Alex Blanco

Sources in the City of Passaic say real estate developer Jose Sandoval is gathering forces to launch another run for mayor.

That makes Sandoval the second unsuccessful candidate in the Nov. 4th special election who's already gearing up for next year's May contest to secure a full, four-year term.

City supervisor Vinny Capuana never shut down his downtown campaign headquarters.

Capuana and Sandoval came in second and third respectively behind physician Alex Blanco.

City Councilman Joe Garcia and bail bondsman Carl Ellen came in fourth and fifth, and sources say both men are the objects of the remaining candidates' efforts to bring them and their constituents on board for the 2009 grudge match.

Gearing up at Capuana HQ.

PASSAIC - It stands right across from City Hall, and although he came up 400 votes short in last week's mayoral election, sources close to Vinny Capuana say his headquarters isn't going anywhere.

It will remain open and active.

There is a mayor's race next year, after all.

As mayor, Capuana's conqueror, Alex Blanco, will enjoy the advantage of incumbency in next year's mayoral contest for a full, four-year term.

But both Blanco and Capuana are trying to secure the backing of those other contestants in last week's race to fill the unexpired term of Sammy Rivera: real estate developer Jose Sandoval, City Councilman Joe Garcia, and bail bondsman Carl Ellen. 

Blanco last month at an Obama rally in Paterson.

The Dominican American National Roundtable, a Washington-DC based organization, which tracks Dominican American history, culture and trends, has officially declared Dr. Alex Blanco of Passaic as the first ever Dominican mayor in U.S. history.

The organizaton cites only one other time (in 2001) when a Dominican American has acted in a mayoral capacity (from Lawrence, MA). In that case, the person was an acting mayor, not an elected mayor. 

Dominicans and allies celebrated Dr. Alex Blanco’s victory in the Passaic mayoral race last week as a first in the annals of American politics. As far as they know, he’s the first Dominican elected mayor in the United States.

“There’s an assemblyman in New York, but concerning mayors, none,” said Blanco, a product of the Passaic public school system who earned college and medical degrees locally and works in the city as a podiatrist.

“I was shocked when I found out I was the first,” added the mayor-elect, who figures to be sworn into office before the end of November.

Schaer campaigns for Blanco on Election Day

PASSAIC – Yesterday’s mayoral victory by physician Alex Blanco in a 62 percent turnout election depended heavily on the endorsement of Acting Mayor/Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic).

The city is split in half, with the 3rd and 2nd wards on the south side of town and 4th and 1st wards to the north.

In the heart of Schaer’s Orthodox Jewish community, Ward 3 totals show that Blanco earned 1,965 of his 3,859 total votes, according to the Passaic City Clerk’s Office.

That’s where nearly a third of the city’s total 25,543 registered voters are concentrated.

PASSAIC - Physician Alex Blanco won the mayor's contest here tonight, defeating runner-up Vincent Capuana by 400 votes.

Blanco won with 3,872 or 28.01 percent of the vote.

Capuana received 3,465 votes, Jose Sandoval received 2,741 votes, Jose Garcia received 2,626 and Carl Ellen received 1,052 votes.

PASSAIC - Physician Alex Blanco leads the pack here in the mayors' race with five districts left to be counted.

In a five-man race, School Board President Vincent Capuana is currently in second place, trailing Blanco by 300 votes.

Jose Sandoval

PASSAIC – Sandoval headquarters appears under siege by the campaigns of the two other Latino mayoral candidates.

First, there’s the Blanco presence two doors down from Sandoval’s front door, where a huge sign stands at the head of the block, as if to make it clear this is Blanco country.

Of course, Sandoval owns half the buildings on the block.

At the other end of the street, a gathering of red-shirted Garcia forces shake their signs at passing cars underneath an enormous Sandoval sign on the side of one of Sandoval’s houses.

Rivals: School Board President Vincent Capuana, left, and Acting Mayor/Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic)

PASSAIC – Opposing forces converge on School No. 3 in the Third Ward, the local political base of Acting Mayor/Assemblyman Gary Schaer.

Schaer and his ally, mayoral candidate Dr. Alex Blanco, greet people in front of the school as they head in to vote.

A car door slams and a slender man jumps the curb.

It’s School Board President Vincent Capuana, one of Blanco’s rivals in the mayors’ contest.

“We’ve been here in Gary’s base since this morning,” confides one of Capuana’s backers. “He moves, we move.”

PASSAIC – Among Dr. Alex Blanco’s street presence in the city on Election Day walks Paterson City At Large Councilman Rigo Rodriguez, who’s excited about his fellow Dominican American and his chances here today in the special mayoral contest.

“He’s a good candidate, and I believe he would be the right person to fight corruption in City Hall, which has been very bad here in Passaic,” said Rodriguez.

The councilman had success in his hometown in the last municipal election, as he sent an ally head-to-head with Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres’s candidate, Councilman Juan Torres.