page_title: Brian P. Stack
section_title: Campaign controversy
hierarchical_section_title: Brian P. Stack / Career / Controversies / Campaign controversy
caption_attribution_description: English: Union City, New Jersey Mayor Brian P. Stack (left, in the striped tie), marching in the 11th annual Cuban Day Parade on Bergenline Avenue, June 6, 2010. At right, in the red tie, is New Jersey Senator and former Union City Mayor Bob Menendez. At the extreme left is Union City Commissioner Maryury Martinetti, and at the extreme right is Commissioner Christopher Irizzary Photo by Luigi Novi. This photo may be used and modified, for any purpose, only if the photographer is visibly credited in each instance in which it is used. (See licensing information below.) For more information on my photos, you can contact me here.
context_page_description: Brian P. Stack is an American Democratic Party politician who serves in the New Jersey Senate, where he represents the 33rd Legislative District. He has also served as the Mayor of Union City, New Jersey since 2000. Prior to his election to the Senate, he was a part of the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature and the General Assembly from 2004 to 2007.
  PolitickerNJ considers him to be one of the most powerful elected officials in Hudson County, New Jersey. In 2012 The Hudson Reporter named him #2 in its list of Hudson County's 50 most influential people, behind North Bergen mayor Nicholas Sacco. During 2013, he and Sacco were tied at #3, by 2015 he was ranked #7.
context_section_description: Stack and the Union City police were the subject of controversy in July 2005 when it was discovered that Stack had received two campaign contributions totalling $3,500 from Luisa Medrano, a tavern owner indicted on 31 counts for running an illegal immigrant smuggling ring out of her two Bergenline Avenue taverns,  El Puerto de la Union II in Union City, and El Paisano Bar and Nightclub in Union City. Both taverns are no longer in operation. Medrano was accused of smuggling young women from Honduras, forcing them to work in bars for little money to pay off their smuggling debts, often incurring physical, emotional and sexual abuse during the operation. Stack responded by asserting that he does not accept contributions from bars and establishments, and explained that "[Medrano] used her name and address in Fairview.  We make it practice of not accepting donations from bar owners or establishments, and we do not accept cash."  Stack pointed out that Medrano's establishments were not mentioned on the form with which she made the donations, and that he decided to donate the money to the Battered Women's Shelter of Hudson County once the donations were revealed, claiming that in addition to not being aware of the source of the money, he was unaware of the illicit activities going on in the bars. Stack also defended the Union City Police, who are assigned to watch the taverns for quality of life reasons, and who incurred criticism for their apparent ignorance of the goings-on in the taverns, on the same basis, arguing that they only patrolled the streets, but did not enter the taverns when they did so, and thus, could not see what occurred in them.
  Some critics remained skeptical of Stack's position, such as then-Republican candidate for Assembly Richard Valdes, who said, "I challenge Assemblyman and Mayor Brian Stack to disclose the nature of his relationship and questionable campaign contributions from Medrano." Stack responded that he never met Medrano until a fundraiser held a year earlier, saying that Medrano was stopped at the door and was turned away from contributing to the event.  Valdes also questioned the acceptance, by Stack's campaign committee, of $5,000 from Union City truck driver David Lopez, who had sold a vacant Union City lot to the Jersey City School Construction Corporation for $1.48 million, after Lopez had already gotten zoning approval and began advertisement for condominiums to be built on it. Stack also stated that he was unaware of that donation, that it was donated to the PERC Homeless Shelter, and that Valdes' comments were political-motivated.
caption: Stack and his staff marching in the North Hudson Cuban Day Parade with New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez (second from right), June 6, 2010.
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