Luis Velez questions whether clergy office exists

A City Hall office needs a paper trail.

That was the point Luis Velez pressed at the Paterson City Council meeting when he asked how the city creates a new office or department. Corporation Council answered that departments are generally created by state statute or by ordinance, and that they are funded through the budget. Velez then turned to reports from ministers that the mayor’s office had created a clergy office in City Hall and put a mayor-appointed clergy member in charge.

The Business Administrator said he was not aware of any formal action establishing such an office. He said the only formal action he recalled was the appointment of a fire chaplain earlier in the year. He added that mayors can appoint chaplains for fire, police, and similar roles, but he did not say a clergy office had been formally created.

Velez said for the record that no clergy office had come before Council for approval. He said ministers already can meet with the mayor, Council, or the Clerk without a separate liaison office. He made clear that he supports ministry, but wanted the public record to show whether the administration or Council had actually established an office. The exchange ended there. No vote was taken, and the issue remained a question of process and documentation.

A dispute over security interrupted the council’s regular business.

During the meeting, Michael Jackson raised concerns about an interaction between security staff and a member of the public. He said someone approached Dr. Lilisa Mimms and banged a gavel, and he objected to what he described as an inappropriate exchange. Jackson said he did not understand why security staff were telling people to “lower tone,” and he asked for a full report on the actions of city employees.

The Police Director said he was present but did not know the full context and did not want to assume what happened. He said he would review the incident, bring order, and work with Corporation Council and the Business Administrator on the matter. Jackson repeated that he was asking for a report and pushed back on any effort to treat the issue lightly. Dr. Lilisa Mimms then tried to move the agenda to the next department item. No vote followed; the request stood as a verbal call for follow-up.