Ras J. Baraka is the 40th Mayor of the City of Newark. learn more. Gibson twice sought the Democratic nomination for governor and became a national political figure as the first black president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors six years later. Mayor Charles P. Gillen, presenting to Colonel A.V.P. There will be a public funeral at Symphony Hall Thursday night where, if the day’s viewing is any indication, seemingly all of Newark will be on hand to say a final farewell to one of its most iconic figures. Baraka faced a former supporter, Newark City Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins. Inside the rotunda, generations of political leaders gathered to recall how much Ken Gibson meant to them and to the city. By Insider NJ | March 29, 2019, 5:33 pm | in City Confidential, News. EAST ORANGE, NJ - Mayor Ted R. Green announces two new appointments to his leadership team — Solomon Steplight as Business Administrator and Shuh Yang as Chief Financial Officer. 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Payne, Jr. Condemns Increased Violence Against Asian Americans during Pandemic, Chairman Holman Among the Victors at Last Night’s Ocean County GOP Convention, Far-right politics complicates GOP effort in key New Jersey legislative district, 37th District senate fray: Murphy won’t take sides, Jersey leads the world – in COVID deaths: Time for a probe into where Murphy went wrong | Mulshine, Battle for 37th District shows power of party line, Ocean County GOP nullifies Toms River Republican club, © Copyright 2018 InsiderNJ. Major funding provided for Chat Box with David Cruz provided by New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Group, New Jersey Education Association, and Fuel Merchants Association of New Jersey. He declined to run for re-election to the State Senate in 2007; his term as Se… Paul Jordan – who served as mayor in the 1970s – could not attend due to a family matter. The City of Newark’s 40th Chief Executive, Mayor Baraka is a Newark native with a progressive approach to governing that has won him accolades from grassroots organizations to the … Search one or more of the search criteria below. “Ken Gibson became the first African American Mayor of a major city on the eastern seaboard. He was an honorable man, a brilliant leader, and a trusted mentor.”. Highest rate of infant mortality. Chaneyfield Jenkins backed Baraka's 2014 mayoral bid, running as part of his slate of candidates. In 1979, he graduated from Barringer High School and was named Outstanding Youth of the Year by ASPIRA, Inc. “As a kid – I wasn’t even a teenager – he was kind of larger than life, said former Councilman Darrin Sharif, whose father, Carl, himself a boldfaced Newark political name, was an early Gibson aide. “Today the city stands still as we mourn the passing of one of our trailblazers,” said Mayor Baraka. “When I got back from Vietnam, the cops used to roll up on me and say, ‘you’re going to vote for Ken Gibson, aren’t you?’ I didn’t do any campaigning but I voted for him,” Rice recalled. The official page for Mayor Ras J. Baraka and the City of Newark, NJ, the largest municipality in New Jersey. *Last updated 2/3/2021 . He wanted people of color to do well. Newark’s first African American Mayor Ken Gibson died today. He became Newark’s first and only Jewish mayor. Indicted for bribery and stealing funds from a school construction project in Irvington, Gibson beat the rap and instead pleaded guilty to tax evasion in 2002. Promotional support provided by New Jersey Business Magazine. “He gave people – not just African Americans – a sense of seriousness,” Payne added. The ring master of this political circus, of course, was Mayor Steven Fulop – who has the most to gain from an accurate census since Jersey City is poised to overtake Newark as the most populated city in the state. “I was able to put together a healthcare network, and we had the major healthcare providers join in with preventive medical care, and we were in, within one to two years, able to improve all of those statistics.”. Former Newark Mayor Ken Gibson has Died. ... Mayor Baraka, Newark Community Economic Development Corporation, and Entrepreneur Laura Mashtaler Cut Ribbon to Open Black Swan. Before he unseated  Gibson in 1986, James and Gibson ran together as part of the Community’s Choice ticket in 1970, a coalition born of a sense that Newark needed to move past its racial divide and come together. Ellenstein had 75,181 votes assumed the office as Mayor of Newark in 1933. “He was a solid guy,” said Payne. He changed the image, the mentality, the hope and aspirations. He led in a tumultuous and difficult time as the city tried to recover from the Newark Rebellion. I’m going to miss him.”. The city’s first black mayor, he famously said, “Wherever America’s cities are going, Newark will get there first,” but he was saddled with a tough national economy and lingering unemployment. Newark, NJ-February 18, 2021 – Mayor Ras J. Baraka of Newark, Mayor Dwayne D. Warren of Orange, Mayor Ted R. Green of East Orange, Mayor André Sayegh of Paterson, Mayor Frank Moran of Camden, Mayor Reed Gusciora of Trenton, Mayor Tony Vauss of Irvington, and Mayor Marty Small Sr. of Atlantic City proudly announced today the creation of the NJ FAM (New Jersey 40 Acres and a Mule … Mr. Gibson ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1981 and 1985. The HistoryMakers interviewed Mayor Gibson in 2017. Get in Touch. John was born and raised in Newark and graduated from St. Benedict's. Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is the current Mayor of Newark, New Jersey.He is a Democratic politician and former Newark Councilman and community activist who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2002 against longtime incumbent Sharpe James.Booker ran again in 2006 and won a sweeping victory against Ronald Rice to become the 36th mayor of Newark. He was helpful to me as I became Mayor of our city and helped me with the transition. Ken knew how to calm the waters. He was not vindictive great and he had a sense of humor. Ken Gibson was elected as Newark’s first African American mayor in 1970. A native of Newark, whose family has lived in the City for more than 80 years, Mayor Baraka’s progressive approach to governing has won him accolades from grassroots organizations to the White House. For Governor Phil Murphy’s statement on the death of Mayor Gibson, please go here. Former mayor Cory Booker shares in blame for Newark, NJ's water crisis, critics say: 'He left a mess' ... New Jersey Gov. He was re-elected to a two-year term as Mayor in 2001 and 2003; Incumbent Ras J. Baraka secured a second term. A legendary political figure in Newark who emerged as a gentle and unifying force in the aftermath of the city’s worst, most racially divisive period, Mr. Gibson became mayor of Brick City in 1970, defeating Hugh Addonizio. One of the most influential labor leaders in New Jersey history was Vincent J. Murphy (1893-1976), who spent nine years as the president of the New Jersey AFL-CIO after two terms as the Mayor of Newark. "Like too many cities across the country, we in Newark are feeling the … “We’re just getting out of here, so Mayor Gibson had to really have strong leadership capabilities and got involved with the national [Council of Mayors] and organizing mayors around the country to fight back just to get the kind of resources needed to lay a foundation to even survive in this city.”. In death, Ken Gibson’s final approach to city hall was much as it was in life: quiet and dignified. Views expressed by our advertisers and sponsors are their own, and are not endorsed by NJ Spotlight News. He closed out 2018 telling the[...] “Only because healthcare and health conditions are symptomatic of life experiences and the quality of life,” he said, reflecting on Newark when he took office in 1970. April 4, 2019: NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams, Murphy weighs in on congestion pricing, millionaire’s tax, Community pauses development to create green space, Legislators question labor, environment commissioners on FY 2020 budget, North Jersey prosecutors form tri-county cold case unit. Ken Gibson was our hero.”. Remembering the Life of Former Mayor Frank Addonizio - Wall, NJ - Addonizio, longtime local political figure, died Saturday. Kirby Foundation, the Hyde and Watson Foundation, and the Union Foundation. I love him for what he did for me and more importantly, for what he did for the city of Newark,” recalled former Mayor Sharpe James. Ken was a true Newarker who influenced me as a public servant and, most importantly, he was a friend.”, By Insider NJ | Imagine if you had some demagogue in there. “It was a healing process, his becoming mayor. She later broke with the mayor. I love him for what he did for me and more importantly, for what he did for the city of Newark,” recalled former Mayor Sharpe James. Artisanal coffee bar will provide downtown area with … “He laid a terrific foundation for Sharpe to build on,” said the veteran senator. Newark’s first African American Mayor Ken Gibson died today. We were in a racial divide. Who Is Cory Booker? “If he was going to do something he was determined to do it but never in a flamboyant way. February 25, 2021, Newark, NJ - In a unanimous decision, the Newark City Council has voted in support of a resolution to establish a guaranteed income. But, it was a period of political transition. He's been a reporter and moderator of public affairs programs on television, radio and digital platforms for WBGO and WNYC radio and is the former editor in chief of the Hudson Reporter Newspaper group. office hours: Mon-Fri 8:30am - 5:00pm. He hired on as the chief engineer for the Newark Housing Authority and received a promotion  to the position of New Jersey State Official Chief Structural for the City of Newark in 1966. He was 85. He wanted people to do well. At least one search field must be completed. He's been a member of the NJ Spotlight News team since 2011 and has been covering New Jersey's biggest stories for almost 30 years. Former mayor of Berkeley Heights, proud of Irish heritage John Patrick Elward, Jr., 85, of Berkeley Heights passed away on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021.