But Sires, who is running unopposed in the upcoming June 3 Democratic primary to retain his seat in the House of Representatives, said he has a clear vision of the needs of his constituents, and believes his second term will allow him to make significant strides in meeting some of his goals.
Sires is the former West New York mayor and former state Assembly speaker. He will likely face a Republican opponent in November.
The 13th District stretches from the northern tip of Guttenberg to the southern tip of Perth Amboy, including parts or all of a remarkably diverse assortment of towns such as Hoboken, West New York, Weehawken, Jersey City, Bayonne, Newark and other cities.
Sires said his district is wealthy in its potential for jobs and as the economic engine of the East Coast, particularly regarding its port and transportation infrastructure.
Came from Cuba
Born in the Bejucal community of Cuba, Sires and his family fled to the United States in 1962 and settled in West New York. This has given a unique perspective as part of Congress's Foreign Affairs Committee. During his first term, he was part of a coalition of Congress members who traveled oversees to help support developing democratic governments and helps to gain insight into some of the older governments to which the United States has ties to, such as Greece and Turkey.
A former basketball star, Sires brings to the national perspective his experiences as a teacher, mayor, and one-time state Assembly speaker.
Sires is running on a significant record of accomplishments during his first year and a half.
Although he recently vacated his position on the Financial Services Committee for the House Transportation Committee, Sires said he helped get a number of initiatives passed that affect residents of his district in regards to housing.
Housing changes
One area his committee oversaw was the streamlining of public housing authority regulations, adjusting some of the rules to be less stringent. For instance, he said that previous regulations had prohibited the Jersey City Housing Authority from using funds to prevent layoffs last year. Changes could allow authorities to use some of the capital funds where needed within their budget.
He said housing authorities face challenges in other areas, such as in providing security deposits on apartments leased from private owners to provide affordable housing to low-or-moderate income families.
Banking reform
In a time when the banking industry is in crisis, Sires has worked on curbing fraud among some banks that claim to be protected under FDIC when they are not.
The FDIC program was instituted as a result of the Great Depression to safeguard savings accounts. But with deregulation in the 1980s under then Pres. Ronald Reagan, many institutions - such as savings and loans, credit unions and brokerage houses - offered services that were not protected by the federal government.
Unfortunately, some of these institutions illegally displayed the FDIC logo, lulling their clients into believing that the federal government insures their savings up to $100,000 when it is not true.
Homeland Security
Sires has lived up to one promise he made when running for the House of Representatives two years ago: to draw attention to the security needs of his district.
After supporting legislation that implemented the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, Sires went on to bring Homeland Security officials to Hudson County to look over what one FBI analyst has called "the most dangerous two miles in America."
Hudson County's ports, transportation networks and petro-chemical storage facilities make it a key target of potential terrorism.
Now, with the change in regulations that will give federal money to areas based on risk, Sires believes his district will begin to see significant amounts of funding to deal with the risks imposed by shipping, oil tanks, and other possible terrorist targets.
Transportation issues
Sires has already succeeded in lobbying Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to appoint him to the House Transportation Committee, a key position for a legislator from Hudson County.
This is a natural position for him since he was one of the original members of what was once called the "Circle of Mobility," a state transportation initiative that helped establish new light rail options for Hudson County. In his new position, he will be able to fight for funding that could expand the light rail along the west side of Jersey City from its current terminus at West Side Avenue.
"New development follows the light rail route," he said.
He said he has been discussing this with Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy.
One of the reasons Sires - when speaker of the state Assembly - threw his support behind the Xanadu sports project in the Meadowlands was because of the 20,000 jobs the project was supposed to generate. One of the key elements of this was also the expansion of the light rail from North Hudson to the Meadowlands, which would allow people to get to and from those jobs.
The creation and maintaining of jobs is one of the big issues, and his new position helps to deal with one of the largest job engines in the metropolitan area: the ports.
His committee will have a large say in finding options to deal with the new sized ships that need to reach the ports, and what might be done to solve the problem of the Bayonne Bridge, which may have to be elevated. Issues like dredging also fall into the hands of this committee.
Tunnel under
One of the other projects that his committee will have to review is the proposed new tunnel under the Hudson River.
This means working through the politics of transportation, since Amtrak opposes the move because the new tunnel would provide another alternative carrier.
But the tunnel and rail improvement are key to maintaining the local economy, since so many people travel to the New York City area. With gasoline prices on the rise and concerns about pollution, rail transport for people and goods becomes even more vital, he said.
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