Albio Sires, 55, is serving his fourth term in the state Assembly as a representative from the 33rd Legislative District in Hudson County. He was the first Hispanic Assembly Speaker in New Jersey history and the first Cuban-American to preside over a legislative house in any of the 50 states, having served from 2002 – 2006.
He led the legislative effort to place a successful public referendum on the 2005 general election ballot so voters can decide whether New Jersey should create an Office of Lieutenant Governor. New Jersey is one of only eight states in the country that do not have a Lieutenant Governor to fill gubernatorial vacancies and absences.
Mr. Sires was lead Assembly sponsor of the state law that will increase state's minimum wage to $7.15 by the year 2007. The measure will help more than 200,000 New Jersey workers, most of them women and minorities. He has fought to make New Jersey 's tax system fairer by forcing corporations to pay their fair share and sponsored the millionaire's tax to provide property tax relief for working families. As Assembly Speaker, he helped New Jersey 's economy by expanding job training programs, increasing job opportunities for low-income workers and giving tax credits to businesses that create jobs in the community.
As Speaker, he created the Assembly Committee on Homeland Security and State Preparedness, wrote the law to overhaul New Jersey's Department of Motor Vehicles so that terrorists cannot obtain access to fake driver's licenses, helped local communities with the cost of homeland security, improved coordination in the event of a terrorist attack and increased homeland security funding for the state police. He also sponsored some of the toughest anti-gun laws in the state and as mayor of West New York, he put more police on the streets and cut crime.
Mr. Sires created the STARS I and STARS II program, which offers full county and state college tuition scholarships to thousands of students and increases tuition aid grants to families. As Assembly Speaker, he led the fight to increase funding for public education by $760 million. He also increased funding for after-school programs that get kids off the streets and away from gangs.
As Speaker, Mr. Sires protected funding for New Jersey's Senior Gold and pharmaceutical assistance programs, fought to make New Jersey a leader in high-tech medical research by legalizing embryonic stem cell research and providing millions in new cancer research funding and passed legislation to help working families pay for their health care costs.
As Mayor of West New York, Mr. Sires balanced twelve consecutive municipals budgets while maintaining and enhancing vital municipal services.
As Speaker, Mr. Sires served as Acting Governor at several junctures between 2002 and 2005. While serving as the state's chief executive in September 2005, he signed three new laws into effect, including measures that strengthened the state's ability to manage catastrophic medical emergencies and streamlined funding for cleanups of contaminated industrial "brownfield" properties.
Other laws sponsored by Mr. Sires were instrumental in improving emergency preparedness, protecting drinking water supplies, and encouraging redevelopment of contaminated industrial sites.
Part-owner of the A.M. Title Agency in Union Township, Mr. Sires has served as Mayor of West New York since 1995. As Mayor of the Hudson waterfront community, Mr. Sires has gained a reputation as a municipal executive who straightened out West New York 's finances and reduced crime.
A proponent of government efficiency, Mayor Sires combined forces with four other mayors to form the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue, the state's largest regionalized fire department.
Mayor Sires earned the "Community That Works" award from the State of New Jersey for his efforts at "providing innovative and cost-effective services through regionalization."
In April 2004, the New Jersey Conference of Mayors presented its 12 th Annual Mayor of the Year Award to Sires in recognition of his tireless advocacy on behalf of mayors and property taxpayers. In September 2005, the New Jersey State Bar Association and Legal Services of New Jersey awarded its William J. Brennan, Jr., Citation for Justice to Speaker Sires in recognition for his efforts in seeking equal justice for people in poverty.
Mr. Sires was born in 1951 in the Cuban community of Bejucal, where he grew up in the waning years of pre-Communist Cuba. His family fled Cuba in January 1962 with the help of relatives in America. They eventually settled in West New York, where Mr. Sires became a star basketball player at Memorial High School.
Mr. Sires earned his undergraduate degree from St. Peter's College, where he received a four-year basketball scholarship. He attained a master's degree at Middlebury College, Vermont. He also studied Spanish in Madrid, Spain.
After returning to teach Spanish and English at Memorial High, Mr. Sires became involved in politics by working on behalf of a fellow teacher seeking election to the West New York Commission in 1979. In 1987, former Governor Tom Kean appointed Mr. Sires to a position in the state Department of Community Affairs, where he led the administration's outreach to Hispanic residents. In 1988-89, Sires served as vice chairperson of the Circle of Mobility Committee for North Jersey, a panel that examined mass transit needs for North Jersey.
Mr. Sires' wife, Adrienne, is a school administrator. He has a stepdaughter, Tara Kole, who served a U.S. Supreme Court clerkship with Justice Antonin Scalia after graduation from Harvard Law School last year. She now works for a private law firm in Los Angeles.