Joe Garcia

Councilman Gerardo Fernandez: Politicker photo 

PASSAIC - The arrest last week of Passaic City Councilman Gerardo Fernandez on corruption charges dredged up the Sammy Rivera era again in the middle of a mayor’s election.

A candidate for mayor, Councilman Joe Garcia was on the governing body when the now disgraced and jailed Rivera told an FBI plant that he could deliver four votes on the City Council in favor of a dummy insurance contract.

Garcia defenders say Councilman/mayoral candidate Garcia was not one of Rivera’s four sure bet votes, but rumors persist.

An indictment already identified Councilman Marcellus Jackson as one of the council people implicated in the failed Rivera scheme. Former Councilman Jonathan Soto was also implicated.

School Board President Vincent Capuana: Politicker photo 

PASSAIC - On Main Street, the tower looms over everything like the past.

Vincent Capuana and Carl Ellen grew up here together and now they’re running against each other for mayor in this immigrant city dominated by an old Art Deco building you can see all the way from the high ground in Paterson, which teemed with business 40 years ago, and now stands abandoned.

The Sicilian, and the African-American from Macon, Georgia came of age in the same Washington Place neighborhood, on the same block, right next door, in Passaic.

"I’m not going to say anything bad about anyone in this race," said Ellen, now 65, sitting in his bailbondsman’s office at the corner of State and Passaic streets. "All of the men I’m running against are caballeros y carinosos."

Gentlemen and affectionate.

They are, all told, Ellen and School Board President Capuana, physician Alex Blanco, real estate developer Jose Sandoval and Councilman Joe Garcia.

Clerk Amada Curling withdraws Sandoval's name first.: Politicker photo 

PASSAIC - Moments ago, City Clerk Amada Curling drew names for ballot placement in the mayor’s race.

Jose Sandoval’s name will appear in the first position, followed by Carl Ellen, Vincent Capuana, Joe Garcia and Alex Blanco.

Seated in City Council chambers, the candidates or their surrogates watched Curling identify the candidates’ names on individual pieces of paper. She enclosed each name in a small plastic capsule. Then her assistant put the capsules in a small wooden box.

Curling then withdrew the names.

PASSAIC - Jose Sandoval, a candidate for mayor in Passaic, says he wants himself and the other four candidates in the race to debate at least three times between now and Nov. 4th.

"It's very important that we have debates so that the voters can compare our ideas and our record," he said.

No debates are scheduled at this time, although PassaicJews.com confirmed to PolitickerNJ.com that all five candidates will allow Passaic residents to ask them questions in a chat room on Sunday, September 28.

A real estate developer, Sandoval is competing with physician Alex Blanco, city supervisor Vincent Capuana, Councilman Joe Garcia, and bailbondsman Carl Ellen. 

School Board member Dr. Alex Blanco: Politicker photo 

PASSAIC - Just over a week ago he was somewhere in the middle of a crowded pack, barely distinguishable among the other contestants running for mayor. But from the standpoint of the Latino vote, which constitutes a little over 50 percent of the Passaic electorate, Councilman Joe Garcia’s the man right now.

At first it looked as though there were going to be three Puerto Rican candidates in the race: Ritzy Morales, Maritza Colon-Montanez and Garcia.

Then Morales dropped out on filing day, and two days later, Colon-Montanez aborted her own campaign and threw her support to Garcia.

That hit hard two men in the rest of the five-man field: Jose Sandoval and Alex Blanco.

The Dominican candidates won’t admit that the sudden moves by the Puerto Ricans produced any impact on the contest. Ask them about Morales and Colon-Montanez and they smile and shrug. No big deal. They weren’t going to do much anyway.

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.

On the day of the filing deadline for the office of mayor of Passaic, five candidates have already submitted their petitions to the Clerk’s Office.

The candidates are physician Alex Blanco, city supervisor Vincent Capuana, Councilwoman Maritza Colon-Montanez, Councilman Joe Garcia and realtor Jose Sandoval.

Two other potential candidates - Ritzy Morales, who works for U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson), and bail bondsman Carl Ellen - have not yet submitted petitions.

The candidates vying for mayor in the Nov. 4th special election hope to succeed former Mayor Sammy Rivera, who earlier this year was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison on corruption charges.

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.