Carmelo Garcia accused of taking bribes in HHA named Deputy Mayor in Newark

MILE SQUARE VIEW EXCLUSIVE

The more things change, the more they stay the same. It's an unfortunate truism when it comes to corruption, urban landscapes and the Soprano State.

The city of Newark named a new Director of its Department of Economic and Housing Development (DEHD) who happens to have been its Chief Real Estate Officer and Executive Vice President of the Newark Community Economic Development Corporation (NCEDC).

All those acronyms have a less familiar name in Hoboken than another: Carmelo Garcia.

From a report yesterday on Jersey Digs:

"...Carmelo Garcia has replaced Baye Adofo-Wilson in this position, which is also branded as ‘Deputy Mayor for Economic and Housing Development’ in New Jersey’s largest city. The City of Newark already referred to Garcia, a Hoboken resident, as “Deputy Mayor Garcia” in a statement issued today about a new 7-Eleven location that is coming to the South Ward."

Garcia joined the NCEDC in 2015, and was previously a New Jersey State Assemblyman before stepping down, as well as the Executive Director of the Hoboken Housing Authority (HHA) and Hoboken’s Director of Health and Human Services. 

He was sued by the HHA for “breach of an employment contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and breach of fiduciary duty” over allegedly accepting bribes during his time as Executive Director, according to Law360. Under his term at the NCEDC, dozens of development plans have advanced, including the proposals for West Side Heights and Peddlers Square."

Carmelo Garcia seen earlier this year at a downtown Hoboken fundraiser for mayoral candidate Mike DeFusco.

Talking Ed Note: Last July, this exclusive report detailed Carmelo Garcia being shown the door and bounced out of the Irvington Housing Authority.