Essex County's Longest-Serving Sheriff Seeks Re-Election

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — It’s official: Armando Fontoura is running for Essex County sheriff again.

Last week, Fontoura – the longest serving sheriff in Essex County history – announced his re-election campaign, gaining a round of endorsements from other local Democratic Party leaders (see below).

Fontoura, a Fairfield resident, first took office in 1990. Prior to his election as sheriff, he rose through the ranks of the Newark Police Department, launching his law enforcement career in 1967. He currently supervises the largest sheriff's department in the state.

His current term ends on Dec. 31, 2021.

Along with his law enforcement background, Fontoura previously worked as a teacher in the Newark public school system after earning his bachelor’s degree in education at Newark State Teacher’s College, now Kean University.

“We are living in the most challenging of times,” Fontoura stated in his campaign announcement.

“In addition to the usual threats to our public safety by criminal activity, the officers from our department have played a vital and heroic role in maintaining the peace in the wake of major protests and demonstrations against systemic racism and during the testing and vaccination programs to combat a deadly pandemic,” the sheriff said.

“For many members of our department, the 16-hour work shift has become the norm, and I am proud, honored and privileged to serve with our hardworking and highly dedicated uniformed officers,” Fontoura said.

“While some in our community may have the option of working from home during COVID-19, that is not an option for us,” added Fontoura, who recovered from a bout with the coronavirus himself in 2020.

According to a news release from his campaign, Fontoura’s qualifications include:

• Graduate of the FBI’s National Academy and the FBI’s National Executive Institute
• Past president of the Police Management Association; Active member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriff’s Association
• Serves as the dean of the New Jersey sheriff's delegation

U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. of the 10th District, which includes Newark, offered high praise for the sheriff's work.

“As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security and as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery, I have frequently called on Sheriff Fontoura for his expertise on issues such as domestic terrorism and infrastructure security,” Payne said. “He has also shared his knowledge with us by testifying before our congressional committee.”

“In the area of law enforcement, Sheriff Fontoura's department continues to have remarkable success throughout Essex County and, in particular, the City of Newark,” Payne added.

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. offered a glowing endorsement for Fontoura, praising his response to the coronavirus pandemic, in particular.

DiVincenzo wrote:

“Essex County has been most fortunate to have our Sheriff's Office and Office of Emergency Management under Sheriff Fontoura's command for all these many years. During the past year Sheriff Fontoura has played a distinctly crucial and prominent role in our county's COVID-19 testing and vaccination programs. As the City of Newark was particularly hard hit by the on-going global pandemic, the sheriff's Office of Emergency Management, along with my office, established 146 sites for COVID-19 testing and tested more than 44,000 Newark residents. The sheriff's department also provided Newark residents, frontline workers, health care officials and first responders with 87,552 N95 masks, 246,471 KN95 masks, 1,590,346 surgical masks, 133,037 face shields, 98,559 surgical gowns and 761,323 pairs of protective gloves. Please also know that together we have planned and coordinated for five COVID-19 vaccination sites in Newark as well as other sites throughout Essex County.”

Essex County Democratic Chairman Leroy Jones said that Fontoura has “consistently earned high marks” from the local, state and federal law enforcement community.

“His policies and his practices have always been all inclusive and he represents all of us in the very best manner at all times,” Jones said, calling Fontoura “the best and most respected sheriff in New Jersey.”

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