RNA - An aide to Rep. Bill Pascrell is in line to become the first Muslim to serve on the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
Assad Akhter emerged as the choice of the executive committee of the Passaic County Democrats, which met Thursday night in Woodland Park to screen candidates to replace Hector Lora as freeholder. The committee recommended Akhter, Pascrell's deputy chief of staff and a Paterson resident, over five other candidates it interviewed to replace Lora, who resigned on Nov. 17 to become the acting mayor of the City of Passaic.
The recommendation now goes before the entire Passaic County Democratic Committee, which is scheduled to meet on Dec. 15 in Clifton for what could be a historic vote. If elected, Akhter would be the first Muslim to serve on the county freeholder board.
"I think this would be a win-win for the Democrats in Passaic County," said John Currie, the party chairman. "This young man has the integrity and he has the drive."
Akhter declined to comment Friday, out of deference to the county committee, which has yet to vote. But receiving the executive committee's recommendation is a powerful endorsement. The committee is made up of the municipal leaders from each of the 16 towns in Passaic County, and includes Pascrell and Currie.
Akhter, 35, was raised in North Brunswick and received a degree in diplomacy and international relations from Seton Hall University.
Lora, a Democrat, was twice elected to the freeholder board. He replaces onetime Passaic Mayor Alex D. Blanco, who pleaded guilty in federal court to accepting $110,000 in bribes and is awaiting sentencing.
Lora's freeholder term expires on Dec. 31, 2018. Besides Akhter, the executive committee interviewed five candidates: Bethania Marranzini-Marmolejos, who ran for Wayne Township Council in 2013; Gus Penaranda, a community outreach coordinator at Passaic County Community College in Paterson; Carol Cuadrado, chief of staff to state Sen. Nellie Pou, D-North Haledon; Haledon Mayor Domenick Stampone; and Dr. Jabeen Ahmed of Totowa.
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