COMMUNITY ACTIVIST CALLS ON ATTORNEY GENERAL PLATKIN TO ENFORCE ELECTION LAW IN PATERSON

“Jerry may not have any official leadership responsibility since the police department was taken over by the state, but he does still have a responsibility to adhere to the law.”

PATERSON–Paterson community activist Miguel Diaz today called on Attorney General Matt Platkin to enforce ordinance 414-7 pertaining to “time restraints on posting and removal” of signs in Paterson.  The ordinance, which was distributed to municipal candidates by the Paterson city clerk within the last month, is already being ignored by Paterson Public Safety Director and candidate for County Sheriff Jerry Speziale.

Diaz took the step of asking General Platkin directly since his office took over the Paterson Police Department last year, effectively removing any authority or responsibility Speziale had in his position.

The ordinance states clearly that “No campaign material or political sign shall be erected, posted or displayed, including on private property, more than 30 days prior to the date of the election to which such material or sign pertains, and any such material or sign shall be removed not more than 14 days after the date of such election.”

The Speziale campaign currently has giant signs already up on the corner of Glover and Squirrelwood and Glover and McBride along with additional signs throughout the city.

“I know it is an extreme step to ask the state Attorney General to help address this quality-of-life issue directly for Paterson residents, but our police director is the person in violation,” said Diaz. “Speziale is ignoring the ordinance, so it seemed most effective to just go directly to the person in charge to get these eyesores removed.  Since General Platkin issued the order a year ago to take over the Paterson Police Department we have seen effective crackdowns on quality-of-life issues and I am hopeful he and his office will be able to force Jerry Speziale to comply with the law.  Jerry may not have any official leadership responsibility since the police department was taken over by the state, but he does still have a responsibility to adhere to the law.”

###