PATERSON – 1,700 votes in South Paterson, the Arab part of town.

One had to believe they were mostly for Andre Sayegh, who cut the deal with the Palestinians for support.

They were running down here, pushing, trying to get that number to 2,300 by evening’s end.

At the South Paterson Library, political pit boss Al Abdel-Aziz kept in gear, bringing people to the chief polling place here even as Sayegh rival Alex Mendez commanded a vital looking Riverside Vets effort on the other side of town, in the heart of the Dominican community.

Watch Abdel-aziz on the ground here: