By ALEXANDER MacINNES, HERALD NEWS | 05/14/08 03:03 AM

Julio Tavarez tops Juan Torres; other incumbents return

PATERSON — Voters in the 5th Ward ousted incumbent Juan Torres during Tuesday’s City Council elections — a setback for Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres, who loses a loyalist on the legislative body.

In falling to political newcomer Julio Tavarez, Juan Torres was the only incumbent to lose his seat, with voters in three other wards returning the more experienced hand over a slate of challengers. The other new face on the council is Andre Sayegh, who won in the 6th Ward, where Councilman Thomas Rooney Jr. is retiring.

Other veterans returning to the council are Aslon Goow Sr. in the 2nd Ward, William McKoy in the 3rd Ward and the 4th Ward’s Vera Ames-Garnes, who beat back two young challengers to continue her 22 years in office. First Ward Councilman Anthony E. Davis, the only candidate to run unopposed, had the easiest path back to his seat.

Voter turnout on Tuesday was relatively low. Overall, 1,655 more voters came out this year than in 2004, when 6,192 people voted in the ward council races.

In the 5th Ward, Tavarez, the founder of patersononline.net, upset Torres in a heated battle marked by personal attacks and allegations of divisive and dirty politicking. Torres, who was born in Puerto Rico, had said his Dominican challenger practiced dirty campaign tactics.

“I want to say we ran a clean campaign,” Tavarez said. “I think what made us successful was the fact that our opponent, the incumbent councilman, was running a divisive campaign. We ran a campaign of unity and now you can see it.”

In his first foray into elective politics, Tavarez, 31, beat Torres, a two-term incumbent, by nearly a 2-to-1 margin. That victory dislodged the mayor’s most consistent supporter on the council.

Torres, 58, who works for the Passaic County Sewerage Commissioners, was first elected in 2000 by narrowly beating Dennis Gonzalez and gained reelection in 2004 in another close vote, against Virtudes Sanchez. This year, Torres ran on a platform of having helped repave dozens of streets in the area and installing police surveillance cameras to help fight crime.

“I just hope that Mr. Tavarez would represent everybody equally and help move not only the 5th Ward, but also the city, forward,” Torres said.

The 6th Ward, after 28 years of Rooney representation, was another battleground. Residents there have a new face with Sayegh, the former Paterson Board of Education president, taking another step up in his political career. Sayegh, who was endorsed by Rooney, beat Ilia Villanueva by almost a 3-to-1 margin. He said he will step down from his seat on the school board on June 30.

“I feel relieved, but I am humbled and honored, because I am looking to succeed someone who is irreplaceable,” Sayegh said.

Rooney said he could now have “a good night sleep” with Sayegh filling his shoes.

Chairman of the council’s Finance Committee, Rooney was also one of the mayor’s allies and the council’s unofficial fiscal wonk. His financial expertise could be missed by the council as the city prepares to juggle its spending with less state aid.

Goow, one of the mayor’s harshest critics, won handily in his bid for a third term in the 2nd Ward. He beat back his closest rival, Elizabeth Rosado, the wife of former Councilman-at-Large Jerry Luis Rosado who ran with the support of the mayor.

Ames-Garnes, who has represented the 4th Ward for the last 22 years, defended her seat against two young candidates — Kisha Manning and Wilkin Santana. Voters in that ward, which has some of the highest crime rates and poorest residents, brought back Ames-Garnes, with her grandmotherly political style of helping people find jobs and taking low-income children to Disney World each year.

“It goes to show that education is fine, but when you’re dealing with the community and the needs such as mine, you have to have that degree from the community, to let them know you’re there for them,” Ames-Garnes said.

In the 3rd Ward, William McKoy won reelection against perennial council candidate Miguel Diaz, a supply supervisor for the Passaic County Purchasing Department. During the campaign Diaz tried to portray McKoy as an absentee councilman who failed to inform his constituents on important developments within the ward.

McKoy, another vocal critic of the mayor, said the council will continue to offer “independent thinkers” who will not “rubber stamp” his plans or programs.

Reach Alexander MacInnes at macinnes@northjersey.com.
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