Jones Lang LaSalle
Five-Term Mayor Appears, Ready for a Race
By DAMIEN CAVE
NEWARK, March 16 — Four years ago, Mayor Sharpe James used a cart festooned with his campaign slogan, "The Real Deal, " to deliver the signatures he needed to get on the ballot for re-election. Thursday, seeking his sixth term, he chose a bicycle borrowed from the Police Department.
At 4 p.m., a half-hour before the deadline for filing his petitions, Mr. James appeared on the third floor of City Hall, pedaling toward the city clerk's office. After stripping down to gym shorts and a tank top as supporters shouted "the champ is here," he delivered more than 10,000 signatures to the city clerk, far more than the 1,159 he needed to qualify.
Newark's nonpartisan municipal election is May 9, and there is no primary. So the mayor's dramatic entrance would seem to kick off an eight-week sprint, and a rematch between Mr. James, 70, and Cory Booker, 36, a former Rhodes Scholar who lost a bitter race to the mayor in 2002.
Yet even as he smiled for the scrum of reporters at City Hall, Mr. James refused to declare himself a candidate. After months of fanning speculation that he might not run — for reasons not even his supporters can agree on — the mayor continued to let the uncertainty fester. When asked directly if he was running for mayor, his response was vague. "I filed the petitions," he said, "and that should speak volumes."
For now, Mr. James and Mr. Booker — both Democrats — are joined in the race for mayor by State Senator Ronald L. Rice, who is also deputy mayor, and two political unknowns, Nancy Rosenstock and David Blunt.
Mr. Booker, who had spent much of the day in Manhattan doing interviews, said Thursday evening that Mr. James's high-profile announcement would not affect his strategy. He said he would keep knocking on doors in every ward as he has been doing for months, introducing himself to residents, even using some recently acquired Spanish.
"We're going to continue in a methodical, well thought-out, deliberate way, continuing to get our message out about how to make Newark safer, how to make Newark stronger, how to empower our children and families," he told reporters at his campaign headquarters in the Central Ward.
Josh Benson contributed reporting for this article.
Copyright 2006The New York Times
Five-Term Mayor Appears, Ready for a Race
By DAMIEN CAVE
NEWARK, March 16 — Four years ago, Mayor Sharpe James used a cart festooned with his campaign slogan, "The Real Deal, " to deliver the signatures he needed to get on the ballot for re-election. Thursday, seeking his sixth term, he chose a bicycle borrowed from the Police Department.
At 4 p.m., a half-hour before the deadline for filing his petitions, Mr. James appeared on the third floor of City Hall, pedaling toward the city clerk's office. After stripping down to gym shorts and a tank top as supporters shouted "the champ is here," he delivered more than 10,000 signatures to the city clerk, far more than the 1,159 he needed to qualify.
Newark's nonpartisan municipal election is May 9, and there is no primary. So the mayor's dramatic entrance would seem to kick off an eight-week sprint, and a rematch between Mr. James, 70, and Cory Booker, 36, a former Rhodes Scholar who lost a bitter race to the mayor in 2002.
Yet even as he smiled for the scrum of reporters at City Hall, Mr. James refused to declare himself a candidate. After months of fanning speculation that he might not run — for reasons not even his supporters can agree on — the mayor continued to let the uncertainty fester. When asked directly if he was running for mayor, his response was vague. "I filed the petitions," he said, "and that should speak volumes."
For now, Mr. James and Mr. Booker — both Democrats — are joined in the race for mayor by State Senator Ronald L. Rice, who is also deputy mayor, and two political unknowns, Nancy Rosenstock and David Blunt.
Mr. Booker, who had spent much of the day in Manhattan doing interviews, said Thursday evening that Mr. James's high-profile announcement would not affect his strategy. He said he would keep knocking on doors in every ward as he has been doing for months, introducing himself to residents, even using some recently acquired Spanish.
"We're going to continue in a methodical, well thought-out, deliberate way, continuing to get our message out about how to make Newark safer, how to make Newark stronger, how to empower our children and families," he told reporters at his campaign headquarters in the Central Ward.
Josh Benson contributed reporting for this article.
Copyright 2006The New York Times
posted by Jones Lang LaSalle NJ News Blog at 9:53 AM
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