I ran in Paterson’s 3rd Ward race. Here’s what I think about what’s going on.
By To the Editor
Published: June 27, 2020
Before the election took place, it was advised to postpone, simply because of the years of fraud related to vote-by-mail/mail-in ballots. No one cared. Now we are in an uproar. Yes, if anyone was fraudulent, then let due process take place. However, let’s not overlook the fact that we knew this was an issue. What did we do to resolve it? It’s not enough to write their names in the paper, and remind us every election this happened.
When will the Board of Elections update and purge their database? When will the entities involved, work with social services, realtors, the post office for updated information to create a more accurate database fostering less chance of some of these discrepancies to take place? This should have been an issue addressed at least three elections ago (Rigo) but we punished the person and did not fix the system.
It is time that we change the game of only answering to part a of the problem, since that’s the juiciest. Please push for follow-through and accountability for all parties involved in these situations.
Our city’s reputation is spiraling because of loose ends and a lack of authenticity from some of its leaders. We have to begin to change the culture and become active participants in our community. Take part in the beautification of the neighborhood, report problems on the Paterson Plus App; hold our leaders accountable, and please complete the Census.
Our city, Paterson, begins and ends with us and our efforts. Let’s not get distracted with things that have been going on; let’s put an end to things we can.
Written by Robyn Spencer, who ran in the recent 3rd Ward City Council race.