Early-Bird Bid to Become Paterson’s first Dominican Mayor

Although Paterson’s next municipal election will not take place until 2018, the future of the mayoral seat is uncertain in light of the accusations faced by current Mayor José “Joey” Torres at the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office. The leader is accused of using municipal personnel to perform various chores at his private home.

In this context, PolitickerNJ announced that current Deputy Mayor of Paterson Pedro Rodríguez is warming up to run for the city’s top job.

This does not come as a surprise in Paterson, where Council member André Sayegh and former Council member Aslon Goow, who competed to run for mayor in the last Democratic primary, are actively seeking to broaden their voter and donor bases.

“Yes, it’s true. I have no reason to hide it, I want to be mayor of Paterson,” Rodríguez told Reporte Hispano. The industrial engineer, who also holds a master’s in business administration, added: “I have been working with the community for the past nine years. I am a professional and I have experience in the private sector that I can bring into public agency to benefit Paterson residents.”

Rodríguez was named deputy mayor by Torres, which at the time came as a surprise to some. However, others did not find it strange.

Joaquín Santos, a 24-year resident of the city, said that Rodríguez stood out ever since he supported Council member Julio Tavárez’s successful 2007 campaign to represent the 5th Ward.

Two years later, Rodríguez was elected member of the Paterson Board of Education. Additionally, he was a key participant in the campaign that got Torres elected last year, working in the organization, preparation, supervision and vote count.

Santos added: “We want competent people to push this city – which used to be called ‘Silk City’ – forward. I walk through its six wards all the time, and believe that, despite his youth, Pedro Rodríguez is one of the best cards we Dominicans have to govern the city.”

Felipe Peralta, a Park Avenue resident, said that Paterson needs to improve in the areas of safety, education, tax policy for residents, cleanliness and jobs, and that the numerous abandoned houses in the city must be restored.

“At least Rodríguez has experience in education – because he was commissioner of the Board of Education – and helps people a lot. I can attest that he helps people when they have problems in court, and helps them pass the citizenship test. He is an activist that has been working with the community for many years,” said Peralta.

For his part, Freddy Estévez, who lives on McBride Avenue, said that he would be a viable candidate. “In my opinion, Mr. Pedro Rodríguez is one of the best candidates we could possibly have because I have seen him work with youths. He has been one of the most important supporters of the RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) program, which brought Major League Baseball (MLB) players to Paterson. He is a prepared person who has dedicated himself to working with the community, with young people,” he said.

Council member Domingo “Alex” Méndez, also Dominican, declined to comment, while Tavárez, who was set to leave his post on July 1 and who had been eyed as a possible mayoral candidate, said that he will not run for another local seat.

Aside from being deputy mayor, an unpaid position, Rodríguez is the mayor’s representative at the city’s Planning Board and provides technological assistance for the Paterson Police Department.

He has also created the Pedro Rodriguez Foundation, which holds annual events such as Santa in Paterson for low-income children, and the Play Ball Month and RBI program, a collaboration with MLB.

Rodríguez said that when he was part of the Board of Education, he promoted bilingual education and the gifted and talented program for exceptional students, among other initiatives.

The candidate added that his political work began taking shape after his son, then in pre-K, was unable to get paper to draw on because his school had run out of supplies. Rodríguez decided to donate paper to the school but, concluding that this sort of situation was not supposed to happen in the United States, he decided to run for a seat on the board, which he won.

Today, he wants to be mayor in order to lead Paterson to a brighter future. While he has several obstacles to overcome, he said that one of his best qualities is perseverance.

*This story was translated from Spanish by Voices of NY.