First and foremost the resident of Paterson have a lack of faith in their local government and don't believe their local elected officials are working to the benefit of our city. Residents have been crying out for city streets that are cleaner and safer, but have simply not been heard. They also demand better schools for their children and are distressed by all the new construction happening around the city which only overburdens our already crowded schools.
My entire 20+ year career since college has been dedicated to working in the governmental and public service sector. My first job was on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC where I eventually worked for Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. My eleven years of working for the Congressman culminated with being named his Deputy Chief of Staff and directing his District Office in Paterson. In this role I was able to work directly to help Paterson residents with issues ranging from public safety to housing to public infrastructure including the creation of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park. In 2016 I was sworn-in as a Passaic County Freeholder (now known as a Passaic County Comissioner) where I was elected county-wide twice and served for five years. In this role I worked directly with Paterson City Hall to ensure that county facilities and resources were being deployed to the benefit of Paterson residents. One of my most rewarding experiences with the county was to serve on the Passaic County Open Space Committee where we helped to shepherd millions of dollars in individual grants to support parks and other green spaces within Paterson. I currently serve as a senior staffer in the Executive Branch of NJ State Government. In addition to my professional experiences I have given my time to many organizations throughout Paterson including being on the boards of Passaic County Community College, Paterson YMCA, the Paterson Alliance and as the VP of the PTO at School #1 in Paterson where my oldest daughter is a first grade student. I believe my extensive experience at three different levels of government and my dedication to the City of Paterson makes me an ideal candidate to take on the many challenges facing the City Council.
I believe the City of Paterson needs to invest more in keeping our city clean and in the enforcement of rules and regulations already on the books. It is well known inside and outside of Paterson that the city does not enforce its own rules and therefore people feel free to litter, to speed through our streets and commit other offenses without concern that they will be punished. All of this contributes to a low quality of life for Paterson residents and exacerbates the sense that city government simply does not work for its people.
I believe a City Council member must be the first line of communication between residents and City Hall. Sadly, residents see that their local elected officials are there for the photo-ops but not there for them when they actually need them. Furthermore, many residents are sick of seeing the insults and literal fist fights that come out of their City Council. If I am elected I will make it a priority to ensure that City Council meetings are actually conducive to supporting Paterson residents instead of being the side show they currently are.
I want residents of the 3rd Ward to know that I am running for City Council because my wife and I are raising two little girls in Paterson and I know I have a responsibility to help create a better city for them. For too long residents have been ignored and real leadership in the City Council has been missing. It would be easy for me to simply ask others to take on this responsibility, but I am sick and tired of seeing the same people run for local office who I don't believe have the best interests of Paterson in their heart. Too many good residents of Paterson won't run for local office because they don't want to deal with the mess that is the City Council - so I am running in the hopes of inspiring them to take back our city.
• Finding effective strategies to transition the city off state aid
• Finding ways to reduce crime & violence
• Addressing drug addiction, and the social ills such as homelessness and the high cost of related emergency medical responses with having being the destination for illegal drug users
• Improving community policing, police officer retention and overall police response time
• Increasing the city’s tax base and revenue generating operations to ease the tax burden currently being place on our taxpayers
• Addressing our educational and recreational needs to better meet the serve of our youth and seniors
• Improving the operational capacity of the division of community improvement as well as the department of public works.
• As an auditor with over 40 years-experience, I bring my financial expertise in managing budgets and developing strategies to effectively address the counsels’ decision-making process at every meeting.
• As the founder of the Making a Difference with the Friends of Bill McKoy Foundation, I have led for 18 years a multicultural team of like-minded community servants eager to improve the city and leave it better than we found it. With annual hallmark programs such as the annual Toys for Kids, Jamaica Day and the Gospel fest events, etc. I consistently prioritize education and development of our next generation of leaders.
• As a public servant serving in the city of Paterson for over 30 years, I’ve seen first-hand the adverse impact of crime and drugs on our community. I dedicate time to fostering relationships with members of our public safety departments, social service agencies, and civic leaders so as to engage them in finding effective solutions to help resolve issues within the city of Paterson.
• Develop a strategic plan to increase revenue while effectively managing expenses
• Increasing our recreation department budget to meet the needs of our youth and seniors
• Develop a capital improvement plan to effectively address our roads and infrastructure improvements in a strategic way across the board, based on an independent needs’ assessment.
• Higher focus on improving the capacity of our DPW department by utilizing the lease to purchase Procurement Option to secure needed tools and equipment, as well as, provide related training to effectively utilize the new resources
• Fully fund the development and implementation of Community Improvement Division work processes, methods and procedures so as to strengthen internal controls, fiscal management and overall accountability within the system.
Under the Faulkner Act Plan-D Mayor Council Form of government, the Municipal Council has the responsibility of reviewing and approving the city budget, enacting legislation - providing advise and consent to the Mayor and his/her administration.
It is essential that the Council restore honesty and integrity to this process, by honoring the office with policies that uphold the law, empower the residents of the city, and create an environment where families and businesses can thrive.
• I am a grandfather of four, whose heart is in the city of Paterson. It is my desire to help guide our beloved city to a place where all children can safely grow and develop. I endeavor to help improve lives, develop businesses and support families so that they can prosper in our city fulfilling its great history and promise
• As a member of the clergy, I interface often with the faith-based community where we work in tandem to protect the freedom to worship and collaborate where possible to impact the community and align values based on our common humanity
One of our biggest challenges is our fiscal deficit. Every year we have to depend on transitional aid from the state to balance our budget. We have to find ways to bring additional revenue to the city to move away from transitional aid and therefore stop increasing taxes.
I have a unique combination of skills and experience that facilitate my job as a legislator and as a community leader. I have been a business owner and a Real-estate professional for over 20 years and this experience enables me the opportunity to balance budgets and see the city as a business.
1- Recreation: I am looking for ways to increase the budget for recreation to provide a safe haven for our children and allow them to participate in different recreational programs to keep them off the streets.
2-Employee Retention has been a real problem because of low paying salaries for our public works employees. I recommended in the past and will continue to advocate for a general salary increase for our specialized employees (ex. CDL drivers) wage increase to become more competitive in the job market, therefore retaining our employees.
3-Properly staffing all the different departments (ex. the clerk's office) so we could provide quality service to the residents of our City of Paterson.
The City Council is one of the most important branches of Government in our City. We are not only responsible to approve the budget, but also creating legislations that impact the lives of our residents. As legislators, we must work together to move the city forward.
I am a hands-on councilman, whose goal is to always be involved in the community. I started virtual Townhall Meetings during the pandemic and continued with in person Townhall meetings to listen to the concerns of the community and therefore finding solution to the issues that affect the quality of life of my constituents.
I worked with the administration to renovate all our parks in the 3rd ward. A great example is our newly renovated Eastside Park with our State-of-the-art Tennis Court, renovated Amistad Park on Vreeland Ave. and a newly renovated baseball field in Riverside area. Also, the re-pavement of many roads in the 3rd ward (ex.14th Ave, E 42nd, 8th Ave and more). I am ready to help continue the progress in the 3rd ward.
