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Paterson council presses administration for explanation after competing Peruvian festival applications
Summary
Council members asked the city administration to clarify why one Peruvian community group's festival application was not accepted and urged the director responsible to provide a written explanation or appear before the council. Leaders from two Peruvian groups asked the council to allow applications and urged unity.
Council members on May 13 directed the administration to provide a written explanation about conflicting festival and parade applications from Peruvian community groups and suggested staff bring the council a full record of the permitting process.
The dispute emerged during the public‑comment portion of a special meeting and continued into the workshop. Two Peruvian organizations — represented in the meeting record by community members — complained that an application had been denied while another application for a Peruvian festival or parade was accepted. Council members and leaders urged cooperation and requested clarity from the departmental official who handled applications.
Council President asked that the department director (referenced in the transcript as Della McCall) submit a written explanation of what happened and said the director could be asked to appear at the next regular meeting if the written response did not resolve the council’s concerns. Council members noted the city’s festival and parade permitting process requires coordination with police, fire and public‑works offices and said applications must include required paperwork, insurance and logistical reviews.
Several council members stressed they want fairness and transparency. One said council members do not have the authority to compel city employees directly to appear outside the administration’s channels, and another advised members to submit written requests to the mayor’s office under the Faulkner Act so the administration can respond formally. The city’s corporation counsel read a Faulkner Act provision into the record clarifying that council members’ official contact with municipal employees should go through the mayor or the mayor’s designee but that the council may at any time request a written report by making a written request to the mayor.
Councilman Kolig asked that the festival item (agenda item 36) be placed on the regular meeting calendar so the community groups could be heard and the paperwork reviewed. Council leaders encouraged the two Peruvian groups to meet and consider coordinating dates and obligations — noting municipal rules often limit duplicate uses of the same street on the same date — and they suggested the organizations combine resources if possible.
Why it matters: The dispute touched on transparency in permitting decisions, equal treatment of community groups, and the council’s role in overseeing administration. Council members emphasized they want a written administrative record and procedural clarity before any vote.
Next steps: Council leadership asked the administration to deliver a written explanation to the full governing body and to be prepared to discuss the matter at the next regular meeting if the explanation does not resolve outstanding questions. The council also said an item for a festival license could be moved from consent to a regular agenda slot for discussion once paperwork is complete.
