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Joey Torres

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Jose Torres
Mayor Torres in NJ DMV photo
Mayor of Paterson
In office
July 1, 2014 – September 25, 2017
Preceded byJeffery Jones
Succeeded byRuby Cotton (acting)
In office
July 1, 2002 – July 1, 2010
Preceded byMartin G. Barnes
Succeeded byJeffery Jones
Council member
Paterson City Council
In office
July 1, 1990 – July 1, 2000
Personal details
Born1958 or 1959 (age 65–66)[1]
Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma materRutgers University

Jose "Joey" Torres (born 1958)[1] is an American politician who served as Mayor of Paterson, the third-largest city in New Jersey. Torres served two terms as mayor between 2002 and 2010 and had previously served five terms as a city council member. He was again elected May 13 and was sworn in July 1, 2014. He pled guilty to corruption charges on September 22, 2017, and was forced to step down from his mayoral position.[2][3] Torres was succeeded by Ruby Cotton, the president of the city council, and was replaced by retired city clerk Jane Williams-Warren on October 10, 2017.[4][5]

Background

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Torres is Puerto Rican, born and raised in Paterson. He is the youngest of eight children of Juan Torres, who had migrated to the city in 1949, and Catalina Torres. The family lived in the Christopher Columbus public housing and owned and operated bodega businesses.[6][7] He is married to Sonia Torres, who ran in a special election to represent of the 2nd Ward of city's council in 2012.[8][9]

Political office

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Torres first won a seat on Paterson's city council in 1990 after having previously run five times. He served on the City Council for five terms. He later became the purchasing agent for the city's housing authority.[6]

Torres first became mayor in 2002, winning the seat from Republican incumbent Martin G. Barnes,[10] and won a re-election bid in 2006. He was defeated in by Jeff Jones in 2010.[11] He became the first Latino mayor of the city, which has a Hispanic-Latino majority. Torres was a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG).[12]

Torres ran for election as an independent in the 2014 mayoral race which took place on May 13, 2014.[13] He won the seat garnering 8,069. votes, in an election in which 22,896, or 30%, of the city's 76,059 registered voters participated.[14][15] Voting was characterised an unprecedented 2,413 mail-in votes, almost 800 more than the total absentee ballots cast in the previous three elections combined and more than twice as many as in 2010. Torres received 930 of the absentee ballots, 38.5 percent of the total and more than twice as many as any other candidate.[16] The mayor's salary was set at $119,000 per year after approval by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.[17] Torres collected $4,152 more than his salary from July 1 through December 5, 2014 in erroneous payments.[18] He returned much of the erroneous payments after payroll clerks discovered the error and made his final payment after it was exposed in a local newspaper.

In 2015, Torres created the position of "deputy mayor", which are multiple, unofficial and unpaid. Their role is to advise the mayor on various aspects of city planning and to act as liaisons to Paterson's various ethnic communities.[19]

Fines and vacation payments

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In 2012, Torres was fined $14,350 by Election Law Enforcement Commission for failing to include information on donors (names, occupations, employers and addresses) to his campaign for election in 2010. In 2017, he was sentenced to 5 years of prison for paying local construction workers to do personal work for him.t[20]

In January 2014, a 26-page report compiled by the city council reviewed payments made to Torres regarding salary payment irregularities. On July 29, 2008, Torres had written a memo to the city's treasurer "requesting a paycheck for ten (10) vacation days from 2007". In March 2014, he returned $2,238 that he received in 2008 from $3,169 he claimed, saying it was a payroll error.[21]

During his last week in office in 2010, Torres received $73,996 lump sum payment claimed for sick leave and vacation time.[22] The city council asked that the funds be returned and questioned whether such a payment was legal or ethical. Torres said he was willing to repay the money only if the New Jersey Attorney General's office or the Passaic County prosecutor's office found wrongdoing.[23]

Bunker Hill SID and Jackson Township administrator

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After Torres' defeat in the mayoral election he was appointed business administrator for the municipal government of Jackson Township on Ocean County, New Jersey.[24][25][26] Amid criticism that he had abandoned the position to campaign and to take up his role as mayor of Paterson, he resigned on May 30, 2014.[27] Based on his work there, Torres is collecting a $68,000 pension.[28]

He was also appointed director of the Bunker Hill Special Improvement District, a business improvement district and Urban Enterprise Zone, established in 1994 in the Bunker Hill neighborhood, a mostly industrial area in the northwest of city along the Passaic River.[29][30] In May 2014 Torres said he would discuss resignation from the position after being sworn-in as mayor.[31][32] After his resignation the position was taken up by his wife Sonia.[33][34]

Retiree/Employee compensation controversy

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As of 2014 Torres receives a full-time annual salary of $119,000 as mayor. He also receives free health coverage as a retiree based on his pension, due to the fact that the New Jersey treasury department approved his retirement and pension. Torres filed his pension application in May, one week after winning the mayoral election, at a time when he was working as business administrator in Jackson Township. The state approved a $68,000 annual pension for Torres that took effect June 1 and was based on 29 years and eight months of cumulative service time in his jobs with Jackson Township, the City of Paterson and the Paterson Housing Authority. The situation has led to questions about how he can be an employee and retiree of the city at the same time.[35] In August 2020 Torres requested his health insurance be paid with public funding.[36]

Investigation of misuse of municipal workers, grand jury indictment and conviction

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In March 2016 WNBC 4 NY (Channel 4) broadcast surveillance videos obtained from Harry Melber of AHM Investigations, Melber and his son Nicholas of Premier Enterprise Services, LLC. another NJ Private Investigators firm (formed after the investigation of the mayor), were the main investigators on the team who took video and carried out the investigation. The videos showed Paterson municipal employees conducting work at Torres’ personal home and the business of a relative which led to coverage in other press and the start of a state investigation.[37][38][39][40] Salary records show the workers each received considerable overtime payments.[41][42]

In February 2017, the FBI subpoenaed all records relating to work conducted at Torres' home since 2012.[43]

Torres and three public works supervisors: Joseph Mania, Timothy Hanlon and Imad Mowaswes were indicted on March 7, 2017 on charges of second-degree official misconduct, pattern of official misconduct, third-degree theft by unlawful taking or disposition, tampering with public records or information and fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records.[44]

Torres was indicted on corruption charges on March 7, 2017. The charges came amid several investigative reports by WNBC 4 NY. The investigation of misuse of municipal workers began with broadcast surveillance videos taken by private investigations firm AHM Investigations LLC. Torres turned himself in to New Jersey State Police in Totowa on March 13, 2017.[45]

Torres was arraigned on the charges on April 17, 2017. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in Hudson County Superior Court.[46] He was offered a plea bargain deal.[47] He was later convicted & sentenced.[36]

He pleaded guilty to corruption charges on September 22, 2017 and was forced to step down from his mayoral position.[2][3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Attrino, Anthony G. (August 18, 2020). "N.J. mayor who served prison time for official misconduct wants free health insurance at taxpayer cost". NJ.com. Jose "Joey" Torres, 61, who was forced to resign as mayor of Paterson after his criminal conviction in 2017...
  2. ^ a b "Paterson Mayor Joey Torres pleads guilty to corruption charges". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "These N.J. mayors were forced from office over criminal charges". NJ.com. September 26, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  4. ^ Rahman, Jayed (October 10, 2017). "Paterson's new mayor, Jane Williams-Warren, takes office". PatersonTimes.com. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  5. ^ Rahman, Jayed (September 29, 2017). "Paterson appoints retired city clerk as mayor". PatersonTimes.com. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Newman, Maria (May 21, 2002). "New Leader Faces Entrenched Problems in Paterson". The New York Times. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  7. ^ Malingongo, Joe (May 28, 2014). "In his final days, father of Paterson's mayor-elect Torres took pride in son's success". NJ.com. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  8. ^ Charley Falkenburg; Joe Malinconico (November 6, 2012). "At the End of the Night, Sonia Torres Holds Lead in 2nd Ward City Council Race". The Alternative Press. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  9. ^ "Mohammed Akhtaruzzaman Wins 2nd Ward Council Seat". Paterson Times. November 26, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  10. ^ "Roberta Farber v. City of Paterson; Jose Torres; Elieser Burgos; Marge Dipasquale; Local 3474, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, Afl-cio, Appellant, 440 F.3d 131 (3d Cir. 2006)". Justia Law. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  11. ^ "In Paterson upset, Jeff Jones defeats Mayor Joey Torres". The Star-Ledger. May 12, 2010. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  12. ^ "Appel, Heather (March 15, 2008) Paterson mayor says city faces daunting task Herald News". Archived from the original on July 17, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  13. ^ Cristina Loboguerrero, Via El Diario/La Prensa, translated by Carlos Rodríguez-Martorell from Spanish (May 12, 2014). "Three Hispanic Candidates Vie For Paterson, NJ Mayor". Voices of NY. Archived from the original on May 15, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "Passaic County Statement of Vote". Passaic County. May 28, 2014. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  15. ^ "Joey Torres regains mayor's seat in Paterson". The Star-Ledger. May 14, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  16. ^ Joe Malinconico; Abbott Koloff; Richard Cowen (May 15, 2014). "Joey Torres returns to Paterson mayor's seat". Passaic County. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  17. ^ Malinconco, Joe (July 11, 2014). "Paterson mayor's salary set at $119,000". The Paterson Press. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  18. ^ Rahman, Jayed (August 9, 2016). "Paterson mayor Torres received more than $4,000 in extra pay in 2014". The Paterson Times. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  19. ^ Malinconico, Joe (March 18, 2015). "Paterson's Torres names Manzo, Vannoy as deputy mayors". The Record. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  20. ^ Friedman, Matt (November 7, 2012). "Former Paterson Mayor Joey Torres fined $14K for campaign finance violations". NJ.com. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  21. ^ Malinconco, Joe (February 21, 2014). "While Paterson mayor, Torres ordered payment for unused vacation days". Paterson Press. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  22. ^ Malinconico, Joe. "Paterson ex-mayor Joey Torres says staff approved waivers that lead to $73,996 severance check". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  23. ^ Rahman, Jayed (March 14, 2014). "Torres repays smaller check, council demands the other $74,000". Paterson Times. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  24. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  25. ^ Stilton, Phil (May 8, 2014). "Why Did Ocean County Republicans Host a $250 per PLate Shindig for North Jersey Democrat Jose Torres". The Shore News. Archived from the original on July 19, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  26. ^ Bodner, Brett (May 15, 2014). "Jackson official elected mayor of Paterson". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  27. ^ "After Torres slips Away in the Night, Jackson Hires Interim Business Administrator". The Shore. June 10, 2014. Archived from the original on June 28, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  28. ^ Malinconico, Joe. "Paterson mayor getting $68,000 pension along with his paycheck from City Hall". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  29. ^ "Bunker Hill Special Improvement District". Bunker Hill Special Improvement District. Archived from the original on September 2, 2014.
  30. ^ Malinconico, Joe (January 11, 2013). "At Paterson's Bunker Hill Business District, Joey Torres Is the Top Man". Paterson Press. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  31. ^ Malinconco, Joe (May 15, 2014). "Paterson campaign notebook: Torres returns to work in Jackson". Paterson Press. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  32. ^ "The Record: A full-time mayor for Paterson". The Record. May 20, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  33. ^ "Paterson mayor's wife fills vacant job left by husband, report says". NJ.com. September 18, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  34. ^ Malinconico, Joe. "Paterson mayor's wife gets part-time improvement district job he gave up". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  35. ^ Malicongo, Joe (November 26, 2014). "Paterson mayor getting free medical coverage as city retiree". The Paterson Press. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  36. ^ a b "N.J. Mayor who served prison time for official misconduct wants free health insurance at taxpayer cost". August 18, 2020.
  37. ^ "Exclusive: Videos Show NJ City Employees Working at Mayor's Home". NBC New York. March 17, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  38. ^ "Paterson mayor accused of having city workers do odd jobs, shaking down developer". NJ.com. March 18, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  39. ^ Green, Jeff. "Private eye says NJ probing his records of Paterson employees working at mayor's home". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  40. ^ Malinconico, Joe. "New evidence emerges that Paterson employees did odd jobs at mayor's home". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  41. ^ Malinconico, Joe (July 22, 2016). "Paterson OT records show large payments to workers shown in videos at mayor's home". North Jersey Media Group. Paterson Press. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  42. ^ "Paterson NJ Mayor Jose Joey Torres Investigation". AHM Investigations, LLC. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  43. ^ Federal investigators on Tuesday issued a subpoena for city records regarding all construction done at Mayor Joey Torres’ home since 2012, according to municipal officials.
  44. ^ Rahman, Jayed (March 7, 2017). "Paterson mayor Torres, three public works supervisors charged with theft, falsifying records". The Paterson Times. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  45. ^ Rahman, Jayed. "Paterson mayor Torres turns himself in at Totowa state police barracks". The Paterson Times. The Paterson Times. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  46. ^ Rahman, Jayed (April 17, 2017). "Paterson mayor Torres, three public works supervisors arraigned on corruption charges". The Paterson Times. The Paterson Times. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  47. ^ "Plea offer for Paterson Mayor Joey Torres would see him do 5 years in prison". NJ.com. April 18, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
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