Joe Garcia

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. 

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.

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.

Dr. Alex Blanco

PASSAIC – It’s bleak on Monday.  The sky never disgorges the rain and people stand around in the streets and talk about what’s going to go down here tomorrow.

There’s one day left in this five-man race for a seat left vacant by a man in federal prison, and most have a good idea about who’s wearing wires and where the money’s coming from, but no one knows who’s going to win.

Not if they’re telling the truth.

Campaign headquarters are almost up to full strength several hours before real estate developer Jose Sandoval, physician Alex Blanco, code enforcement inspector/School Board President Vinny Capuana, bail bondsman Carl Ellen and landlord/City Councilman Joe Garcia head to the local Baptist Church for a final collective prayer on the eve of Election Day.

PASSAIC - On the day the Herald News endorses real estate developer Jose Sandoval  in the mayor’s race, four of the five candidates sit at the front of a big room hugging highway 21 at a warehouse district debate sponsored by an alliance of community groups.

A fifth chair stands empty.

“I had other commitments and I had to make those commitments,” Councilman Joe Garcia explains later.

Garcia’s absence at the last debate forum before Tuesday’s special election fans rumors that either one of the campaigns of Dr. Alex Blanco or city super Vinny Capuana broke through and secured backing from the councilman’s supporters, thereby shutting down his campaign.

Acting Mayor Gary Schaer: Politicker file photo

PASSAIC - With his career at the state level apparently in ascendency, a handful of Trenton allies didn’t think Assemblyman Gary Schaer(D-Passaic), the new chairman of the Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee, should get in the middle of this ground-level, five-man mayor’s contest.

Other factors are already at work, none of them good, including a jailed former mayor, two busted former councilmen who are still visible in city politics, a third councilman defiantly digging in on the governing body against federal corruption charges, and an impaneled grand jury, which each day threatens to intrude on the campaign process by toppling yet another public official.

Moreover, some of the candidates competing - seemingly nice guys - in any event seemed too close to the man everyone still refers to around here as "Sammy," as in Sammy Rivera, the former mayor who had a good run for about five years before corruption caught up with him in his second term and the feds bagged him on bribery charges.

County Chairman John Currie: Politicker file photo 

As five candidates for mayor continue to slug it out in Passaic City, John Currie, chairman of the Passaic County Democratic Party, said he doesn't want to get in the middle of the action.

"I'm keeping out of that one," the chairman told PolitickerNJ.com moments before joining elected officials at an Obama rally in Paterson on Monday.

He's mostly focused on presidential politics and on his freeholder candidates, not the county's biggest local battle, he insisted. 

"I'm spending more money than I'd like on the freeholders' race, but that's all right," said Currie. "Registration's through the roof."

PASSAIC - Mayoral candidate Jose Sandoval stands on the porch of a voter who’s frustrated by gangs, sexual predators, drug dealers, cops and politicians.

The voter says the cops own local bars and nitpick residents with parking violations if they get in the way of business traffic. If the drug dealers kill the pit-bull that guards his property, he’s convinced the cops will kill his pit-bull.

It’s frustrating.

He calls to his son-in-law, who stands dutifully at attention as the man grasps the child’s slender shoulders in two calloused hands. The boy shows no emotion in the face of three strangers who tower over him.

“He’s autistic,” explains the man. “He can’t play outside here. There’s a child molester who lives up the street with three children. His wife’s a crack head. There are gangs in the streets. How can this boy play outside?”

As for politicians...don’t get him started.

Jose Sandoval is self funding his bid for Mayor of Passaic
In his filing this week with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC), Passaic real estate developer Jose Sandoval showed the richest mayoral campaign, although he slightly trails city supervisor/School Board President Vincent Capuana in cash on-hand. Sandoval lent his campaign $47,830, which is entirely how he’s funded his run. He reported a closing balance of $1,007.85.

Capuana has raised $10,633, and reported a closing balance of $2,116.58. City Councilman/landlord Joe Garcia reported $18,800 raised, which includes a self-loan to his campaign in the amount of $7,500. He closed this period with $539.45 in the bank.