Paterson is one of the most corrupt cities in America. While the good times roll for politicians, entire communities have been destroyed by corruption. Incomes are dropping, apartheid schools are increasing, and infrastructure is crumbling for the ordinary residents of Paterson. The model of championing certain parts of a beleaguered rust belt city and abandoning the rest is simply racial segregation by another name. Not surprisingly, Paterson is one of the most violent cities in the country. During a federal investigation, Paterson police officers admitted to dealing drugs, robbing and beating citizens, and illegally stopping and searching drivers. Congressman Bill Pascrell has been the dominant political figure in this city for 30 years, first as a mayor and then as a Congressman.
Congressman Pascrell writes our tax laws on the Ways and Means Committee, but he has two sons who are professional lobbyists. Generally speaking, lobbyists are the glue between money and power. Lobbyists buy our politicians by funneling billions from wealthy families and corporations into the reelection campaigns of politicians. In return, our politicians write laws in favor of wealthy families and corporations instead of hard working Americans. Lobbyists facilitate a system of legalized bribery, plain and simple.
One of the lobbyist sons of Congressman Pascrell is the President of a non-profit known as One Paterson. One Paterson was established to support the election efforts of the current Mayor of Paterson, Andre Sayegh, a protégé of Congressman Pascrell. The donors of One Paterson are unknown. A Paterson city council member recently warned, “The Sayegh administration has brought to Paterson a more sophisticated level of corruption.” My concern is that this level of corruption can be easily manipulated by an anti-American foreign power into a national security threat, especially at a time when radical and extremist groups are growing in Paterson through political donations.
Naturally, we have a few questions for the political elite of Paterson. Are certain Paterson community leaders who are loyal to Congressman Pascrell taking direct orders from an anti-American foreign power, and are such community leaders surrounding Mayor Sayegh to defraud and bleed Paterson? Is the foreign control of certain Paterson community leaders influencing City Hall to the point where a foreign power with an anti-American agenda is making decisions related to the security of Paterson? Finally, are illegal funds from abroad being funneled into Paterson to be donated to politicians and laundered through real estate projects to curry political favor on behalf of radical and extremist groups?
We have to make sure the largest city in our Congressional district is economically viable enough to fend off the influence of foreign money at a time when our national security infrastructure is crumbling because of President Trump. Unfortunately, the prevalence of drugs, rampant police corruption, the lack of an adequate tax base for public projects, and crumbling public schools are making Paterson extremely vulnerable to the influence of foreign money and radical and extremist groups. What exactly has to happen for the rest of the 9th Congressional District of New Jersey to care about corruption in the city of Paterson?
Fish rots from the head down. Pascrell has to go to change this broken system.
Respectfully,
Alp Basaran
Democratic Candidate for Congress