[16][19] The Stacks were active in their community, as their apartment was a hospitable place that was "a stop for tenants and neighborhood people seeking assistance or advice."

[16] As Stack explained to a reporter when he was 19, "I remember when I was about 6 or 7 years old being at the Doric Temple polling place on election day just sitting and listening to the local politicians.

[13] Stack later became leader of a civic organization called Union City First,[20] and for his public criticism of the administration of Mayor Rudy Garcia.

[23] Stack simultaneously won the 7th District seat on the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders, where he served from 2000 until his swearing into the Assembly in 2004.

[25] As mayor, Stack has focused on quality of life issues in Union City, in particular that which was affected by local bars violating liquor licenses for noise and selling alcohol to minors.

[27] Stack and his commissioners were re-elected on May 11, 2010, in a landslide victory over Vision 4 Union City's slate of candidates, headed by recurring opponent Frank Scarafile.

[28] Stack has been noted to employ various methods to make himself available to Union City citizens, such as widely publicizing his cell phone number.

[30][31] In September 2010, as controversy arose over the Park51 project in Lower Manhattan, Feisal Rauf, the imam in charge of that project, came under scrutiny by Stack's administration over problems faced by a number of rental properties Rauf owns in Hudson County, including four in Union City, which residents complained had fallen into disrepair, with cited problems including lack of heat, rats, bed bug infestations, and inoperable fire alarms and sprinklers.

This dual position, often called double dipping, is allowed under a grandfather clause in the state law enacted by the New Jersey Legislature and signed into law by Governor Jon Corzine in September 2007 that prevents dual-office-holding but allows those who had held both positions as of February 1, 2008, to retain both posts.

Their main opposition was the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO), which was headed by West New York Mayor and then-33rd Legislative District Assembly member Silverio Vega.

[46] The representatives from the 33rd District for the 2024—2025 Legislative Session are:[47] After Vincent Prieto stepped down in 2018 as chair of the Hudson County Democratic Organization, historically one of the most powerful remaining political machines in the United States.

Stack ran for Prieto's seat against Jersey City school board member Amy DeGise.

Stack and Jersey City mayor Steve Fulop had previously been critical of her father, Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise.

[citation needed] The internal campaign for support from the county party committee members lasted months and was highly divisive.

[48] Despite support for the Federal Marriage Amendment by a number of Hudson County clergy leaders,[50] Stack was an advocate of New Jersey's same-sex civil union law.

The law, which was signed by governor Jon Corzine on December 21, 2006, and went into effect February 19, 2007, grants same-sex couples the same legal protections and benefits of marriage.

We're just waiting to see what the wording will be.Commenting on opposition to the bill, Stack explained, The law is a result of the atmosphere in Trenton.

[55] Stack responded by asserting that he does not accept contributions from bar owners and establishments, and explained that "[Medrano] used her name and address in Fairview.

[58][59] The subpoena was based on a complain by Republican activist Steve Lonegan, who filed 36 conflict of interest complaints against state legislators.

A state ethics panel cleared Stack in late November 2009, ruling unanimously that he did not benefit from the grants, and that there was no conflict of interest.

Stack stated that his administration did nothing wrong, and that the center's housing and vehicle status was initiated before he became mayor in 2000, but according to Díaz, WNYW did not receive requested documentation of this fact.

Díaz states that the car Katia Stack had been using had been returned to the police department parking lot after their investigation began,[63] and that she reimbursed the city for the cost of gas and insurance.

The city van, which is normally used to transport seniors, picks up residents three times every weekday morning at the Troy Towers, despite the fact that a public bus stops there as well.

Díaz also points out that the service continued even after Hoboken Terminal was closed in October 2012 due to flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy, and placed Stack in the program's Hall of Shame for "abusing his power".

She refused, she was arrested for driving with a suspended license, placed in a jail cell, her car was impounded and searched, and she was allegedly told by Police Chief Charles Everett to "Never go to Union City again!"

[65] In December 2016, the city settled a lawsuit with former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Ricky Patel, who accused Stack of using government resources to harass him.

According to Patel's November 2014 lawsuit, about two weeks after the FBI raided the Union City Community Development Agency, he found a note on his vehicle informing him that the car was "part of an ongoing investigation", and noticed his apartment was being surveilled by a woman revealed to be Stack's girlfriend.