Jose Sandoval

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken), right, endorses Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco

PASSAIC – The city stood at City Hall, or so it seemed, as a large crowd gathered to give its blessing to Mayor Alex Blanco, who tonight announced his intentions to run for mayor again, with the backing of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken), State Democratic Party Chairman Joe Cryan and Passaic County Democratic Chairman John Currie all present to augment the voices of the people.

Trumpeted as a long time coming crumbling of wink and nod politics in Passaic, the mayor’s “Honesty in Action” campaign kick-off flew in the face of a ragtag assortment of Vincent Capuana allies, who heckled the speakers from their campaign HQ on the other side of Passaic Avenue, but were mostly drowned out by the merengue-salsa-soul rhythm spectacle of Blanco and his base.  

“Let no one, not even an opponent we defeated in November, stop our forward progress,” cried Blanco. “When people ask you, ‘Why are you so confident you can make change?’ You tell them, ‘The doctor is in!’”

Running on the heels of a mayor indicted - and later jailed - on corruption charges by then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, podiatrist Blanco defeated city super/School Board President Capuana last year, 3,859 to 3,656, after he secured the powerful 3rd Ward backing of Assemblyman/Council President Gary Schaer (D-Passaic).

State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge)

Passaic Democratic Committee Chairman John Currie’s decision to welcome three strikes and you’re out (Assembly, Congress, mayor) Republican candidate Jose Sandoval into the Democratic Party this afternoon triggered a curiosity wave in the city as Democrats wondered about Sandoval’s intentions.

The chief question was whether the real estate developer with a bug for politics and access to cash would turn around and run in the 36th Legislative District Democratic Primary against his former conqueror Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic)?

Currie said he did not discuss that possibility with Sandoval.

“I first heard that he might do that on Friday night, but I couldn’t stop him if I wanted to,” said the party chairman. “All he told me is he’s bringing 1,000 of his people into our party, and if you ask me, that’s pretty positive. Anyone can challenge anyone at anytime. I told him you don’t really need me to change parties but if you want to do something publicly, that’s fine.”

From left: Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco, Passaic Freeholder Director Tahesha Way, and U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.)

PASSAIC – Joe Kennedy wasn’t in the room but he likely would have marveled at the political challenge.

Quietly wrestling with the karma of what Jose Sandoval’s entry into his party means, Passaic County Democratic Party Chairman John Currie welcomed an opportunity Friday night to reflect on the larger dimensions of his party’s history as he stood beside U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.).

“I remember when I learned of the death of President John F. Kennedy,” said Currie. “I was walking across the bridge over the falls in Paterson on my way to football practice.” 

Still, there was no escaping local politics as the younger Kennedy stood next to Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco in the crowded living room of the parents of local Councilman Kenneth Lucianin. 

Businessman Jose Sandoval, who has run as a Republican for State Assembly and U.S. Congress and as a candidate in a 2008 non-partisan special election for Mayor of Passaic, is days away from switching parties and becoming a Democrat. 

Sandoval had arranged a news conference to announce his party switch with John Currie, the Passaic County Democratic Chairman.  But because Sandoval is expected to endorse Vincent Capuana for Mayor in the May election against incumbent Alex Blanco, some Democratic leaders - most notably Assemblyman/Passaic City Councilman Gary Schaer, are asking Currie not to participate.

Jose Sandoval

PASSAIC – Real estate developer Jose Sandoval officially withdrew as a candidate for mayor yesterday in the lead-up to May nonpartisan elections, according to his campaign spokesperson Linda Ellerbee.

City Clerk Amada Curling confirmed the news a half an hour before her scheduled ballot position draw at City Hall.

The names of two men will be on pieces of paper at that noon drawing: incumbent Mayor Alex Blanco and city supervisor Vincent Capuana, who came in first and second respectively in a November special election to succeed jailed former Mayor Sammy Rivera.

Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco

Having vanquished a field of four other men in last November’s special election, Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco appears to have strengthened his position heading into the May 12th municipal election where he hopes to secure a full, four-year term.

If Blanco wants to continue as mayor in the aftermath of the jailed Sammy Rivera era, he will have to once again beat second-place finisher Vincent Capuana, the city super committed to making up his 203-vote deficit (3,859 to 3,656 votes) this time with the backing of Councilman Joe Garcia.

Garcia was 2008’s fourth-place finisher in the special mayoral election with 2,684 votes, and this year seeks reelection to the council.

The fusion of Capuana’s and Garcia’s troops on its face looks formidable – but in a small turnout election may be more than offset by Blanco’s ongoing alliance with Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic). 

State Sen. Kevin O'Toole (R-Cedar Grove)

Insiders lay out several battlefields this year, and Republican or Democrat, it’s not two or three gulps of beer into a conversation before they spill the strategic terrain of the coming legislative contests.

The Democrats will put money into 1 to defend their incumbents there, and they will try to take down the Republican incumbents in 2. They’ll play in 8 again largely as a diversionary tactic, defend in 14 and – and this is big - heavily fortify 36, where the GOP last time came within 2,400 votes of stripping the Dems of a seat.

Representatives in both parties usually mention the last of these prospective showdowns as the most meaningful, a potential north Jersey version of the 12th District Karcher-Beck war in 2007, where both parties will likely lay down their heaviest barrage.

For the moment, Democrats feel they have some GOP civil war drama on their side, and are gleefully inclined to let the Republican body count mount at this fractious tri-county, multi-ego crossroads of Passaic, Bergen and Essex, before they get in and scrap in earnest to protect Assemblyman Fred Scalera (D-Nutley) and Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic).

Better to let the other side give itself a good going over before taking casualties. That’s the attitude.

Angel Laboy

PASSAIC - When Angel Laboy lost his city council bid last year to Ken Lucianin by 24 votes, he said he would probably come back this year, and time’s proved him right. 

Laboy, a public school vice principal, is holding a fundraiser on Jan. 15th in which he hopes to lay the groundwork for what he believes will be about a $5,000-$6,000 race for council. 

“I would like to run alone,” he said. “I have been approached to run on a ticket with several of the mayoral candidates, and I’m not ruling it out, but I’m leaning against it.”

School Board President Vincent Capuana

PASSAIC – The campaign season never ends in Passaic, or at least it feels that way as newly elected Mayor Alex Blanco will likely have to face at least two challengers he already vanquished in the November special election to succeed the disgraced Sammy Rivera. 

Both city supervisor/School Board President Vincent Capuana and real estate developer Jose Sandoval show no signs of loosening the reins on their respective campaigns. 

Next year the contest will be for a full, four year term. It was in the spirit then of ongoing rivalry that Blanco’s people wondered why Capuana never filed a final 2008 report with the New Jersey Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC).

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.