Intraparty fight brewing between Pou, Sayegh over Paterson water crisis

Passaic County’s ongoing water emergency has taken on a political dimension, with 9th district Rep. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) facing criticism from several local mayors from her own party – one of whom has publicly floated challenging her in a primary – for allegedly being insufficiently involved in solving the crisis, something Pou strongly denies.

As first reported by Politico NJ earlier today and confirmed by the New Jersey Globe, Paterson Mayor André Sayegh sent an email to Pou’s congressional office yesterday saying that he believes the congresswoman has failed to do enough in the wake of a water main break in Paterson last Friday; repairs are underway, but many 9th district residents are still without water or are under a boil-water advisory nearly a week later.

“While we continue to work to solve this problem, we are disheartened that we did not hear from you, as residents suffered,” the email stated. “It would have been helpful to have the impact of your office and the federal government, as we navigated potential solutions. Moreover, residents asked us about federal assistance and intervention during this ordeal. Unfortunately, we were left without answers.”

The email was also signed by Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah and Haledon Mayor Michael Johnson, both Democrats, and North Haledon Mayor Randy George, a Republican.

“Our purpose for writing is not to point fingers or offload the burden of hard work and seeking solutions, but we remain frustrated by your lack of involvement and perceived lack of care,” the four mayors said. “In the future, your engagement is desired.”

In response, Pou sent a letter to the mayors today firmly pushing back on the idea that she had not done enough, noting that her office has been in contact with the state government, the Passaic Valley Water Commission, leaders on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, and more since the crisis began.

“Over the past several days, my office has taken an all-of-government approach to action, initiating outreach to local, county, state, and federal partners, as well as local water officials, to find ways to bring critical assistance to emergency responders and residents and end this crisis,” she wrote.

“Our phone lines have been open daily and we have been fielding calls from and assisting constituents in need,” she continued. “My team was out in the community where water was being distributed to affected constituents. And my office was specifically in touch with the City of Paterson Office of Constituent Services seeking to coordinate on some local cases.”

Though the debate has thus far been fought over formal letters and emails, Sayegh’s criticisms have an undeniable political angle. The mayor of the largest city in the 9th district, a Trump-won seat Republicans are hoping to flip, Sayegh has expressed some guarded interest running for the seat next year, telling Politico NJ last week that he would “keep his options open” with regards to a potential primary challenge against Pou.

Sayegh briefly ran for the 9th district last year during the hurried process to replace the late Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) on the ballot, and he had previously mulled running against Pascrell himself but decided against it. (After Sayegh turned down campaign against Pascrell, Khairullah got in the race instead, ultimately losing by a wide margin.)

Coincidentally, the water crisis debate has also intersected with another sensitive issue in the 9th district, which has large Jewish and Muslim communities: Israel and Palestine. While the crisis unfolded last weekend, Pou happened to be in Israel on a trip led by the America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a staunchly pro-Israel group that has grown more controversial among Democrats amid the war in Gaza.

The trip, which Rep. Herb Conaway (D-Delran) was also on, drew criticism from the New Jersey branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which questioned today whether the two congressmembers were “elected to serve the interests of their NJ Congressional districts or the Israeli government.”

And it ties back into Sayegh’s potential political ambitions, too; Sayegh and Khairullah, both Arab Americans, staked their 2024 congressional campaigns in part on representing the 9th district’s Arab communities and pushing back against Israel in Congress. As reported this morning by Politico NJ, Sayegh’s wife criticized Pou on Facebook yesterday for taking a “‘free’ vacation to Israel” in the midst of the water crisis.

Pou’s campaign said in a statement that the congresswoman’s trip was focused on “fact finding,” and that she pressed Israeli government officials on what they were doing to ensure that food and aid can reach starving Palestinians in Gaza.

“The Congresswoman’s goals for the region remain unchanged: a two state solution allowing peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, release of all the remaining hostages, safe distribution of more humanitarian aid to Gaza, the removal of Hamas, and an immediate ceasefire so the hard work of rebuilding can begin,” said Morghan Cyr, Pou’s campaign manager.