Guarini name will go on Jersey City P.O. in June

Tuesday, April 22, 2008
By RONALD LEIR
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City's main post office at Montgomery and Washington streets will be named for a former seven-term congressman now involved in building projects on the Jersey City waterfront.

A plaque bearing the name of native son Frank J. Guarini will be installed on the front entrance to the post office at dedication ceremonies slated for 11 a.m. on June 16 at the post office. President George Bush signed bipartisan legislation last Oct. 24.

Rep. Albio Sires, D-West New York, the bill's primary sponsor, said Guarini's Navy service in World War II, and his legislative tenure from 1978 to 1993, including a stint as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, qualifies Guarini for the honor.

"He's been an integral part of the development of Jersey City," Sires said.

Guarini, an attorney, called the dedication an unexpected tribute.

"It's a thrilling thing to happen," he said, along with seeing so many residential and commercial highrise towers springing up Downtown.

"I've been part of that growth," said Guarini, who helped implement several international trade agreements during his time in Congress.

Guarini said he believed in Downtown when others didn't.

"I brought Prudential Realty over and tried to interest them in investing in the area.," Guarini said. "This was in the early '70s. They sent me a letter saying it had no potential. . There was no faith in the waterfront. But I truly believed the area could be a back bedroom for New York, and now it's even more than that.

"Jersey City has become the city of the future, and it's not finished," he said.

RONALD LEIR can be reached at rleir@jjournal.com