First Turkish-American Deputy Mayor

Torres said the Turkish community in Paterson was flourishing and it was about time for a member of the community to represent it. Taşkın said her appointment aimed to establish a closer tie between the mayor's office and the community and she would act as "a bridge between, to resolve any problems Turks in the city may encounter." Taşkın took office at the end of January. She said she would focus on further improving commercial ties between Turkey and Paterson. The non-paying position of deputy mayor was created by City Hall in 2014 to boost community ties and Torres had earlier announced he was planning to appoint two deputy mayors apart from the existing ones, one from the Turkish community and one from the Bangladeshi community, which also has a sizeable population in the city.

Taşkın graduated from Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ and has bachelor’s degrees in the Science of Diplomacy and International Business and Art of Criminal Justice. Being very active in Turkish-American community, she has recently completed her first movie project, ‘New York Masalı’ as a producer. She established Derya Consulting in 2009 to provide commercial and professional employees to local and global customers. Taşkın is also Vice President of the oldest and biggest Turkish bakery, Taskın Bakery with over 3 million dollars in gross sales. She has also been a member of the Paterson Community Education Advisory Committee since 2005.