The new anti-tax Paterson school board member faces a tax lien sale on his home
PATERSON — Political newcomer Mohammed Rashid emerged as the top-vote getter in last month’s school board election with help from a series of anti-tax campaign mailings put out by a Washington-based super PAC.
It turns out the tax issue was closer to home for Rashid than the campaign fliers supporting him had revealed.
Rashid’s house on James Street was among 1,569 properties in Paterson included on the city government’s list for a Dec. 20 tax lien sale. The list published on the municipal website said Rashid owes the city $1,135.
New Paterson school board member: 'I'm going to pay that'
“I’m going to pay that,” Rashid said. “It’s not property taxes. It’s a sewer bill.”
Delinquent payments on sewer bills are included along with unpaid property taxes in the amounts listed in the lien sale public notice, officials said. Owners of properties listed on the sale list can get them removed from the lien auction by paying what they owe before Dec. 20, officials said.
The America’s Future First super PAC paid for six Paterson school election mailings supporting Rashid and two other candidates — Joel Ramirez, who also won, and Flavio Rivera, who lost. Many of the mailings called for change on the school board and targeted the recent streak of four consecutive years with double-digit-percentage city education tax hikes.
Rashid on Tuesday expressed solidarity with the anti-tax message of the mailings.
“Definitely as a property owner, I’m concerned about high taxes in the city,” he said.
Newcomer in profile: Who is Mohammed Rashid, the newest member of Paterson's Board of Education?
Who is Mohammed Rashid?
Rashid was somewhat of a mystery man in the school election. He had never attended a Board of Education meeting and failed to attend the candidates forums before the vote. But he gained strong support in the city’s 2nd Ward, dominated by Bangladeshi voters, to come out on top in an election ahead of seven people who had won city school board seats in the past.
In an interview late last month, Rashid said he was able to dedicate more time to campaigning after he was fired in October from his city job handling community development grant applications.
Rashid said he immigrated to Paterson from Bangladesh in 1999 and had attained accounting degrees in his homeland. He said he worked for almost 20 years at a bank, before his position was outsourced, and then was employed at FedEx and Bob’s Furniture.
City payroll records show Rashid originally was hired by Mayor Andre Sayegh’s administration in September 2022 and worked as an inspector in the Economic Development Department. He moved to the community development job several months ago.
The $1,135 that Rashid owes the city covers payments that were supposed to be made during 2022, officials said.
Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ: Mohammed Rashid faces tax lien sale on his home
