Andre Sayegh
Mayor of Paterson
Assumed office
July 1, 2018
Preceded byJane Williams-Warren
Personal details
Born (1974-03-20) March 20, 1974
Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseFarhanna Sayegh
Children3
EducationSeton Hall University (BA)
Columbia University (MPA)

Andre Sayegh (born March 20, 1974)[1] is an American politician who has served since 2018 as the Mayor of Paterson, the third-most populous city in New Jersey.[2] Prior to being elected as Mayor, Sayegh served on the Paterson City Council from 2008 until 2018.

Biography

Sayegh was born in Paterson, the son of a Syrian mother and a Lebanese father.[1] A practicing Roman Catholic, he was raised in the Lakeview neighborhood of Paterson.[1] Sayegh graduated from DePaul Catholic High School in 1992.[3] He graduated from Seton Hall University with a B.A. in History; and then earned a M.A. in Public Policy and Administration from Columbia University.[4] Sayegh began his public service by serving on the Paterson school board and then in 2008, as a city councilman representing the 6th Ward.[1] In 2014, he ran for mayor of Paterson but was defeated by Jose Torres.[5] In the 2018 mayoral election, running on a coalition of various groups including Christian and Muslim Arabs; African-Americans; Peruvians, and Latinos, he successfully ran for mayor.[1] On May 8, 2018, he was sworn in as Mayor of Paterson[1] succeeding Jane Williams-Warren.[6]

In 2018, Sayegh was selected as one of 40 mayors to participate in the Bloomberg-Harvard City Leadership program.[7] This year-long education and professional development program was designed for mayors to help deliver results to residents. He had the opportunity to learn from other mayors from cities such as Miami, Atlanta, Seattle, Quito, and Reykjavik. As a result of the program, Paterson hired a new Chief Innovation Officer and Chief Data Officer,[8] funded by the Taub Foundation. Sayegh identified best practices from his fellow mayors and launched the Financial Empowerment Center[9] and Mayors for a Guaranteed Income.[10] In Jan 2022, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced Paterson as one of 15 winning cities of the 2021-2022 Global Mayors Challenge, a worldwide innovation competition. Paterson's RealFix was awarded one million dollars in addition to technical support and coaching over three years.[11]

One of the first grants secured during the Sayegh administration was Paterson’s entry into a 2019 national campaign to expand access to parks across the city.[12] 72% of Paterson residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, a number this administration seeks to increase to 100% within five years. This grant helped create the current vision plan.

Getting a complete and accurate count for the Census was a major initiative in the Sayegh administration in 2020. This required creating a "Complete Count Committee" coalescing all the demographics groups in the city to fill out the Census survey. The census determined that Paterson had surpassed 150,000 residents,[13] earning the designation of first-class city[14] for the first time. A first class city receives additional grant funding and resources.

As of 2020, Paterson is receiving an investment through $139 million in state tax credits.[15] The Sayegh administration identified several transformative projects such as reviving Hinchliffe Stadium,[16] one of only two ballparks still standing that hosted Negro league baseball games. The funding also supported an affordable housing initiative for senior citizens entitled "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren"[17] will provide 76 units for this vulnerable population. To enhance the appeal of the Great Falls, in cooperation with the Hamilton Partnership for Paterson and Devco, a visitors center named for Paterson's founder, Alexander Hamilton, is under construction with support of the grant.[18]

Recent work includes managing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic while simultaneously driving economic development.[19][20] Sayegh mobilized city resources to drive COVID-19 testing, provide PPE to essential front-line workers. The City of Paterson earned national recognition for its successful contact tracing program.[21]

On June 11, 2022 a Paterson Police officer, Jerry Moravek, shot unarmed 28-year-old Khalif Cooper in the back. Andre Sayegh came out in support of the officer and made a statement that that several guns and shell casings were found at the scene. This statement was also backed up further by Passaic County authorities that said Khalif Cooper had a gun. The Attorney General’s Office came out and refuted that claim and showed that Khalif Cooper was unarmed. Attorney General Matt Platkin announced that Jerry Moravek has been charged with assault after reviewing statements and body-worn camera footage.[22][23][24]

Jameek Lowery Case

Sayegh faced protests after the death of Jameek Lowery following a police interaction.[25] Sayegh claimed Lowery had bacterial meningitis,[26] but Lowery's mother Patrice King disputed this. She confronted Sayegh at a City Council meeting.[27] Sayegh launched an audit of the police department and promised to equip police officers with body worn cameras to placate the family and the African American community after Lowery's death. Sayegh was accused of being too slow to equip officers with the cameras, costing Paterson taxpayers $44,000.[28] He was also accused of delaying the police audit.[29] The mother of Lowery's son sued the City of Paterson claiming police officers choked Lowery to death inside the ambulance.[30]

Sayegh's handling of the Lowery case was sharply critcized by his opponents on the City Council.

State takeover of police department

The New Jersey Attorney General took over control of the Paterson Police Department on March 27, 2023, after the fatal police shooting of Najee Seabrooks.[31] Attorney General Matthew Platkin criticized the "revolving door" of police leadership in Paterson, which has resulted in dysfunction within police ranks and a lack of trust in local law enforcement.[32] Platkin's comments alluded to the challenges created by frequent turnover at the top of the police department and the negative impact it has had on community relations.[33] Sayegh fired two police chiefs Troy Oswald in 2020[34] and Mike Baycora in 2022.[35]

Personal life

Sayegh speaks Arabic.[1] He is married to Farhanna Sayegh and has two daughters and a son. [36]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Adely, Hannan (May 19, 2018). "Paterson marks milestone with election of first Arab-American mayor". northjersey.com. Sayegh, 44, said in an interview on Wednesday.
  2. ↑ Rojas, Rick (July 5, 2018). "A City Founded by Alexander Hamilton Sets the Stage for Its Next Act". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  3. ↑ Staff. "Sayegh to Receive Distinguished Alumni Award from DePaul Catholic", TAP into Paterson, February 17, 2019. Accessed December 27, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Mayor Sayegh". patersonnj.gov. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  5. ↑ Nieto-Munoz, Sophie (September 22, 2021). "Ex-Paterson mayor disqualified from holding public office, AG's office says". New Jersey Monitor.
  6. ↑ Malinconico, Joe (June 30, 2018). "Paterson says goodbye to popular outgoing Mayor Jane Williams-Warren, a 'class act'". northjersey.com.
  7. ↑ "2nd Class Enters Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative". Bloomberg Philanthropies. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  8. ↑ "With Appointment of Edward Boze Mayor Andre Sayegh Ushers in New Era of Innovation for Paterson". TAPinto. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Paterson Launches Financial Empowerment Center". TAPinto. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  10. ↑ Malinconico, Joe. "Paterson guaranteed income program begins giving $400 payments to residents". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Paterson, USA Cities". bloombergcities.jhu.edu. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Paterson Officials Kick Off 10-Minute Walk to a Park Campaign". TAPinto. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  13. ↑ Malinconico, Joe. "Paterson's population grew by 9%, 2020 census results show". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Census Count Gives Paterson 159,732 Reasons to Celebrate". TAPinto. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  15. ↑ Malinconico, Joe. "Murphy boosts Paterson tax credit plan by $20M to complete various projects". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  16. ↑ "NJ city breaks ground on restoration of historic Hinchliffe Stadium". ABC7 New York. April 14, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  17. ↑ "72-Unit Housing Project with Space for Grandparents Resource Center in Paterson's Historic District Gains Housing Authority, State Approvals". TAPinto. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Great Falls Projects Appear Poised to Get Green Light From City Council". TAPinto. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  19. ↑ Otterman, Sharon (May 21, 2020). "As the Nation Begins Virus Tracing, It Could Learn From This N.J. City". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  20. ↑ Mayor André Sayegh - Paterson's Rebirth Toward a More Vibrant & Inclusive Economy | Facebook, retrieved September 19, 2021
  21. ↑ "How the mayor of NJ city built one of best contact tracing systems in U.S." MSNBC.com. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  22. ↑ Tully, Tracey (February 6, 2023). "Police Officer Who Shot a Man in the Back Is Charged With Assault". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  23. ↑ Mann, Niko (February 8, 2023). "Video: New Jersey Cop Hears Gunshots, Shoots First Black Man He Saw Running. AG Announces Charges Against the Officer After Bodycam Footage Was Released". Atlanta Black Star. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  24. ↑ DiFilippo, Dana (February 7, 2023). "Paterson cop criminally charged for shooting, paralyzing unarmed man". New Jersey Monitor. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  25. ↑ Zurita, Candace Mitchell and Anthony. "Live stream: Paterson residents protest Jameek Lowery's death". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  26. ↑ Ortiz, Keldy. "Paterson man who died after frantic visit to police had bacterial meningitis, mayor says". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  27. ↑ Rahman, Jayed (January 16, 2019). "Protests continue over death of Paterson man". Paterson Times. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  28. ↑ Rahman, Jayed (March 1, 2021). "Paterson was slow to implement police bodycams. It cost taxpayers $44,000". Paterson Times. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  29. ↑ "After two years, Paterson still waiting for delayed police performance audit". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  30. ↑ Rahman, Jayed (July 10, 2020). "Police officers 'choked' Jameek Lowery in ambulance, alleges family's wrongful death lawsuit". Paterson Times. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  31. ↑ Tully, Tracey (March 27, 2023). "N.J. Attorney General Seizes Control of Paterson Police Department". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  32. ↑ Greene, Jonathan (March 27, 2023). "New Jersey attorney general assumes control of Paterson police force". Paterson Times. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  33. ↑ Greene, Jonathan (March 27, 2023). "New Jersey attorney general assumes control of Paterson police force". Paterson Times. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  34. ↑ Rahman, Jayed (January 30, 2020). "Paterson bids farewell to its popular police chief Troy Oswald". Paterson Times. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  35. ↑ NJ.com, Richard Cowen | NJ Advance Media for (September 13, 2022). "Paterson officials fire police chief, allege he slept in meetings as crime surged". nj. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  36. ↑ "Mayor Sayegh". patersonnj.gov. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
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