In West Side Story, Riff tells his gang, "Tony came through for the Jets and now the Jets have got to come through for Tony," which was the kind of political logic that went into Governor Mikie Sherrill's endorsement this afternoon of Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo.

Essex County Democrats and DiVincenzo backed Sherrill last year in the governor's contest, and now Sherrill, standing atop the perch of the governorship, backed him in his pursuit of a seventh term.

"He leads from the front, and I see it in everything he does," said the Governor in McLoone's Boathouse.

It was a big cast of Essex County types here in support of the incumbent county executive, including Analilia Mejia, the Democratic nominee for Congress in CD-11, numerous players jockeying for countywide office, and indisputable Joe D. diehards like Essex County Democratic Committee Chairman LeRoy Jones and state Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz (D-29).

"I feel solid and I feel safe," Ruiz said of the conditions created by her longtime ally, DiVincenzo.

Sherrill introduced the man of the hour.

"When you look around, what do you see? You see diversity - that's why we're strong," said DiVincenzo, who paid special attention to Jones and to his chief-of-staff, Phil Alagia, who's been with him since he was 16. "I've got the best of the best," he added, also paying tribute to Ruiz.

He lingered longest on Sherrill.

"I'm very proud of her - I'm expecting great things from her," said the county executive, jokingly promising to still be a "pain in the ass" in Trenton on behalf of Essex County.