Enlacosa.com Tu Medio Digital
Paterson, NJ — This message is addressed plainly, forcefully, and without unnecessary diplomacy to the at-large candidates of Paterson: the community is tired of the electoral circus, unchecked egos, and improvised candidacies that serve only one purpose—divide the vote and guarantee defeat.
What we are witnessing in Paterson is the political embodiment of the crab mentality: when one tries to rise, the others pull them down so that none succeed. This small-minded, selfish, and destructive behavior is one of the main reasons why the Latino community, despite being the numerical majority in this city, continues to be governed by a well-organized minority.
Running for an at-large seat is NOT a game, NOT a personal experiment, and NOT a popularity test. It is a citywide race that demands real political structure, sufficient funding, neighborhood-level organization, discipline, strategy, and a deep understanding of the entire city. Entering such a race knowing you lack these fundamentals is not courage—it is political irresponsibility.
Even more troubling are the perennial candidates who appear on the ballot election after election, make noise, collect minimal votes, and lose repeatedly, without ever stopping to ask whether their continued presence actively harms the collective Latino vote. This is not perseverance or principle; it is ego, empty self-promotion, and a complete refusal to place the common good above personal ambition.
Meanwhile, there are candidates with proven experience, solid infrastructure, organized teams, real resources, and—most importantly—a tangible legacy of service in Paterson. Yet instead of strengthening these viable campaigns and building a unified strategy, some choose to undermine them, fracture the Latino vote, and make it easier for the same political establishment to remain in power.
The truth is uncomfortable but necessary: every non-viable candidacy is an indirect vote for the status quo. Every inflated ego is a lost opportunity for the community. Every internal division is a victory for those who neither represent nor defend Latino interests.
That is why Paterson lives a shameful paradox: Latinos are the majority in population, yet a minority in political power. Not due to lack of talent or leadership, but because of a persistent failure to act with political maturity, discipline, and collective vision.
This is not a soft appeal or a symbolic statement. It is a clear political warning: either we learn to add, to step aside when necessary, and to support campaigns with real chances of winning—or we will continue condemning the Latino community to political irrelevance.
Enough with symbolic candidacies. Enough with phantom campaigns. Enough with the politics of “me first.” History will judge harshly those who, when unity and victory were possible, chose division and defeat.
