His time as Mayor of Kearny could end relatively soon. That’s because Alberto Santos was recently nominated for a seat on the Hudson County Superior Court bench. According to a report from TheObserver.com, the New Jersey Senate’s Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing with Santos for this Monday, June 26th in Trenton.
Santos has served as Kearny’s Mayor since January 1, 2000. He is also the clerk to the Hudson County Board of Commissioners.
If Santos’ hearing before the Judiciary Committee goes without any hitches, the question remains when will the full Senate would vote on his nomination? Would it come before the Senate’s summer recess at the end of June? Or when the Senate reconvenes in September? That’s TBD.
If it’s September, Santos would remain in office as Mayor through the summer.
If the full Senate votes to approve Santos’ judgeship nomination before June ends, assuming he clears the Judiciary Committee’s interview process, then he would be required to resign as Mayor immediately.
Then there’s a whole, complicated process for picking Kearny’s next Mayor. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
For now, the Senate’s Judiciary Committee hearing is scheduled for Monday. The Chairman of the Committee is Senator, and Union City Mayor, Brian Stack.