Incumbent councilwomen Lilisa Mimms and Maritza Davila successfully won re-election in Tuesday’s municipal elections. Challenger Forid Uddin, who ran for public office for the first time, also captured an at-large council seat.
Lilisa Mimms, who won a second term, received 4,768 votes, becoming the highest voter-getter in the 10-person at-large race, according to unofficial election results with all districts counted. Davila, who won her third term, collected 3,852 ballots. Uddin received 3,285 votes.
Uddin, a school teacher, ran a ferocious that involved large numbers of robocalls and signs in every neighborhood in Paterson.
Davila was part of a slate of candidates tacitly backed by mayor Andre Sayegh. Gilman Choudhury received 2,441 votes and Melissa Baralt received 2,180 ballots. Both Choudhury and Baralt were part of the Davila-Sayegh slate. Slates have a history of failing in Paterson, but that has never stopped ill-advised mayor’s from creating and backing them.
Activist Casey C. Melvin finished fourth place in the race with 3,154 votes. Other candidates received votes as follows: Juan “Mitch” Santiago, 2,156 votes; Jeyss Abreu, 1,879; Mark Fischer, 2,858; Sonia Deliz, 2,172 ballots.
Winners will be sworn in on July 1 for their four-year terms.