Background
Paterniti was born in 1929 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
Paterniti was born in 1929 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
He served four terms in the New Jersey General Assembly, from 1980 to 1988, followed by a single term in the New Jersey Senate, from 1988 to 1992. In 1985, Paterniti introduced legislation in the Assembly that would require owners of adult bookstores to maintain a list of the names and addresses of their customers, stating that "it has been reported that homosexual activity has taken place at adult bookstores" and that the list could be used to help control the spread of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome by discouraging homosexual activity at these stores. Under the terms of Paterniti"s bill, store owners would be held liable if individuals contracted Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome as a result of sexual activity on the premises.
In the 1987 election, Paterniti ran for the New Jersey Senate, defeating incumbent Republican Peter P. Garibaldi.
In 1987, Paterniti was elected as Mayor of Edison, New Jersey. In an October 1990 article, The New York Times had cited local criticism of Paterniti for holding onto three jobs simultaneously, as mayor and State Senator, while still maintaining an active dental practice.
Paterniti insisted that there was no issue in his holding the multiple jobs,citing "the art of delegation and the ability to structure time properly". In the June 1991 primaries, Paterniti lost the Democratic state senate nomination to lawyer Harry Pozycki of Metuchen, who in turn lost the general election to Republican Jack Sinagra.
Paterniti ran for the Assembly in 1993 together with running mate Matthew Vaughn, losing to incumbent Republicans Harriet East. Derman and Jeffrey A. Warsh.
In 1997, Paterniti ran for the Senate again, losing to Sinagra by a margin of 58.5%-41.5%.