Maritza Colon-Montanez

PASSAIC - Standing in the midst of a melting pot audience, with Latinos, Jews and African Americans dominant in a crowd that also contained a smattering of Italians and Indians, and probably sprinklings of just about everything else given Passaic and Passaic pride, School Board member Salim Patel requested a hand for the first Dominican-American mayor in the United States.

There was clapping.

Then Mayor Alex Blanco stood, and the School No. 6 auditorium erupted.

As usual at these big ticket events here in Passaic, the mayor had top-tier love in the room in the form of Gov. Jon Corzine and U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken), who both backed Blanco for mayor earlier this year.  

"If you truly love Passaic, you must help him succeed, because in his success, the people of Passaic succeed," Menendez said.

Child of immigrant parents Blanco went to the podium early, but not before Menendez spoke, wringing a laugh-line out of a setup created by the cheering section for Councilman-elect Terrance L. Love, the governing body's lone black. 

Acting Mayor/Assemblyman Gary Schaer: Politicker file photo 

He’s the man everyone’s watching, in part because his ties are deep and solid with the powerful Orthodox Jewish vote in Passaic, but at least for now, Assemblyman/Acting Mayor Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) said he is not prepared to make an endorsement in the race for mayor.

Sources say Schaer is close to School Board President Alex Blanco, a physician, who in addition to his own Dominican base has good ties to the Democratic Party and to other long-established families in Passaic.

But the acting mayor insisted he’s not ready to commit jut yet.

"I’ve seen a lot of posters and bumper stickers, but I have not heard any plans," said Schaer. "What are their plans? What is their vision to put Passaic on the right track? I’m not hearing that from the candidates, and I need to hear that.

Acting Mayor/Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic): Politicker photo 

PASSAIC - To be in Trenton, or not to be in Trenton, that is the question for Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic), who became the acting mayor of Passaic in May when a federal judge found Mayor Sammy Rivera guilty of corruption.

Initially, Schaer, who received the chief executive’s job by virtue of his position as council president, figured he would serve long enough to hand off to whoever wins a Nov. 4th special election.

But about three weeks into his service as acting mayor - with no stunning personality on the city’s horizon line, by his reckoning - Schaer began mulling the idea of pursuing his own mayoral run. 

"We can’t afford to have a mayor who’s not going to build on some of the positive things we’re doing," said Schaer, who implemented local ethics reforms, imposed a 37% cut to the mayoral salary (from $117,000 to $72,000), and a municipal hiring freeze.