2009 Winner: Dr. Felix Roque!
Photo: Rafael Martel~Consultingworks
When taxes went up 47% under West New York Mayor Sal Vega’s administration, a well known doctor had already decided that he would take it upon himself to put a stop to the fiscal irresponsibility and the murderous tax increases Sal Vega had imposed on the property owners of West New York In january, February, March and April 2009 Dr. Roque led protest marches gathering thousands of residents against Vega’s abuses. From his doctor’s office he started assisting residents who saw themselves in the always difficult decision between paying their taxes or buying their needed medicines. Roque became in a few months the hope for a better future for West New York residents. He organized Together We Can, a civic-political group who directed a fierce campaign during the first half of 2009 towards Vega (a typical Hudson County Political Boss-read tyrant) and his political machine.
Long before he even thought on going into politics, through his hard work, Roque had achieved fame in the medical field, a solid economic position, and he was also a US Army Lt. Coronel.
When he decided to take on the task of confronting Vega’s machine, he was enjoying the fruits of his hard work. He could have easily turn his back and continue with his success, He did the opposite. He lead a recall effort in West New York, collecting thousands of signatures and bringing awareness to all residents about the chaotic situation the Vega administration had brought to the city and its residents, may losing their homes because of the incredible 47% tax hike, During the first months of his campaign he participated in parades, established direct contact with the residents in every corner of West New York and, at one point he was able to have more than two hundred volunteers.
It was all Roque’s initiative. No local politician except Union City Mayor Brian Stack-who voiced his concern on the West New York situation- became a true allied. No even West New York politicians came out in the open and supported his efforts to put a stop to the suffering of the people, still Dr. Roque followed the course.
A week ago he fell short of his signatures for a recall election. He intends to fight every rejected signature in court. If he loses he still has to be acknowledged as a leader and a true fighter for the rights of the people of West New York.
We see him as real winner in 2009 and a future political factor in 2010 and 2011, when local elections take place.
The fact that the signatures were not collected accurately is not his fault. Since the beginning of the campaign Roque faced big interests disguised as “behind the scenes” allies besides taking face-on the considerable weight of Vega’s machine, and later a political disorganization within his campaign that is hard to understand, considering the success he achieved in the first 5 months.
Whatever happens Dr. Roque is a winner, if not for his political skills for his humanism, his unselfishness, commitment, heart of a fighter, and dedication to help others. He is definetly a winner in our 2009 list.
