Paterson

Ahh, Paterson. No one knows who’s going to win, as six candidates vie for a seat left vacant by the corruption implosion of former Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres. Ward 6 Councilman Andre Sayegh has run two credible campaigns before (2010 and 2014), and appears in good form here with five weeks remaining in the contest. He has $89,416 and numerous endorsements, including that of Paterson Democratic Committee Co-Chair Al Abdel-Aziz, who ran against him ward-wide in 2016. At-Large Councilman Alex Mendez, however, also looks to be running an animated campaign, and has some good campaigns and elections history (and demographics) on his side. Mendez was the city’s high-vote getter in 2014. A Dominican American, he stands at the vanguard of the city’s fastest-growing group. Like Sayegh, he has a sparkling, effervescent personality. But money problems have dogged his candidacy so far. He reported a lurid $151 bank balance in his report earlier this month, and all the other campaigns are buzzing about his inability to forklift cash, a deficit that leaves him vulnerable, they say, to the inevitable sharks of Paterson. Ward 3 Councilman Bill McKoy arguably has the most placid demeanor of the mayoral candidates. He’s an auditor by trade, and notes that while his rivals tear up the town on the trail, he actually works for a living. He reported $16K cash on hand in February. Then there’s former Deputy Mayor Pedro Rodriguez, who came up in Torres World, but has his own professional history as an engineer. Celebrated for his organizational skills, Rodriguez reported $35,547 in the bank back in January, giving his allies a leg up in arguments with fellow Dominican candidate Mendez about who’s more credible. Ward One Councilman Mike Jackson has a jock pedigree that lifts him beyond the dimensions of his ward. Some insiders say he’s more connected to the roots of Paterson’s African American community than Jamaican immigrant McKoy. But professional financial troubles have hounded him. Finally, Paterson Police Benevolent Association (PGA) President Alex Cruz has struggled to date with residency issues. A Judge said he’s clear to be a candidate but he spent weeks mired in the controversy. In terms of the pressing dynamics of the contest, Silk City insiders harp o the fact that there are three Latino candidates (Mendez, Rodriguez and Cruz) cutting up that demographic group. Mendez should have the upper-hand, but he has no money. Advantage Sayegh? Sayegh’s allies say yes, but McKoy’s allies, convinced Jackson isn’t real, make the case for their man, arguing the possibility of a 2010 repeat African American performance. That was the year Jeff Jones beat Joey Torres out of nowhere (Torres had a $1 million war chest compared to Jones’ $50K) on the strength of a motivated black vote. But that was a different year, defined in large part by the presence on the ballot of future Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly, a legendary local coach and head of the recreation department. Notwithstanding all the chatter, again, no one really knows what will happen in Paterson.

Newark

Ras Baraka wants a second term but must first get through Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins. Originally on the Baraka Team, Chaneyfield Jenkins gave up her Central Ward Council seat to pursue the mayoralty. Few give her much of a chance. “Boring,” an insider complained just this morning to InsiderNJ when the subject of Newark came up. The Ironbound Council contest contains some drama, however, as former Police Director Anthony Campos attempts to displace veteran East Ward Councilman Augusto Amador.

Bayonne 

Incumbent Mayor Jimmy Davis seeks a second term against former Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell. If you’re trying to find the ubiquitous “Jimmy” over at the state Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) website, try “James” instead. That will get you there. With $48K and change in the bank, Davis is banking on the following combination: an affable disposition, his good standing in god old boys’ club the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO), a good development record (which also leaves him open to O’Donnell abatement jabs), and a warpaint-wearing campaign manager with a good record in the person of Business Manager Joe Demarco. The there’s this X factor: a heat-seeking Bob Menendez, who infamously warred with former Mayor Mark Smith (O’Donnell’s pal). Cut free from the encumbrances of his corruption trial last year, the political animal and ranking Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee can’t resist the siren song of local Hudson County politics, and appears to have chosen Bayonne as that writhing pit to make a General MacArthur-like statement. He wants O’Donnell wiped out. The former Assemblyman, for his part, has run a get-the-bum-out-of-office locally Irish-Italian-Polish pinpointed race, obliquely (for the most part) jabbing at Davis’ most obvious weakness in a Me2 atmosphere his allies say is politically perfect: the mayor’s suggestive text messages to a former Bayonne employee.

Long Branch

Adam Schneider has served as mayor for 28 years. That should be enough weight to bring him down, say the allies of Councilman John Pallone. The problem with their core argument? Pallone’s big brother (U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone) has held elected office even longer than Schneider. A third candidate, school board mensch Avery Grant, helps Schneider, say his allies. The three-way cut helps the incumbent, they say. Anyway, Schneider’s Achilles heel is also his greatest strength: the development of the Pier Village project on the waterfront. The luxurious high end replacement to a world of gritty pinball wizardry in the 1980s still leaves some Long Branch diehards cold, as they wait for him to work – at last – on the blown up Lower Broadway portion of town, which will evidently be Pallone’s message, even as Grant tries to lump both Pallone and Schneider together as big government-development functionaries.