Sires, Albio, 1951-

SIRES, Albio, a Representative from New Jersey; born in Bejucal, Cuba, January 26, 1951; graduated from Memorial High School, West New York, N.J., 1970; B.A., St. Peter’s College, Jersey City, N.J., 1974; M.A., Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vt., 1985; businessman; teacher; unsuccessful candidate for election to the One Hundredth Congress in 1986; Mayor of West New York, N.J., 1995-2007; member of the New Jersey state general assembly, 2000-2006, speaker, 2002-2006; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Ninth Congress, by special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of United States Representative Robert Menendez, and reelected to the eight succeeding Congresses (November 7, 2006-present).

<p>Albio B. Sires (/ˈælbioʊ ˈsɪrɪs/; born January 26, 1951) is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 8th congressional district since 2006. The district, numbered as the 13th district from 2006 to 2013, includes most of northern and eastern Jersey City, as well as most of Newark's Latino neighborhoods. Sires is a member of the Democratic Party.</p>

<p>Sires represented district 33 in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2000 to 2006, serving as Speaker of the New Jersey House from 2002 to 2006.</p>

<p>Sires was born on January 26, 1951, in Bejucal, Cuba. He immigrated to the United States with his family at age 11 with the help of relatives in the U.S. He eventually settled in West New York, New Jersey; he still lives there, in a town that was 78.08% Hispanic according to the 2010 census. He attended Public School 4, where he and his brother were two of only three Latinos in the school. Sires learned English from a teacher who used flashcards and phonetics, and subsequently attended Memorial High School, where he was a star basketball player, whose skills on the court helped him obtain a basketball scholarship to Saint Peter's College. He received a B.A. in 1974 in Spanish and marketing. He received an M.A. in Spanish from Middlebury College in 1985.</p>

<p>Born in the Cuban town of Bejucal, he grew up in the waning years of pre-Communist Cuba. His family fled in January 1962 with the help of relatives in America. Congressman Sires became a star basketball player at Memorial High School and received a four-year basketball scholarship from St. Peter’s College. He went on to receive a Masters Degree from Middlebury College in Vermont.</p>

<p>Congressman Sires was a teacher and business owner before entering public service. He proudly served as Mayor of West New York, New Jersey from 1995 to 2006. During that time, the Congressman created more affordable housing units than any municipality in the State of New Jersey by fostering public-private partnerships and the use of targeted tax incentives. He balanced twelve consecutive municipal budgets while maintaining and enhancing vital municipal services. His efforts were recognized by many, including the New Jersey State Bar Association and Legal Services and his fellow Mayors who named him, “Mayor of the Year” in 2004.</p>

<p>Congressman Sires also served in the New Jersey State Assembly, where he served two terms as Speaker of the Assembly. As Speaker, Congressman Sires led the effort to create the Office of Lieutenant Governor and the Assembly Committee on Homeland Security and State Preparedness, as well as, raise the minimum wage, expand job training, and fund valuable cancer research. He also created the STARS I and STARS II program, which offers full county and state college tuition scholarships to thousands of students. He increased funding for public education by $760 million and helped fund after-school programs to get kids off the streets and away from gangs.</p>