Albio Sires (D-N.J.)

U.S. Representative (since November 2006)

(Congress Bio Directory)

Why He Matters

Sires, who was born in Cuba, is seen as an authority on Cuban-American relations. He won his House seat in a 2006 special election, and has served the 13th Congressional District of New Jersey ever since.

Before coming to Congress, he was an experienced New Jersey pol, having served a long career as a mayor, and the first Latino speaker of the state Assembly. But he raised some eyebrows, and objections to his appointment as speaker, because of his history of party switching from Democrat to Republican and back again.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: U.S. House of Representatives (2006 - present); New Jersey State Assembly (2000- 2006); Speaker, New Jersey State Assembly (2002-2006); Mayor of West New York, New Jersey (1995-2006)
Birthday: Jan. 26, 1951
Hometown: Bejucal, Cuba
Alma Mater: St. Peter's College, BA 1974; Middlebury College, MA 1985
Spouse: Adrienne
Religion: Catholic
Committees: Transportation and Infrastructure ; Foreign Affairs

DC Office: 1024 Longworth House Office Building; 202) 225-7919
State/District Office: Jersey City Office, (201) 222-2828
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Path to Power

Sires was a little boy growing up in Cuba when Fidel Castro came to power. His family fled the country a few years later, arriving in the United States in 1962, when Sires was ten.

A self-described high-school jock, Sires earned a basketball scholarship from St. Peter's College in New Jersey. He eventually earned his master's degree from Middlebury College in Vermont. Basketball was his way of making friends when he first arrived in the U.S.

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After college, Sires followed his dream and became a basketball coach and teacher. He entered politics by accident, in his hometown of West New York. At the time, West New York was transitioning into a Cuban-American enclave from a historically Italian-American city. Sires rallied behind an Italian-American friend, Frank Cocuzza, for a spot on the city commission, and campaigned for him in Cuban social circles. Though Cocuzza lost, Sires came away with the belief that people want to be led - and firmly hooked on politics.

Mayor and Assemblyman

After losing several local races, Sires was elected West New York mayor in 1995, and served until 2006. In 2004, he received the Mayor of the Year award from the New Jersey Conference of Mayors.

"This is an honor," he told the the New York Times in November 2001. "This certainly is a country of opportunity. And only in this country can you come, not speak the language, not know where the bathroom is, and be elected speaker.''

House Special Election

Sires entered Congress by winning the 2006 special election to fill the slot vacated by then-Rep. Robert Menendez (D), who was appointed to the U.S. Senate to succeed Jon Corzine (D), who had recently been elevated to governor. On the same day, voters elected Sires to represent his district for a subsequent two-year term.

Party Struggles

In 2001, Sires found himself in the center of a political rift between then-Gov. McGreevey (D), who would later resign after announcing that he was gay, and that he had had a secret affair with an aide who was threatening to sue him, and Democratic members of the state Assembly.

Though McGreevey had appointed Sires as Assembly speaker, Democratic leaders were backing then-minority leader Joe Doria for the role. Democrats questioned Sires' loyalty to his party, since he was a former Republican. They also questioned his experience, and accused him of being a yes-man to the governor. Sires fired back: "If you know my history, you know that I am nobody's rubber stamp."

In the House, he serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure and the Foreign Affairs committees.

The Issues

Sires voted with his party 98 percent of the time in the 111th Congress. In January 2009, he became a vice chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democrats to the House.

Sires wasn't always a Democrat. After running unsuccessfully three times for mayor of West New York as a Democrat, he briefly switched in 1985 to the Republican Party. He ran for the same post in 1994 as an Independent, and won. In 1998, Sires rejoined the Democratic Party.

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Mass Transit

Having lived and worked across the Hudson River from New York City, Sires is a champion of mass transit. He supports federally-funded public transportation projects, which he believes will ultimately benefit his constituents who commute to New York City on the subway.

He advocated for a federal, state and locally-funded public transit tunnel from New Jersey to New York that broke ground in June 2009. The $9 billion project is expected to supply 6,000 jobs and employ tens of thousands of people.

Health-Care Reform

Sires was undecided on health-care reform as of fall 2009. He had proposed four items he would like to see included: guaranteed coverage, access to high-quality treatment when needed, investment in preventive care and guaranteed choice of health -insurance plans and doctors.

Affordable Housing

Sires is also a champion of affordable housing. His constituents pay some of the highest rents and housing prices in the country, and he has supported legislation that has made housing more affordable, even for those who rent.

Cuban-American Relations

The Obama administration has looked to Sires as an authority on Cuban-American relations. Sires has urged his House colleagues to move slowly and cautiously on the U.S.-Cuba relationship. He advised the Obama administration to not make any further decisions regarding Cuba until Congress was briefed about the dangers.

In March 2009, the Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus, of which Sires is a member,wrote a letter to Obama complaining about an eased travel restriction policy that allowed for "unlimited stays in Cuba."

"We believe that this will serve to channel U.S. taxpayer dollars directly to the regime because retirees and Supplemental Security Income recipients could remain on the island indefinitely while collecting U.S. taxpayer-provided benefits," Caucus leaders wrote. The Caucus also called for the U.S. government not to ease sanctions on Cuba, arguing it would strengthen the regime.

In September 2008, Sires requested that the U.S. government provide direct assistance to victims of Hurricane Gustav in Cuba.

The Network

Sires works closely with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.). Sires assumed Menendez's congressional seat after Menendez was named by New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) to fill Corzine's old Senate seat.

As a member of the Congressional Cuban Democracy Caucus, he works closely with Cuban-American lawmakers like Reps. Mario (R-Fla.) and Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.).

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