Michael Wildes

Wildes was born on November 27, 1964, at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He was raised in Forest Hills, Queens, in a high-achieving Modern Orthodox Jewish home in the Jewish tradition of tikkun olam (Hebrew: {{lang|he|תיקון עולם}}, "fixing the world"). His brother, Mark, is a Rabbi.{{cite news|last1=Davidovit|first1=Aliza|title=Michael Wildes: Leading by Example|agency=LifeStyles Magazine}}

Wildes is a graduate of Queens College of the City University of New York and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he now teaches immigration law as an adjunct professor. Wildes was a member of Community Board 6, a member of the Local Claims and Adjudication Board of New York State, and a candidate for Democratic District Leader of the 28th Assembly District of New York State.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}

Wildes' paternal grandfather, Harry Wildes, was a retail store owner who immigrated to the United States from Białystok, Poland, in 1920.{{cite web|title=Leon Wildes & Michael Wildes: Immigration Attorneys|url=http://www.cuny.tv/show/buildingny/PR2004247|website=Stoler Report|access-date=June 22, 2015}} His maternal grandfather, Max Schoenwalter, owned a paint company and escaped Nazi Germany in the late 1930s to immigrate to the United States. Schoenwalter was instrumental in the creation of the Queens Jewish Center.{{cite web|last1=Wildes|first1=Mark|title=There Was No Good Hitler|url=http://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/there-was-no-good-hitler/2014/05/18|website=The Jewish Press|date=18 May 2014 |access-date=July 8, 2015}}

Wildes' mother, Ruth Schoenwalter Wildes, was a prominent member of the Jewish community in Forest Hills, New York, where she lived and raised her family. Ruth Wildes died of breast cancer in 1995.{{cite web|title=MJE: Dedication|url=https://jewishexperience.org/dedication|website=Manhattan Jewish Experience|access-date=July 8, 2015}}

Wildes' father, Leon Wildes, was a lawyer from Olyphant, Pennsylvania, who studied at NYU Law School and went on to open his own law firm, Wildes and Weinberg PC, in 1960. Leon Wildes successfully defended John Lennon and Yoko Ono from a deportation attempt by the US government.[http://imaginepeace.com/archives/14021 Article about Leon Wildes securing visas for John Lennon and Yoko Ono] In 2016, Leon Wildes wrote a book, John Lennon vs. The USA, which recounted the details of the Lennon case. Michael wrote the book's foreword.{{cite web|last1=Walsh|first1=Jim|title=How Leon Wildes helped John Lennon stay in the city he loved|url=http://www.superlawyers.com/new-york-metro/article/Lennon-Law/6fe22a61-4531-4c4c-ab75-9119d4a8280a.html|website=SuperLawyers|access-date=June 2, 2015}}{{cite web|last1=Zimmerman|first1=Pam|title=How Leon Wildes helped John Lennon stay in the city he loved|url=http://www.superlawyers.com/new-york-metro/article/Lennon-Law/6fe22a61-4531-4c4c-ab75-9119d4a8280a.html|website=JWeekly|access-date=June 2, 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/you-may-say-hes-a-dreamer-john-lennons-immigration-case|title=You May Say He's a DREAMer: John Lennon's Immigration Case|publisher=Public Broadcasting Company|date=December 4, 2012|access-date=June 2, 2015|author=Polantz, Katelyn}}{{cite book|title=John Lennon vs. The U.S.A.: The Inside Story of the Most Bitterly Contested and Influential Deportation Case in United States History|isbn=9781634254267|author1=Leon Wildes|author2=Michael Wildes|year=2016}} He was also a longtime professor of law at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.{{Cite web|date=2010-12-15|title=Three Men with a Wildes Streak|url=https://mishpacha.com/three-men-with-a-wildes-streak-the-family-business-of-leon/|access-date=2020-12-28|website=Mishpacha Magazine|language=en-US}}

File:Michael Wildes, Auxiliary Police Officer, NYPD, 112th precinct.jpg for the NYPD, 1983]]

Wildes served with the New York Police Department as an auxiliary police officer from 1982 to 1992. As a member of the 112th NYPD precinct, he lectured on crime prevention and public safety in New York homes and community centers. In 1991, he resigned from the NYPD.{{cite web|title=Michael Wildes Curriculum Vitae|url=http://www.wildeslaw.com/images/pdf/mjwbio.pdf|website=Wildes and Weinberg P.C. Law Offices|access-date=June 3, 2015}}

Wildes has served as a consultant for government agencies and institutions, including Homeland Security.

Wildes served with the United States Attorney's Office in Brooklyn from 1989 to 1993 and testified on Capitol Hill in connection with anti-terrorism legislation. He served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney until he retired from the U.S. Attorney's Office in 1993 to join his father's law firm.{{cite news|title=Defector says Pakistan had nuclear first strike plan|url=http://articles.cnn.com/1998-07-01/world/9807_01_pakistan.defector_1_india-and-pakistan-nuclear-program-nuclear-arms-race?_s=PM:WORLD|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314035346/http://articles.cnn.com/1998-07-01/world/9807_01_pakistan.defector_1_india-and-pakistan-nuclear-program-nuclear-arms-race?_s=PM:WORLD|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 14, 2012|access-date=April 8, 2011|newspaper=CNN News|date=July 1, 1998}}{{cite news|last=Jennings|first=Peter|title=Attorney Michael Wildes with Pakistani Defector|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQRYXE4zGls|access-date=April 8, 2011|newspaper=ABC News|date=July 1, 1998}}{{cite news|last=Sugg|first=John|title=Steven Emerson's Crusade|url=http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1443|access-date=April 8, 2011|newspaper=FAIR, the national media watch group|date=February 1999}}{{cite journal|last=Wildes|first=Michael|author2=Angela Khaminwa|author3=Frank Emmert|author4=Richard Horowitz|author5=Esq. Hans Smit|title=Negotiating With Terrorists And Non-State Actors: The Journey To World Peace|journal=Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution|date=February 11, 2003|volume=2|issue=2|url=http://www.cojcr.org/vol4no2/wildesfinal.html|location=Cardozo Law School}}

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Wildes was a federal prosecutor in the corruption case of former Congressman Mario Biaggi, who had been attempting to avoid paying an $872,000 corruption fine.{{cite news|last1=Shain|first1=Michael|last2=Phillips|first2=Karen|title=Feds think Biaggi's making $$ - and they want it|date=September 9, 1992}}{{cite news|last1=Shain|first1=Michael|title=Biaggi to fed prosecutor: Give me immunity or I won't talk|newspaper=New York Post|date=October 28, 1992}}

Wildes joined Wildes and Weinberg PC, a law firm that specializes in immigration law, in 1993. He was made managing partner in 2010.{{cite web|url=http://www.wildeslaw.com/images/pdf/mjwbio.pdf|title=Wildes' CV|access-date=June 7, 2015}}

Some of the high-profile cases Wildes worked on included:

• Early on in his career at Wildes and Weinberg, Wildes represented Mohammed al Khilewi, a high-level Saudi Arabian diplomat who sought Wildes' counsel for his defection to the United States in 1994. Al-Khilewi had leaked thousands of documents to the FBI that described crimes against humanity, corruption, and financial support for militant Islamic groups by the Saudi royal family, and was hunted by Saudi intelligence agents who followed him to New York after he defected. Wildes obtained political asylum for al-Khilewi, who now lives in hiding in the New York City area.{{cite news|last1=Miner|first1=Colin|title=Terror squad in Apple hunting former Saudi U.N. honcho|newspaper=New York Post|date=August 1, 1994}}
• He also represented Janosh Neumann, a former Russian intelligence officer who defected to the United States in 2008.{{cite news|last1=McGreal|first1=Chris|title=Russian defectors living the dead end of the American dream in distant Oregon|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/26/russian-defectors-spies-dead-end-american-dream|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=June 28, 2015|date=2015-06-26}}
• In 1995, Wildes represented Patricia Roush, an American mother whose two daughters had been abducted and taken to Saudi Arabia by her ex-husband. During his second visit with his two daughters in January 1986, Gheshayan, her ex-husband, kidnapped the two girls, then aged 7 and 3, and flew them to Saudi Arabia. Roush petitioned the United States Department of State for nine years in an attempt to bring her daughters back to America, but was ultimately unsuccessful. Wildes negotiated a deal with Saudi diplomats that allowed Roush to visit Saudi Arabia on a visa, and allowed her to visit her children in Riyadh. She was allowed to see her children for two hours during her trip in 1995.{{cite news|last1=Fernandez|first1=Elizabeth|title=Guns, Money, and Tears: Patricia Roush's 11-year odyssey for the return of her kidnapped daughters from Saudi Arabia|agency=San Francisco Examiner Magazine|date=April 20, 1997}}{{cite news|last1=Dickter|first1=Adam|title=Playing A Wildes Card|agency=The Jewish Week|date=July 14, 1995}}
• In 1997, Wildes represented Hani al-Sayegh, a Saudi Arabian citizen who had been wrongfully accused of involvement in the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing. Al-Sayegh was deported back to Saudi Arabia in October 1999, and was allegedly beheaded immediately after arriving. In 2006, a U.S. court found Iran and Hezbollah Al-Hejaz guilty of planning and carrying out the Khobar Towers bombing.{{cite news|last1=Thomas|first1=Pierre|title=Suspect Links Iranian To Anti-American Plot|agency=The Washington Post|date=June 28, 1997}}{{cite news|last=Leonnig|first=Carol D.|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/22/AR2006122200455.html|title=Iran Held Liable In Khobar Attack|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=December 23, 2006|access-date=June 22, 2015}}Washington Times, "U.S. moves to drop charges in Dhahran bombing case", September 9, 1997.
• In 2003, Wildes represented Kwame James, who became known as "the shoe bomber hero" after subduing Richard Reid, the perpetrator of the 2001 shoe bomb plot. Although James was hailed as a hero by American media and politicians, he was not an American citizen and therefore could not remain in the United States. James, a dual citizen of Canada and Trinidad and Tobago, was promised a work visa by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), although he never received one. James became a legal resident of the United States in 2003 and a U.S. citizen in 2010, thus holding citizenship in three different countries.{{cite news|last1=Wertheim|first1=Jon|title=The "Shoebomber Hero" and Mayor Wildes|agency=Sports Illustrated|date=August 15, 2006}}{{cite web|title=James sworn in as U.S. citizen|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/news/story?id=5073231|website=ESPN|access-date=July 5, 2015|date = 2010-04-10}}

File:Michael Wildes, Pele, outside airplane, April 2014.jpg celebrating after Wildes obtained an O-1 visa for the Brazilian soccer star]]

Other notable clients represented by Wildes as immigration attorney included Pelé,{{cite web|title=Pele gets U.S. visa to join Cosmos staff|url=http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/article.php?article_id=26874|publisher=Big Apple Soccer|access-date=April 8, 2011}} Sarah Brightman,{{cite web|title=Attorney to the Stars, Michael Wildes, Retained By Best-Selling Artist Sarah Brightman|url=http://www.news9.com/Global/story.asp?S=13345003|website=news9.com|access-date=June 7, 2015}}{{cite web|last1=Fabrikant|first1=Mel |title=Attorney to the Stars, Michael Wildes, Retained By Best-Selling Artist Sarah Brightman |url=http://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20101022112013615| publisher=The Paramus Post|access-date=June 7, 2015}} Craig David,{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/top-new-york-immigration-attorney-michael-wildes-secures-green-card-for-international-music-star-craig-david-166863356.html|title=Top New York Immigration Attorney Michael Wildes Secures Green Card For Craig David|website=PR Newswire|date=November 3, 2011|access-date=November 16, 2016}} Boy George,{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxhTbZaXgUc|title=Boy George on His O Visa and Michael Wildes His Immigration Lawyer|date=9 April 2016 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=November 16, 2016}} Stefanía Fernández,{{cite web|title=Miss Universe 2009 Secures Green Card|url=http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/08/30/miss-universe-immigration/|publisher=The Wonk Room|access-date=April 8, 2011}}{{cite news|last=Myricks|first=Dan|title=Immigration Attorney Secures Visa for Miss Universe 2010|url=http://www.focusofswfl.com/2010/11/immigration-attorney-secures-visa-for-miss-universe-2010|access-date=April 8, 2011|newspaper=Focus Magazine|date=November 3, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305153831/http://www.focusofswfl.com/2010/11/immigration-attorney-secures-visa-for-miss-universe-2010/|archive-date=March 5, 2012|url-status=dead}} Leila Lopes,{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/immigration-attorney-to-the-stars-michael-wildes-secures-visa-for-miss-universe-2011-133162153.html |title=Immigration Attorney to the Stars Michael Wildes Secures Visa for Miss Universe® 2011|website=PR Newswire|access-date=November 16, 2016}} Gabriela Isler,{{cite web|url=http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2013/12/06/miss-universe-gets-visa-to-live-and-work-in-united-states-green-card-may-be|title=Miss Universe Gets Visa To Live And Work In The U.S., Green Card May Be Next|work=Fox News Latino|date=December 6, 2013|access-date=June 7, 2015|author=Llorente, Elizabeth}} Jimena Navarrete Rosete, Dayana Mendoza, Gisele Bündchen,{{cite press release|title=Immigration Attorney to the Stars Michael Wildes Secures Visa for Miss Universe® 2011|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/immigration-attorney-to-the-stars-michael-wildes-secures-visa-for-miss-universe-2011-133162153.html|website=PR Newswire|access-date=June 30, 2015}} Greg Norman,{{cite press release|title=Attorney to the Stars, Michael Wildes, Retained by Greg Norman|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/attorney-to-the-stars-michael-wildes-retained-by-best-selling-artist-sarah-brightman-105210949.html|website=PR Newswire|access-date=June 30, 2015}} and Melania Trump.{{cite news|last1=Wright|first1=David|title=Melania Trump releases letter from immigration attorney|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/14/politics/melania-trump-releases-immigration-letter/index.html|website=CNN|access-date=September 15, 2016}}

File:Michael Wildes, Bill Clinton, June 2012.jpg about immigration policy, June 2012.]]

In 1988, Wildes ran for Democratic District Leader of the 28th Assembly District, Part A in New York (which included Forest Hills, Rego Park, Elmhurst, and Maspeth).{{cite news|title=Wildes Declares Candidacy for Dem District Leader|volume=52|agency=Woodside Herald|issue=30|date=July 22, 1988}}

In early March 1998, local media in northern New Jersey began publishing rumors that Wildes was being urged to run for the Democratic nomination for the 2nd Ward seat on the city council in Englewood, N.J.{{cite news|last1=Catania|first1=Chris|title=Englewood Primary Fight Possible|publisher=Suburbanite|date=March 4, 1998}} On Monday, March 16, 1998, the incumbent city councilman, Herb Honig, announced he would not seek reelection to a second term. Wildes announced that he would run for the seat the same day. However, the next day, Honig reversed his decision and decided he would run for reelection.{{cite news|last1=Cowen|first1=Richard|title=Orthodox Jew challenges councilman in Englwood|publisher=Local News|date=March 18, 1998}}

Local media largely portrayed Honig as the "consummate local politician", and Wildes as the "relative newcomer" in the primary election. The media focused on Wildes' Orthodox Jewish religious affiliation. He named public education, neighborhood beautification, and engaging young people in the political process as his top priority issues.{{cite news|last1=Catania|first1=Chris|title=Honig vows fight vs. Wildes|publisher=Suburbanite|date=March 25, 1998}}

On March 25, 1998, the media reported that Honig had withdrawn from the city council race.{{cite news|title=Honig|publisher=The Suburbanite|date=March 25, 1998}} The Englewood Democratic municipal committee voted to back Ellen Singer, a last-minute challenger, for the Democratic nomination on April 1, effectively barring Wildes from the race. The primary was scheduled for June 2. In late April, however, reports that Singer had not been a registered Democrat when she won the municipal committee vote put Wildes back in the race.{{cite news|last1=Cowen|first1=Richard|title=A candidate's status in doubt in Englewood|issue=Bergen Edition|publisher=The Record|date=April 24, 1998}}

On May 20, 1998, the Northern Valley Suburbanite published the transcript of an audio recording of a phone call to Wildes, in which Singer's husband, Scott Singer, threatened Wildes if he did not exit the race.{{cite news|last1=Catania|first1=Chris|title=Council candidate claims he was threatened|publisher=The Suburbanite|date=20 May 1998}} Wildes won the Democratic primary 694–344 on June 2, 1998.{{cite news|last1=Cowen|first1=Richard|title=Insurgent Democrat is victorious in Englewood|publisher=Local News|date=June 3, 1998}} Wildes won the general election with no opposition on November 3, 1998.{{cite news|title=Local candidate results announced|issue=South Edition|publisher=The Press-Journal|date=November 5, 1998}}

Wildes was elected president pro tempore of the Englewood city council in 2000.{{cite news|last1=O'Shea|first1=Jack|title=City Council chooses Bern|publisher=The Suburbanite|date=January 12, 2000}} He opposed the construction of a Home Depot in Englewood (planned for 2000), citing environmental, sanitation, and beautification factors, as well as the local public outcry against the construction; he also supported an elected school board, rather than an appointed one.{{cite news|last1=Crouse|first1=Douglass|title=Lone councilman favors elected school board|publisher=The Bergen Record|date=October 31, 2000}}{{cite news|last1=Johnston|first1=Ernie|title=Wildes, Opposes Home Depot in Englewood|volume=18|issue=40|publisher=The Connection Weekly Newspaper|date=January 15, 2000}} The Suburbanite called him "the most activist [city councilman] in the city's history, giving the impression of never being off duty and never wishing to be off duty."{{cite news|last1=O'Shea|first1=Jack|title=Wildes takes his public post seriously|agency=The Suburbanite|publisher=North Jersey Media Group|date=March 22, 2000}} Wildes was reelected to a second term on the city council in 2000.

;Congressional testimony

In May 1999, during his first term on the city council, Wildes was asked to testify in front of the United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security (then called the "Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims"). Wildes was invited to testify by Representative Rob Andrews (D-NJ). Andrews was sponsoring a piece of legislation (H.R. 2184) on finding and deporting illegal aliens associated with terrorism, and wanted a legal opinion. Wildes supported the bill, which targeted those who "knowingly aid and abet" individuals who plan or participate in terrorist acts.{{cite news|title=Councilman Wildes testifies before Congressional subcommittee|volume=14|issue=20|publisher=The Palisadian|date=June 2, 1999}} Wildes said he believed the bill struck an appropriate balance between defending the due process rights of individuals and defending the American public from acts of terrorism.{{cite news|last1=S.L.R.|title=Editorial: Watching a Young Lawyer and Politician Bloom|publisher=The Jewish Voice}}

In February 2003, local media speculated that Wildes would run for mayor of Englewood.{{cite news|title=Bayh visits Englewood to boost Wildes for mayor|agency=The Press-Journal|date=February 13, 2003}} Wildes had been raising Englewood's national profile by raising money for Democratic candidates.{{cite news|last1=Lerner|first1=Carrie|title=Wildes: Raising Englewood's Profile Nationally by Raising $$$ for Democrats|agency=Cardozo Insider|date=March 2003}} On Thursday, March 13, 2003, Wildes became the first candidate in the 2003 Englewood mayoral race to announce he was running to succeed Mayor Paul Fader, who had announced he would not be seeking reelection.{{cite news|title=Wildes announces run for mayor to succeed Fader|volume=129|agency=The Press-Journal|issue=11|date=March 13, 2003}}

On March 19, New Jersey State Senator Byron Baer announced he would run against Wildes for mayor, at the urging of Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero. Englewood's Democratic committee, however, voted against Baer for mayor, and supported Wildes 18–4.{{cite news|last1=Kornacki|first1=Steve|title=Baer enters race for Englewood Mayor and is trounced by Wildes|publisher=PoliticsNJ.com|date=March 19, 2003}} On April 3, at a public forum in Englewood, NJ, United States Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton endorsed Wildes for mayor.{{cite news|title=Clinton endorses Wildes|volume=129|agency=The Press-Journal|issue=14|date=April 3, 2003}} On April 9 it became clear that Wildes would be unopposed for the Democratic nomination, and was set to face Republican candidate Ray Aspinwall in the November general election.{{cite news|last1=Fusco|first1=Frank|title=Wildes avoids primary|agency=The Suburbanite|date=April 16, 2003}}

Local media predicted Wildes would easily win the general election due to Englewood's largely Democratic population.{{cite news|title=Wildes unopposed in Englewood mayoral race|volume=129|agency=The Press-Journal|issue=39|date=September 25, 2003}} Byron Baer, Loretta Weinberg, Gordon Johnson, and several other prominent Englewood democrats backed Wildes for mayor in late September.{{cite news|title=Englewood Dems Back Wildes|agency=The Jewish Press|date=September 26, 2003}}

Ray Aspinwall, the Republican candidate for mayor, dropped out of the race.{{cite news|last1=O'Shea|first1=Jack|title=GOP mayoral candidate out|agency=Northern Valley Suburbanite|date=October 1, 2003}} Wildes was elected mayor on November 4, 2003.{{cite news|title=Councilman Michael Wildes Wins Bid for Mayor of Englewood|agency=The Jewish Press|date=November 14, 2003}}

Wildes was sworn into his first term as mayor on January 1, 2004, by United States Senator Frank Lautenberg and Kadijah Thomas, the 2004 valedictorian of Dwight Morrow High School.{{cite news|title=Senator and Student Swear in Mayor Michael Wildes|agency=The Jewish Press|date=February 6, 2004}} Wildes held both of his grandfathers' Chumashim (printed Torahs), at the swearing-in ceremony.{{cite news|last1=Lieb|first1=Ann J.|title=A Rising Political Star|agency=The Jewish Press|date=February 27, 2004}}

Wildes endorsed a $46.6 million school construction proposal to rebuild and improve public education in Englewood.{{cite news|last1=Glazer|first1=Andrew|title=Englewood mayor endorses $50M school expansion|issue=Bergen County Edition|publisher=The Record|date=January 6, 2004}} The plan, created by Schools Superintendent John Grieco, was described by The Bergen Record as "a 'no-frills' approach toward meeting state health and building codes in school facilities, some of which are 90 years old."{{cite news|last1=Glazer|first1=Andrew|title=Voter's pick: Aging schools or tax hike|agency=The Record|issue=Bergen County Edition|date=January 22, 2004}} Voters approved the school construction bond at a later referendum.{{cite news|last1=Palmer|first1=Joanne|title=Is it a Jewish issue?: Englewood politicians talk about school board referendum|agency=The Jewish Standard|date=February 6, 2004}}

File:Michael Wildes, Englewood mayor swearing in, January 1, 2007.jpg (far right), looks on, January 2, 2007.]]

In his first speech as mayor, Wildes named three issues as his top priorities: "public education, property taxes, and bringing a fresh perspective to government."{{cite news|last1=Koonin|first1=Melissa|title=New mayor backs school proposals|agency=Suburbanite|date=January 14, 2004}} At an elementary school visit, a student asked Wildes who his earliest political influence was; he named John F. Kennedy.{{cite news|last1=Katchen|first1=Andrew S.|title=Wildes discloses his story of the 'American Dream'|agency=Northern Valley Suburbanite|date=January 21, 2004}} At another address at Dwight Morrow High School, he told the students, "Never underestimate what being a good person can do for you."{{cite news|title='Be the best,' Wildes advises middle schoolers|agency=The Press Journal|date=February 5, 2004}} The same month, Wildes met with Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, then First Lady of Argentina.{{cite news|title=Wildes sees Argentine leader|volume=130|agency=The Press-Journal|issue=8|date=February 19, 2004}}

File:Michael Wildes, Memorial Day parade, 2006.jpg

In February 2004, Wildes formed a task force to investigate reports by Latino immigrants living in Englewood that they had been targeted for exceedingly intrusive housing inspections. The Bergen Record printed reports of several raids in January 2004 that seemed to specifically target Colombian residents.{{cite news|last1=Glazer|first1=Andrew|title=Panel to probe Englewood home inspections|agency=The Record|issue=Bergen County Edition|date=February 25, 2004}}{{cite news|last1=Rossi|first1=Christina|title=Englewood home inspections to be probed|agency=The Press-Journal|date=February 26, 2004}}{{cite news|last1=Glazer|first1=Andrew|title=Raids on Latino homes assailed|agency=The Record|issue=Bergen County Edition|date=July 1, 2004}} In March 2004, Wildes ordered a study of Route 4 to check for possible repairs and other improvements to the highway.{{cite news|last1=Katchen|first1=Andrew|title=Council backs Rt. 4 study|agency=Northern Valley Suburbanite|date=March 3, 2004}}

File:Ted Kennedy, Michael Wildes, July 11, 2005.jpg talk at a NORPAC fundraiser, July 11, 2005.]]

On October 19, Englewood City Councilman Kenneth Rosenzweig publicly endorsed Wildes for mayor at a fundraising event.{{cite news|title=Wildes on the stump|agency=The Press-Journal|issue=South Edition|date=October 19, 2006}} A northjersey.com guide to the 2006 Englewood mayoral election named the Englewood community center, suburban growth, tax relief, and accountability as the biggest issues in the election.{{cite news|title=Englewood Election Guide|agency=Northjersey.com|date=November 1, 2006}} Soon after, former President of the United States Bill Clinton recorded a robocall endorsement of Wildes.

Wildes was reelected to a second term on Tuesday, November 7, 2006, with 4,379 votes. Stern garnered 2,325 votes, and Prince finished last with 372 votes.{{cite news|title=Englewood Election Results|agency=northjersey.com|date=November 8, 2006}} Wildes said he was "invigorated by the resounding support of members of the Englewood community."{{cite news|last1=Lieb|first1=Ann|title=Wildes Wins Reelection As Mayor of Englewood|agency=The Jewish Press|date=December 8, 2006}} Wildes was sworn into his second term on January 2, 2007.{{cite web|title=Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes Sworn as Mayor on Chumash of Grandfather Max Schoenwalter, inscribed by Father, Leon Wildes 2007|url=http://michaelwildes.com/BibleUsedtoSwearInMayor.htm|website=MichaelWildes.org|access-date=June 23, 2015}}

In the first week of his second term, Wildes named five new members to the Englewood planning board: Reverend Dr. Vernon Walton, Jordan Comet, Lenore Schiavelli, Leland Robinson, and Warren Finkel.{{cite news|title=Wildes names five to Englewood panel|agency=The Press Journal|date=January 18, 2007}} In February 2007, Wildes was named chairman of a New Jersey State League of Municipalities Task Force to study the effect of illegal immigration on municipalities.{{cite news|title=Wildes chairs task force on illegal residents|agency=The Press Journal|date=February 1, 2007}}

File:Wildes and Corzine Immigration Panel, August 6, 2007.jpg

On Monday, August 6, 2007, Wildes was appointed by New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine to a special Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel on Immigration. The panel, setup by Governor Corzine in response to immigration-focused demonstrations in Morristown, was created to make recommendations on "education, citizenship status, civil rights, fair housing, health care, language proficiency and job training," according to a Newsday article. The panel's 27 members were given 15 months to make recommendations. Wildes said the panel's creation was a necessary, temporary step "while Congress stands silently on the sidelines watching our broken immigration system fester."{{cite news|last1=Hester Jr.|first1=Tom|title=Corzine forms immigration study panel|agency=Newsday|date=August 6, 2007}}

Wildes cited his experience as an immigration attorney and mayor of a town with a large immigrant population as qualifications for his appointment to the panel.{{cite web|title=Michael Wildes Appointed by NJ Governor Jon Corzine to Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel on Immigrant Policy|url=http://www.wildeslaw.com/index.php/news-events/events-and-outreach/703|website=wildeslaw.com|access-date=June 23, 2015}} The panel's April 30, 2009, executive summary report made recommendations about immigrant access to social services, the labor force, education, and state and local government.{{cite news|title=Corzine immigration panel issues executive summary|volume=135|agency=The Press-Journal|issue=17|date=April 30, 2009}}

In 2008, MSNBC polled 1,000 mayors across the country, including Wildes, to ask what suggestions they had for incoming President-elect Barack Obama. Wildes named comprehensive immigration reform as the most important issue for Obama to focus on in his first term in office. Wildes wrote, "Our new President and Congress must enact comprehensive immigration reform that incorporates an earned legalization, appropriate legal channels for hiring low-skilled workers, and increased employer enforcement and sanctions."{{cite web|title=The nation's mayors send their ideas for Obama|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna27648760|website=MSNBC|access-date=June 24, 2015|date=2008-11-13}}

In January 2009, Wildes met with New Jersey Homeland Security officials to discuss community safety. He said he was most concerned about terrorism directed at schools and places of worship.{{cite news|title=Englewood mayor, safety officials meet|agency=The Press Journal|date=January 8, 2009}} At his fifth State of the City Address, Wildes pledged to "push the limits of what we can do for the fine residents of this city" in his last year in office. Wildes stressed education, taxes, and government as his highest priority issues for the end of his second term.{{cite news|last1=D'Onofrio|first1=Laura|title=City Council prepares for 2009|agency=Northern Valley Suburbanite|date=January 8, 2009}}

On January 9, 2009, Wildes swore in Arthur O'Keefe as the new Chief of Police of Englewood.{{cite news|last1=Rossi|first1=Christina|title=New Englewood police chief sworn in|agency=Bergen News LLC|date=January 9, 2009}} In February 2009, Wildes announced he would not seek a third term as mayor, to become managing partner of Wildes and Weinberg PC.{{cite news|last1=Kremen|first1=Maya|title=Wildes to step down|agency=The Record|issue=Bergen County Edition|date=February 7, 2009}}

Wildes generated widespread controversy in 2009 when he organized rallies to oppose Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi's visit to New Jersey.{{cite news|last=Berger|first=Joseph|title=Qaddafi's Visit Upsets N.J. Residents|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/28/nyregion/28tent.html|access-date=8 April 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 27, 2009}}

Wildes pressed the U.S. State Department to prevent Gaddafi from staying in a tent on Donald Trump's estate in Englewood during the 2009 United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City.{{cite news|title=Estate at center of Gaddafi protests vandalized|url=https://abc7ny.com/archive/7029352/|access-date=8 April 2011|newspaper=The Associated Press|date=September 24, 2009}}{{cite news|last=DeMarco|first=Jerry|title=Qadaffi not coming to Englewood|url=http://www.cliffviewpilot.com/bergen/387-and-im-tellin-you-qadaffis-not-going-to-englewood|access-date=April 8, 2011|newspaper=Cliffview Pilot|date=August 28, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830234924/http://www.cliffviewpilot.com/bergen/387-and-im-tellin-you-qadaffis-not-going-to-englewood|archive-date=August 30, 2009|url-status=dead}} Wildes said, "I have every problem with a person who admittedly blew up a plane killing 38 New Jersey residents and has the audacity in recent days to give a hero's welcome to a convicted terrorist. To have to remove his rubbish free of charge is insulting." Wildes maintained that the City of Englewood should not have to pay the cost of cleanup and security for the Libyan leader and the opposition protestors.

{{Main|United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey, 2012#District 9}}

In March 2012, Wildes decided to run in New Jersey's newly redrawn 9th congressional district, based in Bergen and Passaic counties. In the Democratic primary, he would have faced U.S. Congressmen Steve Rothman and Bill Pascrell. Local media speculated that Wildes' candidacy would have helped Pascrell win the primary. Wildes ultimately decided not to run and put his support behind Rothman in the Democratic primary.{{cite news|last=Pizarro|first=Max|title=Wildes endorses Rothman in CD 9|url=http://www.politickernj.com/55936/wildes-endorses-rothman-cd-9|newspaper=PolitickerNJ|date=March 30, 2012}} Rothman lost the election to Pascrell. Wildes has $700,000 on hand.{{cite web |url=http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/143438286_Ex-mayor_s_possible_run_could_aid_Pascrell.html |title=Archived copy |website=www.northjersey.com |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016181423/http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/143438286_Ex-mayor_s_possible_run_could_aid_Pascrell.html |archive-date=16 October 2013 |url-status=dead}}

On June 6, 2018, Wildes won the Democratic primary for mayor of Englewood, defeating his opponent Phil Meisner by a 2–1 margin.{{cite web |last1=Shkolnikova |first1=Svetlana |title=Battle for Englewood mayor set after Michael Wildes wins primary by landslide |url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/englewood/2018/06/06/battle-englewood-mayor-set-after-michael-wildes-primary-landslide/678180002/ |website=NorthJersey.com |access-date=15 June 2018}} On November 6, 2018, Wildes was elected mayor, winning 84% of the vote in the general election.{{cite web |title=Michael Wildes Elected Mayor in Landslide, Vows to Begin Work to 'Renew Englewood' Immediately |url=https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/michael-wildes-elected-mayor-landslide-vows-begin-work-renew-englewood-immediately/ |website=Insider NJ |date=8 November 2018 |access-date=10 November 2018}}

He was re-elected for a fourth three-year term on November 2, 2021,Bergen Record November 6, 2021 and a fifth on November 5, 2024.Bergen Record November 18, 2024. This term is for four years as a result of NJ Assembly bill A3230 1R, which amended N.J.S.40A:9-130 to require all NJ municipalities with populations between 28,000 and 35,000 to have four-year mayoral terms.{{cite web | url=https://pub.njleg.gov/bills/2000/A3500/3230_R1.HTM | title=A3230 1R }}

Wildes has served on the boards of several major philanthropy organizations and has become well known for his charitable contributions and volunteer work. He served as chair of the American Jewish Congress' Committee on International Terrorism, and was a member of the advisory board for the Urban League of Bergen County.{{cite web|title=The Urban League for Bergen County Advisory Board|url=http://www.urbanleaguebc.org/about_us/aboutus.html|publisher=The Urban League for Bergen County|access-date=April 8, 2011}}{{cite web|last=Volmer|first=Jackelyn|title=Q&A With Michael Wildes|url=http://www.yucommentator.com/2.2828/q-a-with-michael-wildes-1.299141?pagereq=1|work=Yeshiva University Commentator|publisher=Yeshiva University|access-date=March 8, 2005}}

He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Boys Town Jerusalem, a Jewish orphanage in Israel.{{cite web|title=Boys Town Jerusalem Foundation of America|url=http://www.boystownjerusalem.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_board_of_directors&printer_friendly=1|work=National Board of Directors|access-date=April 8, 2011}} He has been a certified EMT since 1992, and is a volunteer for Hatzoloh, a Jewish emergency medical service in New York, and used to aid the Englewood Volunteer Ambulance Corp (EVAC).{{cite news|last=Engel|first=Josh|title=Mayor Michael Wildes Gives Back|url=http://50.22.33.103/node/1374|access-date=April 8, 2011|newspaper=The Resident|date=November 2009|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121128201243/http://50.22.33.103/node/1374|archive-date=November 28, 2012|url-status=dead}} He also currently serves on the Board of Directors of WhyHunger, and is a member of the Council of Experts for the Community Security Service (CSS), an organization that protects the American Jewish Community.{{cite web|title=Why Hunger Board of Directors|url=http://www.whyhunger.org/about/boardOfDirectors|access-date=8 June 2015|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20150205033229/http://www.whyhunger.org/about/boardOfDirectors|archive-date=5 February 2015|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=CSS: Council of Experts|url=http://www.thecss.org/about/council-of-experts|website=Community Security Service|access-date=December 10, 2015}}

He is a member of the Lay Advisory of the New York Board of Rabbis, and is a member of the New York State Bar Association. Wildes is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Manhattan Jewish Experience (MJE), an orthodox Jewish outreach program created by Wildes' brother, Rabbi Mark Wildes, who founded the organization in memory of their late mother, Ruth B. Wildes.{{cite journal|last=Engel|first=Josh|title=Mayor Michael Wildes Gives Back|journal=Resident|date=November 2009|volume=22|series=11|page=108}}{{cite news|title=Mayoralty Race in Englewood Echoes Senate Race in Connecticut, but, in NJ, the Orthodox Candidate is the Democrat and the Left-Wing Is Supporting the Independent|url=http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com/pdf/200610.pdf|access-date=April 8, 2011|newspaper=Jewish Post and Opinion|date=October 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727141450/http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com/pdf/200610.pdf|archive-date=July 27, 2011|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Manhattan Jewish Experience Board of Directors|url=https://www.jewishexperience.org/about-us|website=MJE|access-date=June 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140120112626/http://www.jewishexperience.org/about-us|archive-date=January 20, 2014|url-status=dead}}

In February 2004, Wildes received the Aleh Foundation Civic Leadership Award for helping Aleh raise funds for developmentally disabled children in Israel.{{cite news|last1=Katchen|first1=Andrew S.|title=Group to give Wildes award|agency=Northern Valley Suburbanite|date=28 January 2004}} In April 2004, Wildes received the Henry Morgenthau Jr. Distinguished Service Award at the State of Israel Bonds National Dinner of Tribute.{{cite news|title=Wildes among honored at State of Israel dinner|agency=The Press Journal|date=April 29, 2004}}

Wildes married immigration attorney Amy Messer, in 1990. They met in Wildes' father's immigration class at Cardozo Law School.{{cite news|title=Amy Messer Married To Michael Jay Wildes|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/04/style/amy-messer-married-to-michael-jay-wildes.html|website=The New York Times|date=4 September 1990 |access-date=June 9, 2015}} They live in Englewood, New Jersey, with their four children.

{{refbegin}}

• {{Cite book |author=Michael Wildes |title=Safe Haven in America: Battles to Open the Golden Door |year=2018 |publisher=American Bar Association |location= |isbn=978-1641051897 |title-link= }}
• {{cite journal|last=Wildes|first=Michael|date=February 15, 2010|title=Bringing Immigration Into the 21st Century|journal=New Jersey Law Journal|volume=199|issue=7|pages=1–2|url=http://www.wildeslaw.com/images/stories/document_archive/NJLJ%202%2015%2010.pdf}}
• {{cite journal|last=Wildes|first=Michael|date=April 12, 2010|title=H-1B Site Visits and Former I-9 Audits|journal=New Jersey Law Journal|volume=200|issue=2|pages=1–2|url=http://www.wildeslaw.com/images/stories/document_archive/Wildes%204%2012%2010.pdf}}
• {{cite journal|last=Wildes|first=Michael|date=December 6, 2010|title=Taking Our Medicine: Pressing Need for Immigration Reform|journal=New Jersey Law Journal|volume=202|issue=10|pages=1–2|url=https://www.ilw.com/articles/2011,0308-wildes.shtm}}
• {{cite journal|last=Wildes|first=Michael|date=December 5, 2011|title=E-Verify: Presenting a Hobson's Choice to Employers |journal=New Jersey Law Journal|volume=206|issue=10|pages=1–2|url=http://www.wildeslaw.com/images/pdf/njlj12511.pdf}}

{{refend}}

{{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wildes, Michael}}

Category:1964 births

Category:Living people

Category:United States attorneys for the Eastern District of New York

Category:Immigration law scholars

Category:Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law alumni

Category:Jewish American people in New Jersey politics

Category:Mayors of Englewood, New Jersey

Category:Politicians from Queens, New York

Category:Queens College, City University of New York alumni

Category:21st-century American Jews

Category:21st-century mayors of places in New Jersey