Ritzy Morales

Acting Mayor/Assemblyman Gary Schaer: Politicker file photo 

He’s the man everyone’s watching, in part because his ties are deep and solid with the powerful Orthodox Jewish vote in Passaic, but at least for now, Assemblyman/Acting Mayor Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) said he is not prepared to make an endorsement in the race for mayor.

Sources say Schaer is close to School Board President Alex Blanco, a physician, who in addition to his own Dominican base has good ties to the Democratic Party and to other long-established families in Passaic.

But the acting mayor insisted he’s not ready to commit jut yet.

"I’ve seen a lot of posters and bumper stickers, but I have not heard any plans," said Schaer. "What are their plans? What is their vision to put Passaic on the right track? I’m not hearing that from the candidates, and I need to hear that.

On the day of the filing deadline for the office of mayor of Passaic, five candidates have already submitted their petitions to the Clerk’s Office.

The candidates are physician Alex Blanco, city supervisor Vincent Capuana, Councilwoman Maritza Colon-Montanez, Councilman Joe Garcia and realtor Jose Sandoval.

Two other potential candidates - Ritzy Morales, who works for U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson), and bail bondsman Carl Ellen - have not yet submitted petitions.

The candidates vying for mayor in the Nov. 4th special election hope to succeed former Mayor Sammy Rivera, who earlier this year was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison on corruption charges.

Ritzy Morales of Passaic: Politicker photo 

DENVER - You can’t stray far from New Jersey’s ward politics here, not if you’re at the Hotel Inverness, where Ritzy Morales told PolitickerNJ.com that she definitely intends to run for mayor of Passaic.

A longtime director of constituent services for U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson), Morales, 41, said she plans to submit 700 petitions to the municipal clerk in advance of the Sept. 12th filing deadline, and expects to have at least 400-500 of them certified to earn well over the required 200.

"The public has known me for a long time," said Morales, born in Paterson and a resident of Passaic for ten years. "I have strong values, and I wouldn’t even accept a cup of coffee from someone as mayor, because of the negativity left by Sammy Rivera. I would definitely stop corruption."

Acting Mayor/Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic): Politicker photo 

PASSAIC - To be in Trenton, or not to be in Trenton, that is the question for Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic), who became the acting mayor of Passaic in May when a federal judge found Mayor Sammy Rivera guilty of corruption.

Initially, Schaer, who received the chief executive’s job by virtue of his position as council president, figured he would serve long enough to hand off to whoever wins a Nov. 4th special election.

But about three weeks into his service as acting mayor - with no stunning personality on the city’s horizon line, by his reckoning - Schaer began mulling the idea of pursuing his own mayoral run. 

"We can’t afford to have a mayor who’s not going to build on some of the positive things we’re doing," said Schaer, who implemented local ethics reforms, imposed a 37% cut to the mayoral salary (from $117,000 to $72,000), and a municipal hiring freeze.

When a fire started by two children devoured the industrial base of the City of Passaic in 1984, Vincent Capuana remembers trying to summon some good during the aftermath.

"I thought, ‘Thank God nobody got killed, and now we have 25 acres open, which we can develop,’" he says.

That was almost 25 years ago, and all Passaic has to show for its rebuilding effort along the river are a Shoprite and a handful of small, scattered stores.

"Fifteen acres are still empty," says Capuana, 59, longtime director of community development, and president of the school board.