The competitive and contentious six-man battle for mayor of Paterson includes the flashpoint of Andre Sayegh versus Alex Mendez, with the former repeatedly now attacking his rival for failing to file his ELEC reports, and the allies of the latter hitting Sayegh for sitting by while negative mail funded by a political action committee eviscerates Mendez on the same subject.

Mendez ally Paterson School Board member Joel Ramirez, brandishing an anti-mail piece paid for by Progressive Values Committee (run by Bayonne operative Joe Waks), went to the City Council meeting last night and launched a direct attack on Sayegh.

The anti-Mendez piece echoes a question Sayegh himself raised at Monday’s City Hall debate: “What is Alex Mendez hiding? Mendez did not file his financial disclosure on time. Again. Those reports let us all know where a candidate’s money comes from. Mendez filed his reports AFTER the Election in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Alex Mendez wants to be mayor but he won’t follow the law. Haven’t we suffered enough?”

Ramirez said he was outraged and disgusted to find the mail piece in his mail box.

“This is what a coward does – hide behind political action committees sending an attack on someone,”

said Ramirez, holding up a larger copy of the piece. “You don’t think about he impact on a family? On children? This is not New York City. This is not Sicily.

“The same people who drove these PACs are the same people who donated to Andre Sayegh,” the commissioner added.

Sayegh watched placidly, wincing only when Ramirez noted that Sayegh also bounced a check – in the amount of $12, according to an ELEC report filed by the candidate – a transgression that dogs Mendez on a larger scale.

“They’re donating money because they’re looking to be the business administrator for a no-show mayor,” Ramirez said.