There is a leader in New Jersey that many outside as well as many inside the state have probably not heard of. Cory Booker came into the office of Mayor in 2006 and has been a great leader forNewark. His name is one you might want to start getting to know better.
Cory Booker was born on April 27, 1969 in Washington, D.C., but grew up in Harrington Park, New Jersey. He would go onto Stanford University to achieve his bachelors and masters degrees. This was followed by a Rhodes Scholarship to The Queen’s College in Oxford, England. It would at Oxford that he would begin to display his ability to work within a community and bring diverse people and groups together.
The next stop in his young life was receiving a joint degree from Yale Law School. He would continue to grow as a community worker as he operated free legal clinics for those with low incomes in New Haven as well as acting as a Big Brother. At the end of his time at Yale, he would start to live in Newark and the roots of what we see now would truly start to blossom.
When Booker came to Newark, he quickly picked up an upset win over a four-term incumbent, George Branch, to become a member of the Newark Municipal Council in 1998. From the beginning of his term, he was not going to be like others in the city government. He would lead as he saw fit; not as he “was supposed to lead”. A perfect example would be when he went on a hunger strike living in a tent in front of one of Newark’s public housing projects known as Garden Spires for ten days protesting open-air drug dealing and associated violence in 1999. The next year, he lived in a motor home as part of his initiative to track drug trafficking on street corners, where it was rampant. These “stunts” did not gain him popularity amongst the Council. He battled for education reform, young people, law and order, better housing, and more transparent politics in the city. All were voted against 8 to 1.
Booker could not sit idly by any longer while problems were being ignored. He decided to step up in 2002 to run for mayor of Newark against longtime Mayor Sharpe James. Booker grew up in a mostly white town and was viewed by many in Newark as an outsider, who was not black enough to know their problems. James ran a dirty campaign and stooped to whatever means necessary to drag Booker’s name through the mud. He would lose to James in a 47% to 53% result.
With his time as a councilman and the election behind him, he would move onto continuing his work for the city of Newark. In 2002, he founded Newark Now, a grassroots organization that connects individuals in the city to resources to assist in transforming their communities. Booker was undeterred after the loss in 2002 to James and announced in early 2006 that he was going to give it another try to become the mayor of Newark. James stepped aside to run solely for his State Senate seat and Deputy Mayor and fellow State Senator, Ronald Rice, would be the man who would run in his place. Booker targeted Rice’s connection to an embattled James while Rice chose to harp on Booker’s fundraising totals. Booker would see a different outcome this time as on May 9, 2006; he was swept into office with 72% of the vote. Additionally, the City Council candidates, who campaigned alongside him were also elected and gave Booker the type of control needed to start to reform Newark.
Struggles were not over just yet as right before he was to assume office; there was an assassination plot against him. Luckily, state police prevented the orchestrated attack planned by gang members in state prisons. The gang members disdained Booker because of his proposed harder line on crime and a proposed higher number of police in Newark.
Like his time in the City Council, he did not waste much time tackling Newark’s problems. Within his first 100 days in office, Booker proposed: adding police officers, improving city services, and expanding summer youth programs. He would raise the city’s property tax by 8.3% and increase the amount of city employees. He has mastered the budget fairly effectively and the city has not raised taxes in over two years.
As a major part of his agenda, he would appoint Garry McCarthy, a former member of the NYPD, as the Director of the Newark Police Department to begin to serious address the crime problem in Newark. Under McCarthy’s lead, several felons have been taken off the streets and programs have been initiated to scope for possible crimes. Not to back away from one of his trademarks, Booker would personally patrol streets himself alongside officers. Recent numbers reveal that murders are down by 42%, robberies are down by 12%, and rapes are down by 41%. Not to mention, March 2010 marked the first murder-free month in Newark in over 44 years. Booker has also effectively addressed the housing crisis in the city with twice as many affordable buildings. He has been open with city residents and has an open door policy at his office.
Not too surprisingly, Booker was easily reelected on May 11, 2010.
Since he first came to Newark 15 years ago, not too many; if any; have had a greater impact on the city. He saw a city in disrepair and wanted to be part of the change. He has continued to be as hands-on as possible as that is who he truly is. He has slowly won over critics and has Newark going in the right direction. He sees a challenges as an opportunity. It is hard to see him staying in Newark forever. Granted, his love for the city is immense; he might have a greater calling. There was a similar man about ten years ago looking to create change in Illinois. In 2008, he was elected the President of the United States. That man was Barack Obama. It is hard to ignore some similarities between Booker and Obama. Who knows when, but a run at a state position, the office of governor, or even a run at a national position are very possible for Booker.
He has the charisma. He has the charm. He has the drive. Look at Newark before Booker and after him. Cory Booker is a name you will come to hear more about as his rise will continue.
http://www.examiner.com/article/cory-booker-a-new-face-politics-with-endless-possibilities
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