The City of Paterson operates under the Mayor-Council plan. Municipal elections are non-partisan and held in May. The City Council consists of nine seats. Six seats are elected through the ward system and in the same years as Presidential elections. The remaining three seats are elected at-large and, along with the Mayor, in the same years as the mid-term Congressional elections. City Council passes ordinances and laws, gives advice and consent on the Mayor’s appointments of department heads, and may vote to increase or reduce items in the budget submitted by the Mayor.Members of City Council and the Mayor serve four-year terms. In 2015, Council members earned $41,213. This year, the Council seats representing the six wards are up for election.
The city of Paterson and its residents have been neglected for DECADES, so with that being said there are SO MANY challenging issues to be tackled. But if I was to choose one to put at the top of the list, that would have to be HIGH TAXES WITH RECEIVING POOR SERVICES. " Taxation without representation." I look at life and problems from many angles. I am optimistic and realize everything can be fixed at a price. Most people do not care what something costs today as long as you get every dollar worth that you pay for. This holds true for property taxes. In the 2 ND ward we are paying way over $1000.00 a month for taxes. The police response is horrible and many times none existent for a non emergency call. The filth of garbage throughout the ward is almost equivalent to a third world country. We all spend thousands of dollars for the upkeep on our vehicles, so when we hit enormous creator size potholes it becomes very personal and infuriating. We should not allow 4 years to pass ,just before every municipal election to make superficial repairs alterations to our decaying city. It is so important to have an independent thinking council person that will come up with new ideas to create revenue and help stabilize and possibly lower taxes,without cutting back on our services. The average taxpayer has become so fed up that they have lost all hope in things ever getting better. This is where my philosophy of Educate,Motivate, Elevate is so important. It gives the power back to the people. Although I will be sitting in the seat for the 2 ND ward in city hall, it is extremely important to have the residents not only informed but inspire them to become engaged in the process. Not just used for a vote every 4 years and then neglected and forgotten about until the next election
Well first of all personally I was born,raised and still live in the 2 ND ward of Paterson. I was fortunate to have seen its glory days and experience a better time in our community. With the privilege of being exposed to this, I believe I hold my standard of living higher than most candidates. This is my optimistic view. I realize that the way we live our lives and are treated by the government can be altered for the better. I have been engaged in the community as a volunteer for my entire adult life. Helping out the environment and guiding the youth are some of my greatest attributes of mine. My experiences have been, to sit on the Paterson municipal youth guidance council for almost 30 years. It was a volunteer position and you can only get on the council by appointment of the mayor. I was privileged to be Appointed in 1993 and reappointed every three years by every mayor up until recently. I have held a Chairman position on youth council for over 15 of those years providing leadership roles to my peers. I also have been appointed to the Urban Enterprise zone commission, by the 2ND ward councilma. I held that seat for 10 years where I also held the Chairman position for several of them. Finally as being self employed in my own construction business I will bring a whole different knowledge and experience to the city council that will bring new aspects of thinking on tackling old problems. Sitting on these commissions and running my own business for over 30 years gives me the insight and open mindness of leadership to work out problems and have dialogue with people having different views and ideas. It is very important to approach issues with a non biased view.
Being a blue collar construction worker my entire life. I hold a soft spot in my heart for those men and women that work hard everyday in the trenches. I feel that the most important public safety front line workers in our city are also the most neglected, misused and underpaid employees of Paterson. Our Department of public works ( DPW) carries the weight of the city on their shoulders. They catch all the heat for almost everything that goes wrong with our infrastructure. They are improperly equipped with tools and training to handle the issues of our over 150 year old city. I will be the guiding force to purchase the best equipment and advocate for the best possible training and educational classes available for our DPW workers. With the best education and equipment comes a whole other level of employee. That means if they are bringing better results to the table then we need to budget for larger salaries. Men and women that are putting in the work with Blood sweat and tears for the progress of our city should also be treated with the highest pay available. Investing in our front line of public safety will bring about a positive change in the morale of this neglected department. Spending more money in this department is crucial being that most of the DPW employees tend to live and shop in our city. Treating them equal to the other public safety workers like fire and police departments will bring about an abundance of pride from them and it will spread into the communities and blocks they live on. When we invest top funding into the one department that ultimately is responsible for the city's physical appearance, we ellevate the morale of the entire city and those that live outside our city. The tourists that visit our falls and historical landmarks will feel at home and safe. Allowing them to share their experiences with friends and family, causing more tourists to come visit and spend money in our communities.
Many council people I have encountered all talk a good game at election time, but after they win they explain how they can not get anything accomplished because they are only one vote and they need to be the mayor to change things. That is the biggest cop out ever. I understand the frustration of not winning a vote to support or deny an issue on the agenda. But they don't talk about this on the campaign trail. They sell you a whole bunch of dreams then after they win they sit back and lose their drive until it is re-election time. I for one will hold that seat and my promised obligation to the highest standards. I am not just going to be a councilman to vote on Tuesday night and if my supported issue fails I will not just caulk it up. My plan is to become the "poster child" role model for ALL that is new and positive in our city. I want to become that becon of positive energy that will uplift and recharge those residents that have lost their hope and desire for our city. I will be one man sitting on that city council seat, but I will be the voice of the 20,000 plus residents that call the 2ND ward home. I will be that full time councilman that will make it my business to identify and promote all the businesses in our ward. I will lead the way in changing the negative mind set of our youth and uplift our aging seniors. Bridging a gap between the two so that the generations understand where they came from and what direction they should be moving toward. The greatest role in my opinion is to stimulate the residents and influence them to be involved and stay involved, at whatever capacity they can. We all have a vested interest in our community so we all need to take some time to look after our investments. As the leader of the 2ND ward, I will promise to lead by example. I will be humble knowing I do not have all the answers, but am willing to figure out what the solutions are. I want to work with all those intrested in making a positive impact in our community.
I want people to understand I'm not just representing the voters. I am here for everyone! After we win God willing I will be the voice for even those that were against us. For we are all 2ND ward residents and all our voices will be heard. I am a blue collar construction worker and my word is my Bond. I will not play political games at the expense of our residents.I will always put Principles before personalities and I will do my best to stop all the BS " BROKEN SYSTEMS" in our communities. If I make sense then PLEASE spread the word, come out and vote. May voting is always a low turnout. Make no mistake "NOT VOTING IS NOT AN OPTION". When you choose not to vote you give my opponent a vote. May 14th Frank G. Filippelli 2A
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