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4 candidates are tracked for Passaic County Commissioner on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Orlando Cruz, Nick Veliky, Ed Leonard and John Rodriguez. Candidate information follows official Passaic County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Two three-year seats are up in 2026. Democratic incumbent Orlando Cruz, first sworn in as commissioner in 2023, and Democrat Nick Veliky, appointed earlier in 2026 to a Board of Commissioners vacancy and now seeking a full term, won their party's nomination at the June 2, 2026 primary and face Republicans Ed Leonard, a Wanaque councilman, and John Rodriguez, a former law enforcement official and NJ Transit locomotive engineer, per New Jersey Globe reporting. This is separate from the unexpired-term commissioner seat also on the November ballot (see below).
Orlando Cruz is president of the Greater Paterson Chamber of Commerce and previously served as executive director of the Downtown Paterson Special Improvement District, per New Jersey Globe reporting. A Paterson native who attended Eastside High School, he began his career as a professional DJ before rising to chief operations officer at a Northeast entertainment company, per TAPinto Paterson. He was sworn in as Passaic County Commissioner in 2023. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Orlando Cruz.
Nick Veliky was appointed to the Passaic County Board of County Commissioners in 2026 to fill the vacancy left by John Bartlett's resignation, per the West Milford Messenger. He works in marketing and business development, previously served as president of the Clifton Democratic Club, and is an ordained permanent deacon in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Nick Veliky.
Ed Leonard serves as Council President of the Wanaque Borough Council, where he chairs committees including Ordinances, Public Works, Sewer, and Veterans, per the borough's official website. He was selected as the Passaic County Republican Organization's nominee for county commissioner after original primary winner Daniel Sagan withdrew from the race, per New Jersey Globe. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for Ed Leonard.
John Rodriguez is a former law enforcement official and a career New Jersey Transit locomotive engineer, per New Jersey Globe reporting on the Passaic County commissioner race. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 8, 2026; the official election filing is the only verifiable source for John Rodriguez.
