“We need more vaccines,” says Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh.

“I’m grateful to the governor’s office – but Moderna requires two shots.”

That makes it harder to track people down for a second shot of the vaccine.

New Jersey yesterday paused the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine because of blood-clot concerns. Saygh took the vaccine without incident he said, following New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy taking action following the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation.

In an interview today with InsiderNJ, Paterson Mayor Sayegh wouldn’t outright say he’s running for reelection – but close. He just wants to turn the corner on COVID-19 before he makes a formal announcement, he told InsiderNJ in a Zoom interview this evening.

First elected to the city council in 2008, Sayegh ran twice for mayor before ensnaring the 2nd floor City Hall seat in 2018. A policy wonk with a gift for gab and a love of the language, Sayegh found himself relegated to his basement at one point last year when he contracted COVID-19. He made a full recovery, he said.

As part of the Zoom discussion, Sayegh considered how the city will use nearly $64 million allocated as part of the federal American Rescue Plan, the challenges of battling homelessness, COVID-19 and violent crime, raising public awareness about the vaccine, the aftermath of last year’s voting fraud scandal, the mental health of the students and parents of the Paterson School system during he ongoing lockdown and his vision for Hinchcliffe Stadium.

“We have to make sure that in September we get these kids back into their schools,” Sayegh said.

He also discussed the implications for law enforcement of marijuana legalization, and his ongoing political relationship with Councilman Alex Mendez, who pleaded not guilty in the same fraud case that prompted former President Donald J. Trump to use Paterson as exhibit A for why Americans should have their doubts about mail-in voting.