As Paterson staggers in the midst of another mayoral scandal, this one entangling Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres, Assemblyman Jamel Holley (D-20) said he would like to see a fellow black caucus member step up and take charge.

“I would support Benjie Wimberly for Paterson Mayor,” Holley told InsiderNJ. “He’s the guy who can bring the Silk City together and rebuild.”

But Wimberly does not appear overly eager to jump into the local fray.

The legendary football coach now prowls the sidelines for Hackensack High School and still serves as recreation director for his hometown.

He doesn’t want to give those jobs up with college bound children still in the offing.

In 2014, the allies of U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-9) begged the non-nonsense Wimberly to run, but he demurred, causing them to ride the Councilman Andre Sayegh option. Whether they will go in that direction again next year – or sooner – if Torres collapses amid corruption charges – is an unknown.

For his part, At-Large Councilman Alex Mendez is already telling people that he’s running. Mendez is formidable, having racked up the most votes citywide of any candidate when he ran in 2014.