Wilkin Santana's Blog

According to the latest Zillow Real Estate Market Reports, home values in Paterson decreased -7.25% in the third quarter of 2008, compared to the third quarter of 2007. Nationally, home values decreased -9.7% during this same period.

While some municipalities are cutting costs and reducing utilities and overtime expenditures the City of Paterson has not at least publicly attempted to lower homeowners tax bill for the next tax quarter. in 2008, Paterson has allocated $245,000 to hire Community Development officials to inspect properties, land and buildings and ensure they’re up to zoning code.

It is irrational for the city to utilize homeowners hard earned tax dollars to hire inspectors to unfairly target these same law abiding residents who pay taxes, pay their mortgages and follow the law. We call upon the director of Community Improvement to stop harrassing Paterson homeowners and instead target illegal business without CO’s (Certificate of Occupancy), Liquor stores that sell alcohol to minors and allow public comsuption of alcohol, business that sell loosies and landlords who have neglected the exterior outlook of their properties, such as sidewalk, green space, fence, windows, siding, roof, etc.

Santana asked the city to concentrate on fighting drug dealers and the gangs who are the true enemies of the public good.

SANTANA WANTS NEW LEADERSHIP FOR PATERSON POLICE DEPARTMENT

The recent murder on 19th Street last friday, along with the bag found containing hundreds of rounds of ammunition (Nearby Public School 6)in the 4th Ward are the tip of the iceberg and more than sufficient evidence beyond resonable doubt that the current Police Chief has performed miserably on behalf of the best interests of the citizens of Paterson.

The low morale, lack of leadership, increasing lawsuits and high crime rate are an obstacle for current rank and superior officers who want to do continue their duties are law enforcement officers.

During a recent City Council meeting, Santana asked city leaders to demand the resignation of the current chief or to offer him an early retirement incentive. Santana stated, “We need to select a new Chief of Police, which can bring accountability and Inclusive leadership where all stakeholders contribute to the transformation Paterson".

During a cold Tuesday night, Wilkin Santana came out on Tuesday October 21, 2008 at a Special Council Meeting to ask the City Council to deny The Wild Bull Bar its Entertainment and Show License because of its more than 100 incidents that have taken place directly or indirectly as a result of this bar being open in the Sixth Ward. Santana recognizes that Paterson’s quality of life and morals must be upheld.

Santana asked the council to send a strong message that quality of life will be protected in Paterson. Santana thanked the City Council for voting in favor of denying The Wild Bull Bar from continuing its business as usual in Paterson. Santana is committeed to working collaborative with all stakeholders in order to move the progresive Paterson agenda forward.

Wilkin Santana attended five out of six community forums held at Schools 28, 6, 26, 9 and Kennedy High School, too. Santana met with several members of all the Wards and chatted with parents, students, teachers and community members about what kind of Superintendent Paterson needs.

Wilkin Santana has endorsed Barack Obama for President of United States. Santana encourages all voters of Paterson to cast their votes on November 4, 2008 for the entire Democratic ticket.

Santana stated, “Obama will finally end the War in Iraq and improve our economy. We can’t afford four more years of the same old Bush politics". Santana encourages all his supporters to vote for Barack Obama for President.

Wilkin Santana stated, “These people pay taxes and make great contributions to the coffers". The Dominican, Peruvian, Puerto Rican and African Parades, respectively are family oriented events that promote the history, culture and contributions of minorities, immigrants and people of color. Santana calls for all Patersonians to unite and demand fairness.

Please visit the following link for the schedule of the Superintendent Search Community Forums

http://www.paterson.k12.nj.us/Superintendent%20Search%20Flyer.pdf

Parents, students, teachers, business owners, churche members, cultural organizations members and everyone who cares about Paterson educational system are especially encourage to attend.

Paterson is a very diversed city and the community as a whole needs to attend the forums to express their opinion to the search committee. Research shows a solid education is the key to the middle class. Make sure you demand a better school system for our students.

Coming soon…

LADIES FOR SANTANA

&

STUDENTS FOR SANTANA

For more information email:
Info@WilkinSantana.com

Former 4th Ward City Council Candidate Wilkin Santana has moved to the Sixth Ward. He plans to reside with his wife Idalmy Santana nearby School 25 Lakeview area. Idalmy is a former resident of the Third Ward. The Santana family is committeed to the City of Paterson at large.

Wilkin Santana married Idalmy A. Santana on August 22nd, 2008. It was a beautiful ceremony followed by a Wedding Reception at the Bonfire Restaurant in Paterson’s Third Ward where family, friends and long time supporters gathered to celebrate Wilkin and Idalmy’s marriage.

Wrong Time for Tax-Abatements

While Paterson’s Tax Exemptions and Abatement for Improvements Ordinance (No. 93-029) aims to induce construction and rehabilitation of certain facilities, every year Paterson faces a fiscal hole of tens of millions of dollars. Currently, the city council is considering three ordinances granting tax-abatements for certain developers or corporations for up to 5 years. I believe this is not the right time for any tax breaks for corporations. While foreclosure and mortgage defaults are at all time high, the city council is benefiting the wealthy instead of helping those who truly need it. Tax-abatement ordinances by the city council will go against the interests of all Paterson residents who are expected to pay their taxes fully and promptly. Our city needs every single tax dollar it can get so we can pay decent wages to our municipal employees, increase police manpower, fix our parks and roads and many important priorities. Tax-abatements for the rich are an insult to every hard working resident of this great city.

Wilkin Santana

Santana launches Exploratory Committee for May 2010

Wilkin Santana is considering running for City Council at large in May 2010. High property taxes, tax-abatements for wealthy developers and ever increasing crime rate are still growing problems in Paterson. Santana placed 2nd in the 4th Ward city council race. Public service is his passion and vocation.

Santana wants to work for ALL Patersonians therefore the working and middle class of Paterson can also have a say at city hall when it comes to how much taxes we pay and what kind of services we receive from the City of Paterson and Passaic County. Santana stated, “We must make Paterson a more affordable, safer and cleaner place to live". Santana is currently talking to close advisors, donors and loyal supporters before making his final decision on whether to run or not for Councilman at large in 2010.

Thank you all for coming to the 4th Ward Thank You BBQ. We had a great time among friends, supporters and neighbors.

Despite running against two strong candididates for the 4th Ward Council Seat, first time candidate Wilkin “Wil” Santana came in a strong 2nd place. Out of three candidates Santana’s message of change was supported by hundreds of voters in Paterson.

The campaign thanks all 4th Ward voters for coming out to vote for Wilkin “Wil” Santana. We will work harder to make sure the 4th Ward and the entire City of Paterson enjoys quality of life, safer and cleaner neighborhoods and lower taxes.

The Campaign

Jersey Mosaic: Building bridges via dance
By DIANE HAINES, HERALD NEWS COLUMNIST | 02/16/08 02:11 AM | 14 hits

Wilkin Santana, a teacher at Paterson’s School 21, calls out dance steps to students in his Latin Dance Club. (MICHAEL KARAS / HERALD NEWS)
Wilkin Santana, a Paterson elementary school Spanish teacher, stresses the importance of learning about diverse cultures. Studying language and dance helps build bridges, he says, and eases racial divides.

Santana believes history illustrates the danger of ignoring the lifestyles of ethnic groups other than one’s own. Paterson, a city of nearly 150,000 with more than 40 ethnic groups, is one of the nation’s most racially diverse.

Santana notes that, nearly 30 years ago, the United States learned a painful lesson about the failure to master strategic languages.

On Nov. 4, 1979, the nation’s diplomatic corps was taken by surprise when militant university students in Teheran, Iran, captured 52 hostages in the U. S. Embassy and held them for 444 days. The hostage takers were convinced that the embassy was plotting to overturn the regime that replaced the U.S.-government-backed Shah of Iran.

A study later found there had been no plot and that CIA intelligence at the embassy was notably ineffectual gathering information because none of its agents spoke Farsi, the Persian language.

Fast forward to Sept. 11, 2001, when the attack on the World Trade Center killed nearly 3,000 people. The subsequent investigation was slowed because of the lack of Arabic speakers in both the FBI and CIA.

Santana, who teaches at School 21 (and is running for the Paterson City Council seat in the 4th Ward against incumbent Vera Ames-Garnes), wants linguistic training to start in elementary school. He would like students to learn Arabic, Farsi and Mandarin Chinese. He has met with School Superintendent Michael E. Glascoe, who supports the idea, as does School Board President Andre Sayegh.

Santana says teaching Arabic is important because of the city’s demographics. As for Chinese, he says, “China is the next super power. Chinese is the language of business.”

The teaching of diverse languages was studied statewide, the findings released in a 2005 report.

“A Report on the State of World Languages Implementation in New Jersey” found that Spanish is the language of choice in K-12 programs. It noted that few districts offer strategic languages such as Arabic, Chinese or other Asian tongues.

Paterson does offer Arabic classes at John F. Kennedy High School and Schools 9 and 25. The city Web site utilizes English, Spanish, Arabic, French, German and Japanese.

If Paterson expands its language program, Santana says, it can obtain state and federal money to fund it. Fair Lawn offers Chinese, he says, and gets federal money to support the program.

A $516 billion appropriation approved in December by Congress included more than $200,000 for William Paterson University to teach Arabic, Farsi and other critical languages.

Santana’s interest in language and culture prompted him to start Foreign Language Educators of Paterson (FLEP) and the Latin Dance Club.

The bilingual Santana, 26 – he speaks Spanish and English – was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to Paterson at 15, with no knowledge of English.

After graduating from Eastside High School, he studied political science and Spanish literature at Rutgers, New Brunswick. Santana did substitute teaching in New Brunswick and was hired in September 2004 to teach at School 21.

While he is pushing the study of strategic languages, he has also been teaching students about Hispanic culture through his dance classes, which have a mix of black and Hispanic students learning salsa, bachata and merengue.

He stresses that his classes are about much more than just having fun and learning dance steps; students must keep up their grades and help in community service programs. About a year ago, the Latin Dance Club adopted the block on which the school is located. The cleaning of that block is one way he and his students can give back to the city and neighborhood.

Reach Diane Haines at 973-569-7046 or haines@northjersey.com.

The Wilkin Santana Scholarship – Award $1000 One-Time Award

ELIGIBILITY

Graduating high school seniors (From Eastside High School Only) with record of excellence in academics, leadership & extracurricular activities.
Applicants who intent to pursue a full-time four-year undergraduate degree.
Scholarship applicants must summit two (2) letters of recommendation.
Applicants must have minimum 2.75 GPA
Preference to applicants planning to major in any of these fields:
Education, Law, Medicine (Sciences), Criminal Justice, Pharmacy, Engineering, Political Science, Business Administration or Foreign Languages.

TO OBTAIN AN APPLICATION

Eastside High School Students shall contact their Guidance Counselor at the Guidance Department.

COMPLETE APPPLICATION, DOCUMENTS AND REQUIRED FORMS MAIL TO:

The Wilkin Santana Scholarship
441 East 27th Street
Paterson, NJ 07514

Deadline: March 3rd

Wilkin Santana believes it is an American duty to help those in need. Wil Santana wished a Happy Thanksgiving to all Paterson’s 4th Ward families.

Please visit www.patersononline.net for more information.

The Campaign

Wilkin Santana thanked Mrs. Elsa Mantilla, President of the Dominican State Parade for such high honor.