There are six candidates running for the top job in Paterson NJ, my hometown and the city that was responsible for preparing me for my career. A few years ago, I moved out of the city because it just became too stressful to live a calm life in a city that is running on life support. I am not saying Paterson is done but as someone who was born, raised and educated in the city, I have earned the right to speak the truth about my hometown and give my opinion on who will be the next mayor.

I know each candidate running this year to fill the seat vacated by former mayor Jose “Joey” Torres, amid the secret video scandal that eventually ended his political career. There are many rumors as to who was working with the company who filmed the situations that brought Mayor Torres down but we need to be sure that we are not giving the top seat and top salary to someone who is just looking for the title and has said, will say and is saying, anything he must, to get the job.

Also, in this group are candidates who represent the American dream of immigrants coming to the U.S. and running for office like the now former governor of California, but again, the city is heading toward what the City of Camden used to be. We should stop trying to be Jersey City or Newark, they are not what we represent, but Camden is and if you visit Camden NJ now-a-days, you can see what progress and change looks like. Unfortunately, if we pick someone who just wants power and the title, then nothing will get fixed and all we will see are more excuses and diverted blame; if we pick someone who does not understand how things work or what personnel is needed to run a city, then again, we are looking at bad times ahead.

But there are some experienced, well intended, non-power-hungry candidates that the residents can select. I hope that before we lose what is left of our great city, we vote in the right candidate and we do the work to find out what these six candidates have done. We do not need a power hungry false mayor and we do not need an inexperienced mayor; what would be a clear sign of a true mayor looking after the residents and not their career, vote for the candidate that will only take $1 as pay. This is a big request, but if you give up the money that comes with the office, then you send a signal that you are serious about the task ahead.

VOTE FOR THE RIGHT PERSON FOR PATERSON!

Augusto Penaranda
Former Paterson resident