Paterson's Fifth Ward features most contentious city match-up

Councilman Juan Torres 

PATERSON: Politics fanatics jamming the tables in the cafeteria in Passaic Community College called this Fifth Ward square-off between Councilman Juan Torres and challenger Julio Tavarez the “can’t hold nothing back” contest.

Tavarez and Torres first butted heads four years ago when Torres’s pointed criticism of a political opponent unleashed a torrent of dismissive words from Tavarez.

Their younger-man versus older-man rivalry didn’t end then.

Having vanquished his other challenger in 2004, Torres now must deal directly with the feisty Tavarez, who thinks he’s built enough of a machine in the years since their public meeting showdown to unseat Torres - an ally but not an immediate relative - of Mayor Joey “Jose” Torres.

In their city-sponsored debate tonight, Torres suggested Tavarez - an 18-year resident of Paterson but only a one-year resident of the Fifth Ward - has not lived long enough in the community to know its needs, and questioned what he said is his challenger’s ex-wife’s lawsuit against Tavarez demanding child support payments.

“Folks, don’t be fooled by Johnny come lately,” Torres urged the voters.

Fuming in response, Tavarez said, “I do have a son who’s 12 years old, he’s a great kid. I pay child support. I don’t owe money. It’s unfortunate you have to bring personal stuff into this.”

Torres was in survival mode all evening in what is arguably his toughest election in two terms on the council, in a ward contest that has larger political implications. Ward 6 candidate Andre Sayegh, left, observed the contest with Wesley McCoy, brother of Ward 3 Councilman William McCoy.

If Councilman Torres loses his seat, Mayor Torres loses a close ally, and at least two of the mayor’s likely challengers - At Large Councilman Jeffrey Jones, and Ward Two Councilman Aslon Goow - can take some measure of satisfaction at seeing an adversary nudged off the council.

In his own Second Ward debate two nights ago, Goow confidently predicted victory for Tavarez.

Tonight, the challenger started aggressively to check Torres’ argument that redevelopment projects and affordable housing are coming to fruition at the end of the councilman’s second term.

 “Prostitution has increased in the Fifth Ward since you have been in office,” said Tavarez in his direct question to Torres. “Why have you allowed the Fifth Ward to become the prostitution capital of Paterson?”

“We have not lost the war, but we have fought the battle,” said Torres, who shot back at Tavarez’s criticism of the firefighters’ contract.

“What three sticking points do you not like about the contract and why, and what three measures would you put in its place and how wold you implement that?”

Tavarez said he couldn’t abide the “huge” jump in salaries in the contract, and scolded the administration for not providing the information to the council in a timely manner. The challenger insisted he wouldn’t be a pawn of the mayor’s by accepting a contract without extensive overview undertaken by the council as a whole.

“He really didn’t answer the question,” complained Torres, who kept up his attack on Tavarez for only recently moving into the Fifth Ward, for the sole purpose, Tavarez said, of challenging him.

 Shades of ethnic rivalry surfaced when Torres - a Puerto Rican American - suggested that his rival - a Dominican American - was playing more to the Dominican segment of the ward by taking a bulk of his support from a Dominican political action committee and Dominican businesses.

Tavarez was outraged.

“This is definitely dirty,” Tavarez said. “You’re trying to make it racial. I have support from Hindus, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, whites, African-Americans, Chinese. It’s the same. The people on the streets are all the same. You should be ashamed of yourself, councilman.”

Torres later described Tavarez’s approach as “hateful.”

“He’s promoting a divisive new leadership,” Torres said. “For one year he has been printing anonymous lies against me. What kind of example is that for our kids?”

The crowds attired in white on red T-shirts for Torres and red on white T-shirts for Tavarez raucously cheered their respective candidates throughout the contest.