform is Union City Mayor and State Senator Brian Stack, who also chairs the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee. Critics, including the candidates at today’s rally, argue that Stack’s control over the executive, legislative, and judicial branches—through his multiple powerful roles—amounts to a dangerous concentration of political power in one individual. They warned that such unchecked dominance threatens democratic governance and underscores the urgent need for structural reforms like term limits.

In a particularly poignant moment, Leroy Truth contrasted his experience at today’s rally with the hostile treatment he previously received from the Brian Stack-backed Assembly campaign of Gabriel Rodriguez and Larry Weinstein along with multiple commissioner meetings in Union City hosted by Brian Stack. Leroy Truth recounted how, while attempting to cover their campaign events, he was assaulted, forcibly removed from offices, and even arrested, all for simply doing his job as an independent journalist.

In stark contrast, Hector and Alonso’s campaign demonstrated openness, respect, and transparency—welcoming Leroy Truth without hostility or fear of scrutiny. “Here, I am treated not as an outcast or an enemy, but as an American exercising his right to free speech,” Leroy stated, emphasizing the refreshing change in political tone offered by the new wave of candidates.

Today’s rally was more than a campaign stop—it was a clear call to the people of Hudson County and beyond: a better New Jersey is possible when candidates are willing to work across party lines to prioritize the people over entrenched political machines.

As the election approaches, the growing coalition behind Hector and Alonso for Assembly, Frank Schillari for Hudson County Sheriff, and Marco Navarro for Assembly in District 37 signals a mounting demand for real reform, real accountability, and an end to the culture of corruption that has defined New Jersey politics for too long.

The voters of Hudson County and New Jersey now face a critical choice: continue under a system dominated by unchecked political dynasties—or embrace a future built on transparency, term limits, and true public service.