Joseph Vas (born January 18, 1955) is an American Democratic Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2004 to 2010, where he represented the 19th Legislative District. He did not seek re-election to the assembly in 2009. He also served as Mayor of Perth Amboy, New Jersey from 1990 to 2008. He was defeated for re-election to a 5th full term by local bank vice president Wilda Diaz in 2008 by a 58% to 42% margin. He was elected Perth Amboy Democratic Chairman in 2008, succeeding his longtime campaign chairman Ray Geneske. Vas resigned as the party chairman in 2009. He was convicted of state corruption charges in 2010 and federal corruption charges in 2011. For nearly two decades, Joe Vas was a major political powerhouse and boss in Perth Amboy and Middlesex County politics. His 2008 upset defeat followed by corruption charges sent a shockwave in New Jersey politics as a one time political boss and powerbroker had fallen. Vas attended Vanderbilt University and is a founding member (with his brother Ralph) of R&J Associates, an insurance agency. He is a past president of the Perth Amboy Chamber of Commerce. Local politics Vas was one of two Hispanic candidates who ran against incumbent George Otlowski in the 1988 mayoral race, with Vas coming in second, losing by 325 votes. Vas served as Mayor of Perth Amboy, beginning in 1990, when he became the first Hispanic elected to serve as the city's mayor. He was re-elected several times, but was defeated for reelection in 2008 by Wilda Diaz. He has also served on the Perth Amboy Planning Board since 1990, on the Perth Amboy Zone Development Corporation since 1994 and the Perth Amboy Redevelopment Agency since 1997. As Mayor, Vas cleaned up over of brownfield land, cleaned up a carcinogenic spot from the city’s water supply and was involved in the installation of recycled plastics for the city’s waterfront bulkhead. Legislative career In the 2003 Democratic primary, incumbent Arline Friscia lost the official endorsement of the Middlesex County Democratic Organization, which went instead to Vas, leading Friscia to switch over to the Republican Party. Vas was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 2003; he was re-elected in 2005 and 2007 where he served as chairman of a powerful assembly committee and served as a member of the Assembly Budget Committee. He did not