William Vincent Musto (March 27, 1917 – February 27, 2006) was an American Democratic politician who was sentenced to prison for corruption. He was the Mayor of Union City, New Jersey, from 1962 to 1970 and from 1974 to 1982. He served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1947 to 1966 and in the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

from 1966 to 1982. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' called him a "charismatic and visionary force" in New Jersey politics for decades.Gettleman, Jeffrey
"William Musto, 88, a Mayor Re-elected on His Way to Jail, Is Dead"
''

'', March 1, 2006. Accessed March 6, 2008.

Early life

Musto was born in

West Hoboken West Hoboken was a municipality that existed in Hudson County, New Jersey, from 1861 to 1925. It merged with Union Hill to form Union City on June 1, 1925. The town is notable for being the first city in which Mallomars were sold.Barron, Jame ...

(now part of Union City) on March 27, 1917. He had a brother, Patrick Roy Musto. His uncle, who was also named William Musto, was a druggist elected president of the North Hudson Pharmaceutical Association on June 10, 1956. He was a graduate of John Marshall Law School (now the Seton Hall University School of Law) in

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

. He served in World War II as a Captain in the 80th Division, 315th FA, Co C (as CO), General

George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...

's Third Army, earning a

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

Career

In 1946 Musto was elected to the New Jersey assembly, where he started his long political career. After three years in the assembly working alongside Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague, Musto allied himself with the John V. Kenny Victory Ticket in 1949, and by 1953 became the Democratic minority leader of the state assembly. By 1965, Musto was elected to the New Jersey State Senate. In 1970 he lost the city election to reform candidate William Meehan, and did not return to the mayoral seat until 1974, where he served in a second, non-consecutive term until the 1982 election. In 1972 Musto originated the North Hudson Council of Mayors, which was meant to offset Jersey City's "dominance" of county government. He is also responsible for originating the

New Jersey State Lottery The New Jersey Lottery is run by the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its In-house draw games are: Pick-3, Pick-4, Jersey Cash 5, Pick-6, Quick Draw, and Cash Pop. Its multi-jurisdictional draw games are: Cash4Life, Mega Millions, and Powerball. The ...

, and casino gambling in the area, funds from which were used for education. He is also credited with revitalizing the

New Jersey Meadowlands New Jersey Meadowlands, also known as the Hackensack Meadowlands after the primary river flowing through it, is a general name for the large ecosystem of wetlands in northeastern New Jersey in the United States, a few miles to the west of N ...

. He was known for being an advocate of

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

and

health care reform Health care reform is for the most part governmental policy that affects health care delivery in a given place. Health care reform typically attempts to: * Broaden the population that receives health care coverage through either public sector insur ...

Legal troubles

In 1977 investigations began into the city's dealings with Rudolph Orlandini, who was hired for a $2.2 million project to construct additions on the city's two high schools at the time, Emerson High School and Union Hill High School, projects that ultimately incurred $12 million in spending. In 1979, with a trial looming, Deputy Public Works Director Bruce D. Walter and Board of Education Secretary Robert Menendez (both of whom would later serve terms as Mayor of Union City) formed the Alliance Civic Association, and publicly questioned the overrun costs on Orlandini's construction company. In April 1981, a grand jury indicted Musto and six others on 36 counts of

racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. Originally and of ...

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...

and

fraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...

. They were eventually convicted of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks from Orlandini, in part due to testimony by Menendez, a former aide of Musto's."15 Most corrupt politicians in N.J. history"
NJ.com. March 10, 2014. Musto's conviction drew disbelief from some of his contemporaries, as well as skepticism at the validity of the accusations against him. On March 26, 1982, Musto and his co-defendants were convicted in skimming $600,000 in kickbacks from Orlandini contracts for the school construction projects. Musto was sentenced to seven years in prison. Despite his legal troubles, Musto still managed to maintain his adoration from Union City and continued his 1982 reelection campaign for the city commission, winning the election against Menendez on May 11, 1982, the day after his sentencing. The courts forced him from office, and his wife, Rhyta, won her husband's seat in a special election. He was succeeded in the

Christopher Jackman Christopher J. Jackman (July 12, 1916 – January 28, 1991) was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature. He was Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1978 until 198 ...

. After two years of appeals, Musto began serving his prison sentence in 1984 on a reduced sentence of five years. During the May 13, 1984, election, Commissioner Rhyta Musto was part of the incumbent Union City Together ticket. It was beaten by rival Menendez's Alliance Civic Association ticket, which won 57% of the vote, effectively doing away with the remnants of William Musto's political machine. After serving three and a half years, Musto was granted early parole to a Manhattan halfway house in 1987, where he stayed for two months.

Personal life, retirement and death

In 1941, Musto met his future wife Rhyta Palmerini, a medical technician at a Trenton hospital who hailed from Waterbury, Connecticut, at

Fort Dix Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air Force A ...

, when he was an artillery officer who was soon to ship out to war. They corresponded by mail throughout the war until he returned with a

. They married in 1946, the same year he was elected to the state Assembly."Rhyta was loyal to Bill and Union City: Political Insider"
NJ.com. January 16, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019. They and their children, Patrick and Patricia, lived at 321 23rd Street in Union City. Musto retired from the public eye following his release, and continued to proclaim his innocence for the rest of his life. In his free time, he was a member of the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

and VFW, as well as a member of

The Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

. He also served as Honorary Chairman of the American Red Cross, North Hudson Chapter. Musto died on February 27, 2006, at the age of 88 from complications of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

. He was buried in Fairview Cemetery. Rhyta died December 20, 2017, at the age of 96.

Legacy

On June 18, 2011, Union City honored Musto by opening the William V. Musto Cultural Center, which houses the Union City Museum of History, art galleries, and rooms for senior citizen activities. The center is housed in the former public library on 15th Street, which was originally built by Cranwell family of builders in 1903,Abby Levine and Craig Radhuber
A Visit to the Museum
". ''The Hudson Independent News''. August 2011. page 4 with funds donated by

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

. The naming of the center drew criticism from Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for Governor Chris Christie, who questioned the appropriateness of honoring a convicted felon, but Union City Mayor

Brian P. Stack Brian P. Stack (born May 16, 1966) is an American Democratic Party politician who serves in the New Jersey Senate, where he represents the 33rd Legislative District and serves Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has also served as ...

, who began volunteering on Musto campaigns as a young boy, and was present at age 16 at Musto's sentencing, pushed to name the building after his former mentor, and defended the decision by praising Musto's fairness toward rich and poor alike, and his generosity in helping those in need. Stack commented, "He changed the physical and political landscape of the state. He created the Meadowlands Racetrack, was the father of casino gambling in Atlantic City, he single-handedly created the (political) career of former U.S. Sen.

Bill Bradley William Warren Bradley (born July 28, 1943) is an American politician and former professional basketball player. He served three terms as a Democratic U.S. senator from New Jersey (1979–1997). He ran for the Democratic Party's nomination f ...

. t his sentencing the judge said a lifetime of good is not wiped out by one wrong." James Plaisted, the lead prosecutor in the 1982 case, agreed with Stack, saying, "The senator dedicated his life to public service for his community over many decades. Those good works over such a long period of time should be recognized."Mestanza, Jean-Pierre (June 3, 2011)
"Union City naming new Cultural Center for discredited ex-mayor"
NJ.com In 2014 Musto was ranked #15 in NJ.com's list of the 15 Most Corrupt Politicians in N.J. History.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Musto, William 1917 births 2006 deaths Politicians from Union City, New Jersey Mayors of places in New Jersey Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Democratic Party New Jersey state senators Seton Hall University School of Law alumni People convicted of racketeering New Jersey politicians convicted of corruption New Jersey politicians convicted of crimes 20th-century American politicians