He went from lowbreaker to lawmaker.
John Aright, a former Gambino crime family enforcer, was sworn in as a council member representing the sleepy New Jersey Borough in Englishtown on Wednesday.
“Um, you know? You can do really good. I already had a bad past, and I'm here to redeem my entire life, and I want to do everything positively,” the 62-year-old Alite told the Post.
He explained that his work in the 1980s and 1990s would serve him in politics as the top “earner” of “Teflondon,” Gambino boss John Gotti and his son John “Junior” Gotti.
“I understand Machiavelli's, betrayal,” Alite said.
“I think I can bring my knowledge and past history into politics because I understand the operations these candidates are doing, as this means that every aspect of the street is like government.”
Alite said he spent 14 years in convictions that included six murders, at least 37 shootings and countless beatdowns while working as a henchman of Gambino.
However, he didn't need to place rivals in cement boots to win a seat on the council.
He was appointed to fill the vacant seats by the end of the year after being recruited by British Town Mayor Daniel Francisco and other local leaders.
Initially there were skeptics, including some members of the council, but Alite ultimately convinced him that he was someone he could not refuse.
“Yeah, there were people who opposed it, but I'm not running away from the past at all,” he said. “I use it as a way to move forward, influence kids, drive them out of the street and turn negative things into positive.”
The former Mosster will hold a seat for another two years until 2027 – unless someone dares to challenge the file's documents in the election by March 21st.
“I was told I wouldn't be challenged because there are other seats that people who are less popular than me have. [motivational] I'll talk about the surroundings [Monmouth] County,” he said. “Everyone knows me, so it's going to be hard to beat in the race.”
The former Wise Guy said he is more qualified than a left-handed Democrat who currently holds higher duties.
“I like some of these people [Texas Democratic Rep.] Aright, who graduated from Franklin K. Lane High School in Brooklyn and went to Tampa on a baseball scholarship to blew his arm out and dropped out a few years later, added:
And he's already seen his next move.
“I was asked – I can't talk about the name, but I've already been asked to go to a higher position,” Alite said.
“He's not your typical politician. He's done work. He's a workaholic. It means he has so many good qualities,” the record show shows that since 2020 he has donated $6,501 to Trump and other Republican candidates.
Queens-born Goodfella has reinvented himself since becoming a free man in 2012. The trial ended with the judges.
Alite said he wanted to repair the junior and the fence, but he wasn't holding his breath.
Gotti in 2016 said he was a “tolerant man,” but not the case with Alite. “He is one of the most shameless humans God has created. He uses Gotti's theme to strengthen his career,” Gotti said.
Alite co-authors five books on Mob Life, is a prolific podcaster and also earns a paycheck as a travel motivational speaker tackling topics such as domestic violence, bullying, and the country's drug epidemic.
He lives enough to abandon his Borough Council salary of $3,500 a year, but admits that his portfolio is far from the “millions of dollars” that he won a “good year” with mobsters when he owned four NYC nightclubs and a home of 12 people along the East Coast.
At the pinnacle of Alite's political platform, he speaks against the dangers of illegal drugs. His 30-year-old daughter, Chelsea, died three years ago from a fentanyl overdose. The tragedy moved him to Englishtown.
Alite couldn't become a man made up of Italian mobs to be 100% Albanian – “I said I wanted to make sure there are enough after-school programs to keep them away from the kids and away from drugs.
“The impact of drugs in this county has been terrible,” said Arite, whose former employer was well-known for his cocaine trafficking. “I was a part of it when I was a kid, and now I have the opportunity to change that.”
Divorced and with four sons, Aright was surrounded by his mother and other family members when he was sworn in English Town Bow Hall on Wednesday. He then attended the first council meeting.
For the agenda for the small Central Jersey community with over 2,300 residents, potholes, Christmas lights, eye-catching fencing and the appointment of the acting police chief.
Englishtown mayor Francisco said Alite deserves the opportunity.
“I can only judge him about what I know,” he said. “John is an open and friendly person. He has a huge amount of experience and connections in the political and business world.”
“I know he does a lot of outreach jobs,” the mayor added. “He shares his vision for development in our local downtown area and I think he will be committed to this effort to redefine the landscape of our community.”
