Son of Paterson councilman is running for city school board seat
Mendez Jr. said he submitted his nominating petitions to election officials on July 8. Alex Mendez Sr. said the candidate collected voters' signatures without any help from his father.
'He really impressed me the way he went and got the signatures himself,' said the senior Mendez. 'He showed me he really wants it.'
Mendez Jr. said he thinks the Paterson School District is top-heavy with too many high-salaried administrators. He expressed disappointment with the level of safety provided for Paterson students. The top issue, he said, is the need to improve student performance on standardized tests.'The truth is in the numbers,' said Mendez Jr. 'The test scores are no where near up to par.'
This year's city school board election has the makings of becoming a fiercely contested battle.
The two factions on the current board have been feuding for the past six months, starting with allegations of bias in January when none of the four Black commissioners were appointed to chairperson positions of key committees.
Subsequent disputes focused on changes involving two lucrative board appointments — its legal counsel and health insurance broker.
The majority group is strongly connected to Mayor Andre Sayegh and Assemblyman Al Abdelaziz, while the minority faction has close ties to Senator Benjie Wimberly. Both sides are expected to field slates of candidates in the upcoming contest.
Mendez Jr. said he is not aligned with either faction.
A graduate of Paterson's International High School, Mendez Jr. said he simply wants to make improvements in the district and city where he lives. The councilman's son currently works at the Passaic County Board of Social Services, were he said he interviews people applying for help from various government programs.
'I hear a lot of people's grievances,' he said.
The younger Mendez said his father would be one of his key campaign advisors.
'I'm looking forward to helping him,' the councilman said. 'I'm very excited.'
The elder Mendez has run for public office in Paterson eight times in the past 16 years, finishing on top in five of those elections. Two of his defeats were mayoral elections in 2018 and 2022, contests in which he finished a distant second to Sayegh.
Mendez recently served as the council's president for two years, from July 2023 through this past June. His council colleagues picked him for that position even though the New Jersey Attorney General's office has a five-year election fraud case pending against him.
Also running in the city school election is Cameo Black, an outspoken activist. Black recently was banned from Board of Education meetings for 90 days after she levelled a profanity-laced tirade at district officials over alleged mistreatment of her son, a student in Paterson.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Son of Paterson councilman is running for city school board seat
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