Sharpe James

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Sharpe James

Sharpe James (born February 20, 1936 in Jacksonville, Florida) is an American Democratic Party politician , who became the second African American Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He was the 35th mayor of Newark and was elected to a fifth four-year term in 2002. James did not run for re-election for a sixth term as mayor, and his final term as mayor ended on July 1, 2006, at which time he was succeeded by Cory Booker. While mayor, James simultaneously served in the New Jersey Senate. He continues to do so, representing the 29th Legislative District. Prior to beginning his term as mayor, he was a professor of health sciences at Essex County College.

1 Education
2 Public office
3 Controversy
4 District 29
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Education

James earned a B.A. in education from Montclair State University and a M.A. in physical education from Springfield College. He received the 1961 Department of Physiology Award from that school, and later completed postgraduate studies at Washington State University, Columbia University, and Rutgers University. He also served with the United States Army in Europe. In 1988, James was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Montclair State University, and, in 1991, an Honorary Doctorate from Drew University.

[edit] Public office

Sharpe James was first elected to public office in 1970 as South Ward Councilman. He was first elected Mayor of Newark on May 13, 1986, and was sworn into office on July 1 of that year. He was the first Newark mayor to run unopposed when he sought re-election in 1990 and handily won re-election in 1994 and 1998. Sharpe James became Newark's longest-serving mayor when he was re-elected for an unprecedented fifth term in 2002, a year after being named Mayor of the Year by the New Jersey Conference of Mayors.

In December 1992, James was a member of the New Jersey State Electoral College, one of 15 electors casting their votes for the Clinton/Gore ticket.^[1]

In June 1999, while serving as Mayor, James was appointed to the New Jersey Senate to fill out the unexpired term of the late Senator Wynona Lipman, and won election to that seat the following November. He was re-elected for a full term in November 2001, and continued to hold both offices. His Senate district encompasses part of Newark in Essex County and all of the Township of Hillside in Union County.

Sharpe James won distinction in his early years as mayor for often wearing jogging suits in public and making high-profile efforts to attract development to Downtown Newark. In 1997, Newark saw the completion of the acclaimed New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

In terms of housing, James' policy in the 1990s was to demolish Newark's massive, but mostly abandoned, housing projects, and replace them with small scale public housing or market rate middle class residences.

[edit] Controversy

James, however, is a very controversial figure. In 2002 he made, as mayor of a medium-sized city, $213,000 a year, a salary higher than any governor in the nation. (This figure does not include his $49,000 salary as State Senator.) In addition several members of his administration were convicted of corruption, including his chief of staff who served time in jail.

James also presided over a government that collects less than 85 percent of the tax money owed it, and a city that has higher crime and infant mortality rates than other similar cities in New Jersey. In the 1990s, a good decade for American cities, Newark still lost 20 percent of its tax base.^{[citation needed]}

2002 was James' only close election. He was challenged by Cory Booker, a Central Ward councilman and former Stanford football star and Rhodes Scholar. The contentious election was chronicled in the Academy Award-nominated documentary, Street Fight. Sharpe James ran on a platform emphasizing his experience relative to the youthful Booker, utilizing the slogan "the Real Deal." He also used racially divisive rhetoric, saying to the Star Ledger of his opponent (who is black) "You have to learn to be African American and we don't have time to train you." James was also shown in Street Fight insinuating that Mr. Booker is Jewish (Mr. Booker is a devout Christian), a Republican (Mr. Booker is a lifelong Democrat), and allegedly a homosexual. He also referred to Cory Booker as a carpet bagger in a speech made in the Ironbound section of Newark.After a particularly venomous campaign that included accusations from both sides of corruption and violence, James won the 2002 election with 53% of the vote, buoyed by particularly strong returns from the African-American population.

On March 16, 2006, James filed for reelection. However, on March 27, 2006, James announced that he would not seek a sixth term. James indicated that while he would not run for re-election, he would remain as a state senator.

In September, 2006, The Star Ledger reported that James is being investigated for spending city money on personal entertainment, including trips to Brazil and Florida.

[edit] District 29

Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The other representatives from the 29th Legislative District are:

Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo and
Assemblyman William D. Payne

[edit] See also

List of mayors of Newark, New Jersey

[edit] References

^ 1992 Electoral College Votes, accessed December 21, 2006

[edit] External links

Preceded by Kenneth A. Gibson	Mayor of Newark 1986–2006	Succeeded by Cory Booker
Preceded by Wynona Lipman	New Jersey Senate 1999–present	Succeeded by incumbent