Paterson May 13

May 12, 2008 - 4:16pm

Sayegh confident in bout versus Villanueva in Ward 6

Ward 6 council candidate Andre Sayegh and supporter Elsa MantillaWard 6 council candidate Andre Sayegh and supporter Elsa Mantilla 

PATERSON - When Ilia Villanueva nearly brought Councilman Thomas C. Rooney to his knees in their 2004 showdown, losing by just 68 votes to the Ward 6 legend in her second campaign against him, she figured she was in a good position to knock off the 80-year old Irish-American come 2008.

But when Rooney announced his retirement this year and heartily endorsed School Board President Andre Sayegh, the rules changed for Villanueva - even more dramatically when 21st Avenue businessman (and fellow Latino) Eliecar Montoya entered the race.

Paterson’s 6th Ward is home to 72 ethnic groups, but Latinos, Arabs and Middle Easterners and whites make up the bulk of the areas’s dedicated voting block. Montoya’s running a soft campaign. He was a no-show at the city-sponsored debates two weeks ago, and doesn’t have the grassroots support that Villanueva built over 27 years in Paterson.

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