Editing Paterson, New Jersey (section)

==Government==
===Local government===
The City of Paterson operates within the [[Faulkner Act]], formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under a Plan-D [[Faulkner Act (mayor–council)|Mayor-Council]] form of government, which was adopted in 1974 in a change from a 1907 statute-based form.<ref name=DataBook>''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'', [[Rutgers University]] [[Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy]], March 2013, p. 151.</ref><ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/forms_of_municipal_government_in_new_jersey_9220.pdf#page=10 "Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey"], p. 10. [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref><ref>[http://www.patersonnj.gov/council/ City Council], City of Paterson. Accessed January 14, 2013. "The City of Paterson Municipal Council was created as a result of a 1974 decision to change its form of government from a 1907 statute-based form, to a Faulkner Act Plan-D Mayor-Council Form."</ref> The city is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form.<ref>[https://njdatabook.rutgers.edu/sites/njdatabook.rutgers.edu/files/documents/inventory_of_municipal_forms_of_government_in_new_jersey.pdf ''Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey''], [[Rutgers University]] Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023.</ref>

Under the Mayor-Council plan, the Mayor is the chief executive and is responsible for administering the City's activities. The Mayor is elected [[at-large]] for a four-year term by the citizens and is responsible for them. The mayor enforces the charter and the ordinances and laws passed by the City Council. The Mayor appoints all department heads including the business administrator, with the advice and consent of the Council and may remove any department heads after giving them notice and an opportunity to be heard. With the assistance of the business administrator, the Mayor is responsible for the preparation of the municipal budget. The Mayor submits the budget to the Council along with a detailed analysis of expenditures and revenues. The Council may reduce any item or items in the budget by a majority vote but can only increase an item by a two-thirds vote.<ref name=Council/><ref name=DataBook/><ref>Cerra, Michael F. [https://www.njlm.org/809/3982/Forms-of-Govt-Magazine-Article "Forms of Government: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask"], [[New Jersey State League of Municipalities]], March 2007. Accessed January 1, 2025.</ref>

The City Council is comprised of nine members. Of these, six are elected through the use of the [[Ward (United States)|ward system]], where candidates run to represent a certain area of the city. The other three seats are elected using the [[at-large]] system, where each candidate is voted upon by the entire voting population of the city. Municipal elections are held in even-numbered years, are [[non-partisan democracy|non-partisan]], and take place on the second Tuesday in May. The six members of the City Council representing their wards are elected in the same years as presidential elections, while the mayoral election and the at-large Council elections are held in the same years as the mid-term Congressional elections.<ref name=Council/><ref name=DataBook/>

{{As of|2023}}, the [[Mayor of Paterson, New Jersey|Mayor of Paterson]] is [[Andre Sayegh]], whose term of office ends June 30, 2026. The previous mayor was [[Jane Williams-Warren]], who was serving on an interim basis following the resignation of [[Joey Torres|José "Joey" Torres]].<ref name=Mayor>[https://www.patersonnj.gov/department/index.php?structureid=2 Mayor], City of Paterson. Accessed July 11, 2022.</ref> Torres was in his third non-consecutive term as Mayor of Paterson, having first been elected by defeating incumbent [[Martin G. Barnes]] in 2002 and then winning re-election in 2006 against Lawrence Spagnola. After losing his bid for a third consecutive term by a margin of 600 votes to City Council President Jeffery Jones in 2010, Torres defeated Jones in a rematch four years later.<ref>Staff. [http://www.nj.com/passaic-county/index.ssf/2014/05/joey_torres_regains_mayors_seat_in_paterson.html "Joey Torres regains mayor's seat in Paterson"], ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', May 14, 2014. Accessed March 21, 2016. "After a four-year absence, Jose "Joey" Torres will again be the mayor of New Jersey's third-largest city.... Jones beat Torres by less than 600 votes to become mayor in 2010."</ref> Torres pleaded guilty to corruption charges in September 2017 that required him to leave office and to serve a prison term of five years. According to city law, the President of the City Council is the next in line to succeed a Mayor who is removed from office for any reason and serves as Acting Mayor until the next election, unless the Council appoints someone else to fill the post within 30 days of the creation of the vacancy. City Council President Ruby Cotton immediately became Mayor upon Torres' resignation
<ref>Malinconcino, Joe; Oglesby, Amanda. [http://www.app.com/story/news/local/new-jersey/2017/09/24/paterson-mayor-joey-torres-pleads-guilty-corruption-charges/698403001/ "Paterson Mayor Joey Torres pleads guilty to corruption charges"], ''[[Asbury Park Press]]'', September 24, 2017. Accessed September 24, 2017. "Paterson Mayor Joey Torres, a former Jackson business administrator, pleaded guilty to corruption charges Friday afternoon, despite saying for months after his indictment that he would be vindicated in the courts. The proposed agreement will require Torres, 58, to step down from the mayor's job and serve prison time up to five years in prison.... Torres will be replaced as mayor on an interim basis by City Council President Ruby Cotton. She will remain in the top job until Paterson's mayoral election in May 2018, unless her colleagues pick someone else to fill the job during the next 30 days."</ref> and served until September 29, when the council voted 5–4 to appoint Williams-Warren, a former city clerk, as interim mayor until the May 2018 municipal election.<ref>Malinconico, Joe. [http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/paterson-press/2017/09/30/paterson-council-picks-williams-warren-interim-mayor/719227001/ "Paterson Council picks Williams-Warren, not Ruby Cotton, to be interim mayor until May election"], ''Paterson Press'', September 30, 2017. Accessed September 30, 2017. "Retired municipal clerk Jane Williams-Warren will become Paterson's next mayor on Oct. 10, under decision reached by the City Council late Friday. Williams-Warren will fill the seat that Jose 'Joey' Torres was forced to give up as a result of his conviction on Sept. 22 of corruption charges. The council picked Williams-Warren to serve as interim mayor despite a standing-room-only crowd that jammed City Hall to urge the governing body to keep Councilwoman Ruby Cotton as Paterson's acting mayor."</ref>

Members of the City Council are Council President Shahin Khalique (Second Ward; 2024), Council Vice President Alex Mendez (Third Ward; 2024), Alaa "Al" Abdelaziz (Sixth Ward; 2024), Ruby N. Cotton (Fourth Ward; 2024), Maritza Davila (at-large; 2026), Michael Jackson (First Ward; 2024), Lilisa Mimms (at-large; 2026), MD Forid Uddin (at-large; 2026) and Luis Velez (Fifth Ward; 2024).<ref name=Council>[https://www.patersonnj.gov/council/ City Council | Council Members | City Ordinances], City of Paterson. Accessed January 21, 2024. "The City of Paterson Municipal Council was created as a result of a 1974 decision to change its form of government from a 1907 statute-based form, to a Faulkner Act Plan-D Mayor-Council Form.... The Mayor-Council plan consisted of a Mayor and Nine (9) Council members, Six (6) of the members that sit on the Municipal Council represent the Six Wards of the City. The three (3) remaining members are members At-Large. The Municipal Council has the responsibility of reviewing and approving Municipal legislation. Under the Mayor-Council plan, the Mayor is the chief executive and is responsible for administering the City's activities. The Mayor is elected for a four (4) year term by the citizens and is responsible for them."</ref><ref>[https://www.patersonnj.gov/egov/documents/1629145916_48275.pdf 2021 Municipal Data Sheet], City of Paterson. Accessed July 11, 2022.</ref><ref name=PassaicDirectory>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/home/showpublisheddocument/1938/637667926512370000#page=73 ''Passaic County 2021 Directory''], [[Passaic County, New Jersey]], updated as of April 2021. Accessed July 1, 2022.</ref><ref name=Passaic2022Municipal>[https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NJ/Passaic/112986/web.285569/#/summary 2022 Paterson Municipal Election May 10, 2022 Official Results], [[Passaic County, New Jersey]], updated May 18, 2022. Accessed July 11, 2022.</ref><ref name=Passaic2020Municipal>[https://www.passaiccountynj.org/home/showpublisheddocument/3390/637678116417870000 May 12, 2020 Summary Report Passaic County Official results], [[Passaic County, New Jersey]], updated May 20, 2020. Accessed July 11, 2022.</ref>

In July 2018, Alaa "Al" Abdelaziz was selected to fill the Sixth Ward seat expiring in June 2020 that had been held by Andre Sayegh until he stepped down to take office as mayor.<ref>Malinconico, Joe. [https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/paterson-press/2018/07/11/abdelaziz-becomes-patersons-new-6th-ward-councilman/774871002/ "Al Abdelaziz becomes Paterson's new 6th Ward councilman"], ''Paterson Press'', July 11, 2018. Accessed March 16, 2020. "In a unanimous vote, the City Council picked the co-chairman of the Paterson Democratic Party on Tuesday night to be the new council member for the 6th Ward. Al Abdelaziz will serve in the position, which became vacant when Andre Sayegh took office as mayor."</ref> In the November 2018 general election, Abdelaziz was elected to serve the balance of the term of office.<ref name=Passaic2018>[http://www.passaiccountynj.org/Election%20Results/2018/Official%20Results%20-%202018%20General%20Election%20-Summary.pdf 2018 General Election November 6, 2018 Summary Report Passaic County Official Results] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221055903/http://www.passaiccountynj.org/Election%20Results/2018/Official%20Results%20-%202018%20General%20Election%20-Summary.pdf |date=December 21, 2019 }}, [[Passaic County, New Jersey]], updated November 30, 2018. Accessed January 1, 2019.</ref>

In 2018, the city had an average property tax bill of $8,087, the lowest in the county, compared to an average bill of $10,005 in Passaic County and $8,767 statewide.<ref>[https://www.state.nj.us/dca/divisions/dlgs/resources/property_docs/18_data/18taxes.xls 2018 Property Tax Information], [[New Jersey Department of Community Affairs]], updated January 16, 2019. Accessed November 7, 2019.</ref><ref>Marcus, Samantha. [https://www.nj.com/politics/2019/04/these-are-the-towns-with-the-lowest-property-taxes-in-each-of-njs-21-counties.html "These are the towns with the lowest property taxes in each of N.J.'s 21 counties"], NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], April 30, 2019. Accessed November 7, 2019. "New Jersey's average property tax bill may have hit $8,767 last year — a new record — but taxpayers in some parts of the state pay just a fraction of that.... The average property tax bill in Paterson was $8,087 in 2018, the lowest in Passaic County."</ref>

The 2020 election for Paterson's Third Ward city council was invalidated after allegations of voter fraud vote-by-mail. More than 24% of ballots failed to meet the standard for mail-in ballots.<ref>[https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/20/politics/paterson-new-jersey-city-council-voter-fraud/index.html Judge invalidates Paterson, NJ, city council election after allegations of mail-in voter fraud]</ref>

In March 2025, Mayor Andre Sayegh declared Paterson "the capital of Palestine in the United States."<ref>[https://vinnews.com/2025/03/09/nj-mayor-paterson-is-the-capital-of-palestine-in-the-united-states-of-america/ NJ Mayor: Paterson Is the Capital of Palestine in the United States of America], VIN News, March 9, 2025</ref>

===Federal, state and county representation===
Paterson is located in the 9th Congressional District<ref name=PCR2012>[https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/2012-congressional-districts/njcd-2011-plan-components-county-mcd.pdf Plan Components Report], [[New Jersey Redistricting Commission]], December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020.</ref> and is part of New Jersey's 35th state legislative district.<ref name=Districts2011>[https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/2011-legislative-districts/towns-districts.pdf Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District], [[New Jersey Department of State]]. Accessed February 1, 2020.</ref><ref name=LWV2019>[https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5bae63366fd2b2e5b9f87e5e/5d30f0a94a82c66427e564d2_2019_CitizensGuide.pdf ''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''], New Jersey [[League of Women Voters]]. Accessed October 30, 2019.</ref><ref>[https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/districtnumbers.asp#35 Districts by Number for 2011–2020], [[New Jersey Legislature]]. Accessed January 6, 2013.</ref> Prior to the 2010 Census, Paterson had been part of the {{ushr|NJ|8|8th Congressional District}}, a change made by the [[New Jersey Redistricting Commission]] that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.<ref name=LWV2011>[http://www.lwvnj.org/images/cg_2011.pdf#page=62 ''2011 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604153059/http://www.lwvnj.org/images/cg_2011.pdf#page=62 |date=June 4, 2013 }}, p. 62, New Jersey [[League of Women Voters]]. Accessed May 22, 2015.</ref>

{{NJ Congress 09}} {{NJ Senate}}

{{NJ Legislative 35}}

{{NJ Passaic County Commissioners}}

===Politics===
In the [[United States presidential election in New Jersey, 2020|2020 presidential election]], Democrat [[Joe Biden]] won 38,453 votes (80.3%) to Republican [[Donald Trump]]’s 9,053 (18.9%) among 47,876 votes cast (representing a turnout of 55.7% among 85,932 registered voters).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/2020/2020-official-general-results-president-passaic.pdf | title=Presidential General Election Results – November 3, 2020 – Passaic County |publisher=New Jersey Department of Elections}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/2020/2020-official-general-result-ballotscast-passaic.pdf| title=Number of Registered Voters and Ballots Cast – November 3, 2020 – Passaic County |publisher=New Jersey Department of Elections}}</ref> [[United States presidential election in New Jersey, 2016|Four years earlier]], Democrat [[Hillary Clinton]] won 40,697 votes (89.8%) to Trump’s 3,999 (8.8%) among 45,336 votes cast (representing a turnout of 55.8% among 81,282 registered voters).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/2016/2016-gen-elect-presidential-results-passaic.pdf | title=Presidential General Election Results – November 8, 2016 – Passaic County |publisher=New Jersey Department of Elections}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/2016/2016-gen-elect-ballotscast-results-passaic.pdf| title=Number of Registered Voters and Ballots Cast – November 8, 2016 – Passaic County |publisher=New Jersey Department of Elections}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:95%;"
|+ Presidential elections results
|- bgcolor=lightgrey
! Year
![[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
![[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
![[Third Party (United States)|Third Parties]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[2024 United States presidential election in New Jersey|2024]]<ref name="2024Elections">{{cite web |url=https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/2024/2024-official-general-results-president-passaic.pdf|title=Presidential November 5, 2024 General Election Results Passaic County|access-date=January 11, 2025}}</ref>'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|34.2% ''13,819''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''62.0%''' ''25,054''
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |3.8% ''1,500''
|-
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[United States presidential election in New Jersey, 2020|2020]]<ref name="2020Elections">{{cite web |url=https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/2020/2020-official-general-results-president-passaic.pdf|title=Presidential November 3, 2020 General Election Results Passaic County|access-date=January 11, 2025}}</ref>'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|18.9% ''9,053''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''80.3%''' ''38,453''
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |0.8% ''270''
|-
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[United States presidential election in New Jersey, 2016|2016]]<ref name="2016Elections">{{cite web |url=https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/2016/2016-gen-elect-presidential-results-passaic.pdf|title=Presidential General Election Results – November 8, 2016 – Passaic County|publisher=New Jersey Department of Elections|access-date=December 31, 2017}}</ref>'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|8.8% ''3,999''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''89.8%''' ''40,697''
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |1.4% ''611''
|-
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[United States presidential election in New Jersey, 2012|2012]]<ref name="2012Election">{{cite web |url=http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/2012-results/2012-presidential-passaic.pdf |title=Presidential General Election Results - November 6, 2012 - Passaic County |publisher=New Jersey Department of Elections |access-date=January 11, 2025}}</ref>'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|6.1% ''2,696''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''93.6%''' ''41,662''
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |0.3% ''152''
|-
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[United States presidential election in New Jersey, 2008|2008]]<ref name="state.nj.us">[http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/election-results/2008-gen-elect-presidential-results-passaic.pdf 2008 Presidential General Election Results: Passaic County], [[New Jersey Department of State]] Division of Elections, December 23, 2008. Accessed January 11, 2025.</ref>'''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|9.7% ''4,098''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''90.0%''' ''38,085''
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |0.3% ''150''
|-
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''[[United States presidential election in New Jersey, 2004|2004]]'''<ref name="Presidential Election 2004">[http://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/election-results/2004-presidential_passaic_co_2004.pdf 2004 Presidential Election: Passaic County], [[New Jersey Department of State]] Division of Elections, December 13, 2004. Accessed January 11, 2025.</ref>
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Republican}}|17.1% ''5,959''
| style="text-align:center;" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''82.8%''' ''28,896''
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;" |0.1% ''151''
|}