Jeff Jones

Councilman Julio Tavarez

Paterson - New Jersey's third largest city and now on the brink of a mayoral election next year - delivered the same voter turnout for Gov. Jon Corzine that he received four years ago in his first bid for governor.

These results are unofficial and don't include provisionals: Corzine received 16,038 votes in the Silk City, to Republican candidate (now Gov.-elect) Chris Christie's 2,040.

Those numbers almost mirror Corzine's 2005 performance against Mercer buisnessman Doug Forrester: 17,000 to 1,600 votes.

Paterson Council President Jeff Jones (over Gov. Jon Corzine's left shoulder), formally endorsed the governor Friday with Councilman Ken Morris, Jr., (far left), Councilwoman Vera Ames (next to Morris), at a Black Leadership event that included Passaic Democratic Chairman John Currie (second from right).

Paterson Council President Jeff Jones didn't like the idea of being buffaloed into an endorsement of incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine, particularly since he was no great fan of the governor's, and since the man prodding him to sign on the dotted line was longtime nemesis Mayor Jose "Joey" Torres.

Jones wants Torres' job, and their 2010 mayoral contest will no doubt intensify on the other side of Nov. 3rd, once the gubernatorial race is decided between Corzine and GOP challenger Chris Christie.

Jones knows he wants Torres gone.

But after mulling over the possibility of signaling that he wants Corzine to receive the ejector button by backing Christie, in part as a juxtaposition to Torres, who nurses a close relationship with the governor, the council president of New Jersey's third biggest city last Friday finally decided to back Corzine's reelection.

"I had to do an assessment," he told PolitickerNJ.com, "and I believe Torres was trying to take from me my Constitutional right to choose by forcing me to declare on his timetable, instead of mine. Well, now I've talked to Christie and some of his people, and I've talked to Gov. Corzine, man to man, Marine to Marine."

Republican 28th District Assembly candidate Herbert Glenn outside of Christie headquarters in Newark.

NEWARK - Mayor Cory Booker jogged down the steps of the Quitman School this morning, flashing a broad grin at faces in the crowd, snapping a wink at one of them.

"There's the movie star," said a woman, chuckling at the sight of the mayor, three days after the completion of cable television's five-night debut reality TV series, "Brick City."

Behind Booker slogged Gov. Jon Corzine, here with five weeks remaining in his reeelection campaign to announce new crime prevention and community building initiatives to keep at-risk children in school. 

Not immune to the mayor's statewide star status as they war with Corzine, Chris Christie's gubernatorial campaign has hit the Booker button on several occasions, trying to gouge out a gulf between Booker and the governor, notably when Christie earlier this month said the high-profile mayor of New Jersey's most populous city would enjoy a "real partner" in the governor's office were Christie to unseat incumbent Democrat Gov. Jon Corzine.

"He's doing the best he can under the circumstances," Christie running mate Monmouth County Sheriff Kim Guadagno added of the mayor.

Today, at an unveiling of new urban school initiatives in the Central Ward, Booker, the man many believe to be a lock as the 2013 Democratic nominee for governor, made the case for Corzine and why, contrary to Christie's pronouncements, he believes the sitting governor is a good partner for Newark.

Paterson Council President Jeff Jones, right, and Ward 6 Councilman Andre Sayegh.

WAYNE - A cavalcade of definite and maybe Paterson 2010 mayoral candidates showed up at yesterday's swearing-in ceremony of new Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes, including incumbent Mayor Jose "Joey" Torres, Council President Jeffrey Jones, Ward 6 Councilman Andre Sayegh, and at-Large Councilman Rigo Rodriguez.

Of those four men, Torres and Jones are definitely running.

Sayegh appears close to getting in the race, while Rodriguez, who's at-large council seat is up this year, appears least likely to challenge Torres.

"No comment yet," Rodriguez said about next year's already unfolding contest.

Paterson Mayor Jose "Joey" Torres wants a third term in office and believes he can turn back the challenges of Council President Jeffrey Jones and whoever else tries to knock him out next year.

"Obviously, I'm running," Torres told PolitickerNJ.com. "I want to do everything I can to reelect this governor this year, but after November I'll put my own campaign hat back on."

To today's news that Ward 6 Councilman Andre Sayegh is mulling a run for mayor, Torres said, "We live in a democracy and whoever wants to run can run. That is the process.

"The thing about Andre is Andre wants to be president and everyone knows that," the mayor added. "This is about how fast he can climb up the ladder. I don't know the answer to that question. I dont know how fast he can climb. I just hope he doesn't burn himself out, because as you know, this business is beyond telling jokes and kissing babies. Andre - with just a year on the council - is not prepared to be mayor. He's still (wet) behind the ears."

Paterson Council President Jeffrey Jones

PATERSON - Elected last week by his peers to lead the governing body of the state's third largest city with a mayoral race on the horizon, Council President Jeffrey Jones said he cannot honestly give Gov. Jon Corzine a passing grade as governor and would entertain the possibility of backing former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie for governor.

"I'm not saying I'm backing Christie, I don't know Christie - but I've been bamboozled in the past by Democrats," said Jones, a Marine Corps vet and college professor who's emerged as a leading African American challenger to Mayor Jose "Joey" Torres, who sources say intends to run for his third term next year.

Jones formally launched his mayoral campaign last year on PolitickerNJ.com.

A staunch Corzine fan, Torres praised the governor's budget cuts earlier this year in a conversation with PolitickerNJ.

“When you look at the numbers, a majority of people are helped by the good things in this budget,” Torres said. “From my perspective – and I’ve been at this for a long time now – this is the first time a governor has come in with a coherent vision to get us out of a financial crisis, while also covering our educational needs.”