Five people running in Paterson’s 2nd Ward special election
By Jayed Rahman
Published: August 31, 2020
Five people are vying for the 2nd Ward seat on the City Council in the November 3 special election.
The four men and one woman running are:
- Shahin Khalique
- Mohammed Akhtaruzzaman
- Eddie Gonzalez
- Frank Filippelli
- Sonia N. Deliz.
The special election was called after a tie between former councilmen Khalique and Akhtaruzzaman in the May election, which was solely vote-by-mail because of the coronavirus pandemic. Khalique had initially won, but after several recounts the race was ruled a tie by election officials.
Khalique’s campaign allegedly engaged in voter fraud during the race in which he was the incumbent. His elder brother, Selim Khalique, and a campaign worker, Abu Razyen, were charged with voter fraud in late June.
Khalique and Razyen have denied the charges.
Khalique, the candidate, has not been accused of any wrongdoing related to the May election.
The tie ruling created a vacancy on the City Council. Council members appointed Gilman Choudhury to represent the 2nd Ward until voters elect a representative for themselves.
Email: [email protected]