Ken Morris

Paterson City Councilman Thomas Rooney

PATERSON - The City Council will regretfully say goodbye this year to their resident Irish numbers cruncher, who also happens to be their resident historian and prophet when it comes to all things Paterson.

Councilman Thomas C. Rooney, Jr., 80, a native Patersonian and former mayor from the early 1970s, who originally figured he’d serve a term on the council or maybe two at the most, has represented the Sixth Ward for 28 years - since July 1, 1980.

PATERSON - Both sides chargCouncilman Aslon Goowe that election year politics are behind a full-blown contract talks stand off here between the mayor and fire department on one side, and the City Council on the other.

Mayor Jose "Joey" Torres said he delivered the city’s $26 million contract with the 217-hard-hat strong Paterson Fire Department to the council in November, but has since received nothing but stall tactics and excuses from the governing body. Torres said he believes council members fear getting blamed for the five-year contract come election time on May 13th, and so are attempting to distance themselves.

Not a good tactic, in his view.

"This contract emulates the police contract they already adopted," said Torres. "It’s consistent with the 4% cap that the governor wants.

Assemblywoman-elect Elease Evans will not seek re-election to the Passaic County Board of Freeholders in 200835th District Democrats today elected Elease Evans to the State Assembly. She will fill the unexpired term of Alfred Steele, who resigned last week after his arrest on bribery charges, and will seek a full-term in the Assembly in November.

Evans, the Passaic County Freeholder Director and former NAACP leader, became the unanimous choice at a Special Election Convention after party leaders agreed to support her earlier this morning.

Passaic County Democratic Chairman John Currie said that Evans will serve in both offices for now, but will step down as Freeholder sometime before the completion of her current term, which expires in January 2009. Under the new state law banning dual officeholding, Evans would be eligible to hold both posts, if she wanted to.

Passaic County Democrats seem committed to filling Assemblyman Alfred Steele's 35th district seat with an African American candidate, with Passaic County Freeholder Director Elease Evans, Paterson City Council President Ken Morris, and Rev. James Kuykendall, who ran an unsuccessful race for Mayor against incumbent Joey Torres in 2006, heading the short list of potential candidates.