There's a Facebook group called "NJ Against Chris Christie" which has over 38,000 members. Some of the discourse there is childish, using epithets and taunts. Yet, there's also a considerable amount of rational discussion about the governor's performance, his cronyism, and his overly simplistic solutions to complex problems. Often, it is pointed out that New Jersey election law allows a recall petition to be initiated one year following a gubernatorial election, and there's lots of talk about doing so.
As I explained in an earlier post, this is a bad idea. (find out why below the fold)
Faced with a $70 million budget gap, Mayor Cory Booker has proposed cost-cutting measures ranging from layoffs to shutting down city pools to wiping out the city's toilet paper budget.
But one important area for potential multi-million dollar savings hasn't gotten the attention it deserves: cutting the astronomical costs of police misconduct. Each year, Newark spends millions of dollars defending itself in lawsuits and paying out settlements to victims of police abuse.
The public hears little about police misconduct lawsuits because the vast majority of cases settle, and victims are typically forced to agree to remain silent as a condition of settlement. In addition, only settlements over $21,000 require approval from the city council. Public records about all settlements exist, but there is no central location, making it difficult for citizens who want to know the actual cost of police misconduct.
To uncover the true costs of police misconduct, the ACLU of New Jersey has combed court databases, meeting minutes and a battery of public records.
This is what we found: Between January 2008 and July 2010, there were 24 cases brought by citizens against the Newark Police that ended in settlement or arbitration. For the 19 cases those settlement amounts we could uncover, Newark paid out $1,041,617. That figure is only for cases that have already settled -- there are another 31 cases pending. And that same 18 months, at least 51 tort claims were filed against the police department - notices of lawsuits to come.
The cases describe nightmarish encounters with police: beatings, malicious prosecution, arrests of people videotaping police, homophobic slurs, recklessly driven police cars, and at least one sexual assault. Many of the officers named in the cases have a history of complaints against them, including one who has racked up 62 Internal Affairs complaints and another with 45.
Starting Monday, the ACLU-NJ will publish the details of a dozen such cases - settled and pending - brought by citizens against the Newark police on its website. We will release one case per day for the next twelve business days. Until now, most of these cases had never seen the light of day.
In the same 18-month period, the ACLU-NJ uncovered 11 settlements and one verdict in cases in which the Newark Police Department was sued by its own employees. In these cases, Newark had to pay a total of $2,691,503. Again, this covers only cases that have concluded; there are another nine cases filed by employees pending. The details of the cases that already settled, which the ACLU-NJ released in July, not only reveal the high financial costs of police recklessness, but the costs to officer morale and their professionalism on patrol.
When counting the costs, it's important to remember that the money paid to those who sue makes up just one part of the bill. Taxpayers also foot the enormous expense of municipal lawyers and outside law firms defending the city in these suits, as well as the legal fees the city must pay opposing counsel when it loses in court. In the case of Darren Nance, a terminated Newark Police officer who recently won a $600,000 verdict, the total cost of the city's defense, the plaintiff's legal fees and the calculation of interest owed to Nance will ultimately reach into the millions.
Make no mistake - this money comes from taxpayers. Newark doesn't have liability insurance. In fact, the settlement money comes from a general liability line in the city budget, not from the budget of the police department, so the Newark Police Department does not directly feel the financial pain of the pain its officers inflict.
And the financial costs are only the ones we can easily quantify; the steeper costs are incalculable. In the words of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, "If individuals' civil rights are compromised, public trust and confidence in the police are severely compromised." In other words, police misconduct severely jeopardizes community safety and erodes the trust officers need from the public to effectively fight crime.
Lawsuits and settlements can serve as teachable moments: they can reveal important information regarding dangerous patterns and practices in a department. Our review of lawsuits against Newark shows identical problems and behaviors spanning decades. When properly utilized, this data can provide police leadership the information they need to institute better training and accountability systems. Simply paying out damages will only lead to more abuse and more costs for the citizens of Newark.
Instead of trying to smooth over its mistakes with payouts, Newark should invest in reforms that can generate massive returns - in dollars, in lives, and in public confidence - allowing Newark to chart a path toward a new identity as a lean organization that will respect individual rights as capably as it protects public safety.
Until then, the citizens will involuntarily foot the bill for officers who violate our rights and for leaders who neglect the underlying problems that have plagued a floundering department for decades.
President Obama arrived in Newark Wednesday afternoon as part of a whirlwind day in the metro area for the Commander-In-Chief. He was scheduled to tape an episode of "The View" to air Thursday, attend a private DNC fundraiser at New York's Four Seasons hotel and a second fundraiser at the home of Vogue editor Anna Wintour – all this after a lunch stop at the Tastee Sub Shop in Edison, NJ.
Eagerly waiting to greet the President on the tarmack at Newark Liberty International (as shown in these photos released by the Governor's office) were Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Governor Chris Christie, in what could have been a rather uncomfortable political Ménage à trois. You see, Christie just might like to take Obama's job, Booker would probably settle for either Christie's or Obama's job, and Obama was just wanting to get the formalities over so he could grab half a "Super Sub" at Tastee and hang with Whoopi Goldberg & Co.
Only three people REALLY know the conversation that took place during that brief encounter, but wouldn't it be fun to speculate?
More after the jump.
So what was Mayor Booker thinking? Perhaps this:
"Not only can I block his shot and kick this skinny guy's ass, I'm smarter than him." (HT to 'Winston Smith' for that one)
It was suggested that the "toilet paper" reference might be a bit harsh, but Mayor Booker did start this, after all! And the Mayor even good-naturedly "re-Tweeted" a post of the above photo to his Twitter followers Wednesday evening.
And Governor Christie, his expression is priceless - what was going through his mind?
"What on earth am I doing on this hotter-than-hell runaway with these two clowns? Why not bring "Snooki" and "The Situation" along while we are at it!"
There are certainly topics we know were NOT brought up by the Governor:
"You know, Mr. President, I really have NO idea what goes on in the minds of Congressmen Frelinghuysen and Garrett."
"Mr. President, I'm working on this "Municipal Tool Kit thingy...would you happen to have a few hundred million dollars of stimulus funds laying around that aren't needed?"
So what conversation do you think took place on the tarmack? Inquiring minds want to know!
Retweet? @CoryBooker - do you have comment for @BlueJersey on ACLU charge of Newark transparency issues? - http://bit.ly/aSKiqg --- promoted by Rosi (link's corrected, thanks MJ)
Two weeks ago, amid news of layoffs in Newark, the City and its taxpayers took yet another financial hit: a high dollar verdict for a former police officer mistreated by the Newark Police.
A jury awarded Darren Nance $600,000, finding that the Newark Police had racially discriminated and retaliated against him.
Once lawyers tally up interest for this verdict, legal fees for his attorneys, plus the two private law firms hired to defend Newark, this case will likely cost millions.
Most cities rely on insurance to cover misconduct-based payouts, but Newark is deemed too high risk to qualify for a policy. Instead, these payouts come out of the pockets of Newark taxpayers. And for every case like Nance's that goes to trial, many others settle out of court behind closed doors.
It is difficult to know, therefore, the full financial impact of police misconduct on Newark taxpayers. We're also left in the dark about the details of the misconduct at the center of those cases, and whether the officers involved are sanctioned.
This is a shame because lawsuits - especially settled ones - can reveal dangerous practices in a department. And when individual officers are openly held accountable for the misconduct, it can deter others from engaging in similar acts.
To determine how much police misconduct cases cost Newark, and shed light on the underlying abuses, the ACLU of New Jersey has combed court databases, City Council minutes and other public records to find settlements.
We found that since January 2008, nine lawsuits by Newark police officers against the City were settled, with the settlements totaling $1,696,503. These cases primarily involve discrimination and retaliation.
Lawsuits from officers are just the tip of the iceberg. In that same time period, Newark awarded at least 23 payouts to citizens filing lawsuits over mistreatment ranging from false arrest to death in custody. Those, too, come with a hefty price tag - $766,617 from the 18 cases for which we have settlement amounts.
More cases are coming through the pipeline. We have identified 27 pending cases ordinary citizens have filed against the Newark Police since January 2008, and seven more filed by employees.
And there are likely others; since information about these lawsuits is not publicly disseminated or maintained in a centralized placed, we couldn't find every case filed against the Newark Police.
The costs go well beyond finances, of course. Lawsuits aside, police misconduct jeopardizes community safety and erodes the trust officers need from community members to effectively protect and serve.
But money matters, too, especially during a budget crisis. If the money Newark spends to defend and compensate for police officers' mistakes went towards reforms instead - training, technology, and resources for police - it would save money, lives, and public confidence in the long run.
The ACLU-NJ has an unwavering commitment to both government transparency and sound police practices. For the public's benefit, starting today, the ACLU-NJ will publish "the dirty dozen" of these cases on our website - representing some of the most egregious claims of discrimination, retaliation, beatings, and internal affairs corruption. We will release one a day for the next twelve business days. Many of these settlements have never before seen the light of day.
Darren Nance, however, got his day in court. He started his career as a Newark police officer in 1989 and encountered racism in the department after just a few months on the job. He spent the next seven years fighting for his rights, until the Newark Police fired him in 1996.
The jury verdict for Nance, along with these settlements, demonstrates that justice for police abuses can indeed come. But it also demonstrates a disturbing pattern: we see the abuses described in Nance's complaints from 15 years ago repeated in the settlements and pending lawsuits of today. The ACLU-NJ, which turned 50 this year, has fought the same kinds of abuses against Newark Police since our founding; change is overdue.
The only way to prevent the same mistakes, the same wounds, and the same payouts from the same stories is root out their sources. Otherwise, the citizens of Newark will continue to pay for bad apple officers who engage in abusive conduct and for managers and elected officials who fail to fix the underlying problems.
Freedom to Marry, the national marriage equality group founded by Evan Wolfson, came out today with a group of political voices in favor extending equal opportunities to gay couples to marry, all captured for video. One of those is Newark's Mayor Cory Booker, a visible advocate here in NJ:
America is about ... freedom. And so I think one of the most intimate choices one can make as to who to spend your life with, and to be able to choose someone to be your life partner and proclaim it to the world, that this is my spouse, this is my chosen soul that I'm going to take on the world with...
The mayor also talks about how he won't marry any couple - as he is empowered to do for straight Newark citizens - because he cannot marry couples equally. Links to the rest of the statements, from office holders across the country, can be found here. The videos come with a pledge drive, which you can support here.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker joined New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on the Morning Joe Show today to talk about how people can get more involved in volunteering. Booker was also asked about his support for Chris Christie's cap 2.5 proposal. You can see the interview here:
With the news that Cory Booker will stab his fellow Democrats in the back by supporting a 2.5% property tax cap constitutional amendment, http://www.politickernj.com/ma... , it seems pretty clear that those in a position of leadership in Democratic state politics are the most conservative lot since the 1950s. They are DINOs/Republicrats.
This not a first for Cory Booker, aka, the Brett Schundler of Newark:
In addition to Mr. Lesniak, the bill enjoys the support of Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a Democrat, who is appearing in a commercial promoting it this month.
The bill being, the diversion of public funds to private and parochial schools bill. Pushed by another Republicrat, Ray Lesniak. Who held a rally, masquerading as a hearing, in favor of it. Where opponents were shut out. Just as he did with S-1, the Repeal Mt. Laurel bill, which is Lesniak's pride and joy. Yet, this miscreant has the nerve to say, in the WSJ article quoted above:
Lesniak, who calls himself the "most liberal Democrat" in the Senate
If by liberal, he means conservative, then he might be right. But he'd have to compete with Senate president Steve Sweeney, who might be the most anti-union elected official who holds a union card since Ronald Reagan. His war against, and demonization of, state workers has been going on for quite a while now.
You also have the Essex County executive, Joe DiVincenzo, last seen holding hands with Chris Christie.
And last heard declaring that he agreed with Christie 95% of the time.
The only statewide or county leader to represent Democrats, as opposed to Republicrats, is Shelia Oliver. Yet, no one ever heard of her before last year, when she was picked out of obscurity to be speaker, in a rancid political deal between Sweeney and Lesniak to dump Dick Cody (remember him?). She is not a legislative heavyweight, and carries little weight, at least so far, in the media.
This is the depressing landscaping facing Democrats, especially progressive Democrats, in this state. Perhaps it's time for a progressive version of the teabaggers to let the Democratic leadership in Trenton and elsewhere know that we are not happy, and that they are not safe in their seats.
This diary produced a lot of comments - 24 so far - and those comments include a referendum on Steve Sweeney, Cory Booker, Sen. Ron Rice, caps hard and soft, North v. South, marriage equality advocates, and anonymous posters like firstamend07. Where do you come down on all this, Blue Jersey? Anything here you want to agree with? Tear your hair out over? Excoriate? - promoted by Rosi Efthim
Governor Corzine had a good idea when he set up a cap on Property taxes. Something had to be done.
Christie took that idea and by once again being a demagogue has tried to set up an unrealistic,unworkable hard cap of 2.5% that will only cause chaos and hardship.
Enter Senate President Sweeney. Once again ,bring the voice of moderation and realism , he looked at Corzine's Cap idea and looked at Christies Cap idea and came up with a realistic ,workable Cap plan that is rooted in real world problems.
Is his plan perfect ? Of course not. But leadership is about reviewing problems ,listening to people, and coming up with a workable plan.
This is how Sweeney works. That Is why this State has a high minimum wage.That is why this State has a Paid Family Leave Act. That is why this State enacted fair and responsible Pension Reform .
Like the guy or not he is a leader and he gets things done.
We don't cover crime stories here. Not street crime, not usually. But these murders, of three of Newark's shiniest young people - Dashon Harvey and Iofemi Hightower (20) & Terrance Aeriel (18) - and the grave wounding of Natasha Aeriel (now 22), chilled us like every loss of a young person does. There have been too many losses. But when these three were taken, something shifted in Newark. Policy changed on the backs of three kids swiftly executed Aug. 4, 2007.
The first trial, for the first defendant, began Tuesday. The jury saw pictures. The prosecutor will talk about gang initiation. Natasha Aeriel, under heavy security, is on the stand today.
These kids had managed to avoid some of the risks of the streets. Three were home on a break from college in Delaware, and Iofemi Hightower was about to become a freshman there. That night, Harvey, Hightower and Terrance Aerial were lined up against a wall and killed by a single shot to the base of their skulls. Terrance's sister barely survived the attempt to end her.
A few months ago, I was driving around Newark with Ron C. Rice. We slowed the car as we passed by the playground where it happened. In his Ward, the West Ward. And he told me he goes by there every day, makes a point of it.
It's impossible to know whether Newark's Mayor and Council, elected in the first clean sweep in the city's history (and most up for re-election in May) were galvanized by those murders or whether the city laid down its marker, with a community collectively deciding enough was enough, and politicians unready to get tough on crime could run elsewhere. That's when anti-crime measures were ramped up. Cameras on the streets. Billboards paid for by the Newark teachers' union: HELP WANTED: Stop the Killings in Newark Now! Penalties for gun owners failing to report lost or stolen weapons. Gun-shot detection systems. New access to a national gun-tracking database.
By the end of 2008, Newark's murder rate had dropped by nearly 40%, though it bumped last year from 68 to 79. Last month, with the city holding its breath, Newark had its first month without homicide in 40 years.
But it isn't so simple. Both Cory Booker and Police Director Garry McCarthy have to answer for a loss in public trust after charges of excessive force. And hassling innocent people. And inadeqate professional guidelines for the police force. Reform is crucial, if innocent people - especially young people - feel their rights violated.
Outside of Newark, we talk sometimes about the meaning of a Newark Renaissance. We all have a stake in it, live there or not. And plenty of people don't see one ... yet. The City has to do this right. And Mayor Booker, Councilman Rice, every police officer and elected leader should live or die not only on crime statistics but on protecting the civil rights of every person living in New Jersey's rising City. Especially the young Dashons, Iofemis, Terrances, and Natashas whose names we don't know yet, and who are just now dreaming of their futures.
Amiri Baraka will read at the largest poetry event in North America, coming to Newark
Billed as the largest poetry event in North America, the Dodge Poetry Festival - by tradition hosted at Waterloo Village in Sussex County - was due to be canceled this year because of financial restrictions. But the city of Newark and NJPAC grabbed it as an opportunity to create what the Dodge Foundation calls "a poetry village" downtown this Fall. This, in a city whose schools the state had to take over 15 years ago, is inherently a political and educational victory.
Poetry can be many things, to many ears. For me, the best of it gets me thinking, summons me, romances me or demands me to pick something up the writer wants to show me, and turn it over until I finally get it. And persuasion ... well, that's a very political thing. For me, the most American poet is Langston Hughes, whose writing about the Harlem Renaissance echoes in the Newark Renaissance. He'd probably still have something to say about dreams deferred. But Langston would love a 4-day poetry festival in a largely African-American city if he were alive to see it in Newark; he'd love everybody coming to the city to see it. Particularly a festival with 4 US Poets Laureate and Pulitizer Prize winners, and including Amiri Baraka - Newarker, former NJ Poet Laureate, founder of the Black Arts movement and PEN/Faukner Award winner. Langston Hughes would be right in the middle of it if he was still alive when the prestigious Dodge comes to Newark. He'd high-five the city on that. To mark the Dodge - coming in October, with tix on sale Friday - the Mayor of Newark composed a poem. You can read it after the jump.
You've probably heard that for the first time in history all the U.S. Supreme Court Justices are former judges of the United States Courts of Appeals. While every justice has been a lawyer, there were more diverse professional backgrounds in the past -- especially people with experience in elected office, that I arguably served the country well.
Jonathan Zasloff follows that theory to its ultimate conclusion, arguing for Newark Mayor Cory Booker:
But here's an unusual suspect whom I think would be excellent on all counts: Newark Mayor Cory Booker.
Booker is an extremely effective mayor: for the first time in decades, Newark went an entire month without a homicide, due in large part to Booker's innovative law enforcement and community organizing strategies. He is extremely intelligent: a Rhodes Scholar and a graduate of Yale Law School. He has important experience, both practical and legal: he served as a staff attorney at the Urban Justice Center in New York City and no one has done more in such a short time to reduce violence in America's urban centers. His work has achieved praise even from conservatives.
The Supreme Court is a substantially political court. The whole discourse and atmospherics around the way Court nominees are currently selected and confirmed has become a terrible farce, and the pretense that it's just about picking people who are really good at looking up what the law is in books is a big part of the problem.
Obviously I'd be shocked if the President went this route, but it's a great idea. I'm sure Mayor Booker has goals for Newark that he hasn't met yet, but I'm still willing to hope!
Newark Mayor Cory Booker appeared on the Rachel Maddow show tonight to talk about the city going a month without a murder for the first time in forty four years. He talked about some of the efforts the city has taken in order to accomplish the milestone.
The Mayor then joined the Morning Joe team this morning for a further discussion:
We do need to keep this in perspective. Newark still has many challenges that lie ahead, but this is important progress and we should make sure to appreciate the good while continuing to fight for changing the bad. The Mayor is good at giving the many people who have contributed to this progress credit for the work they have done as well. So knock on wood, last month was a good one.
Mayor Cory Booker welcomed the Nets to Newark's Prudential Center for the next two NBA seasons:
"I want to thank the National Basketball Association, the Devils, and the Nets leadership for their support, which has made Newark the new home for the New Jersey Nets. For the residents of the City of Newark, these are not just basketball games. Having the Nets call our city home signifies tangible hope, real inspiration, and many dreams coming true," said Mayor Booker.
Then he went one-on-one with Darryl Dawkins in his suit:
But I have to ask, what kind of attendance are the Nets expecting if the games are in the lobby?
Diana Taylor was walking home from a computer repair shop when two police officers abruptly stopped her on the street. Without any reason, they demanded she identify herself. Taylor provided her given name - Christopher Moore.
"You're right; I owe you 10 dollars," one officer told the other, "It is a man."
She was stopped, Taylor realized, to settle a dehumanizing bet about her gender.
As onlookers gathered, the officers went on to call Taylor derogatory names and make crude inquiries about her sex life. Then, without justification, they roughly cuffed and arrested her, taunting her the entire time. Once at the precinct, they scrambled to find something wrong on her record (it was clean) and then demanded she accept a ride home. During the two-block trip, the officers threatened to sic gang members in her neighborhood on her if she filed an internal affairs complaint.
Their threats couldn't stop Taylor. Still, it took countless calls to internal affairs before someone finally took down her complaint, and they still didn't take her seriously. The department then issued her summonses "after the fact" on false charges of littering and disorderly conduct.
This lawsuit on Taylor's behalf is the ACLU-NJ's third in as many years alleging misconduct by Newark police. We hope this case will finally penetrate the department's culture of impunity, and in particular, we hope Newark Mayor Cory Booker takes notice.
Cross-posted at Jack & Jill Politics, where founder Baratunde Thurston writes as Jack Turner - Promoted by Rosi
(Note from Baratunde: I'm a resident of Brooklyn, NY and co-founder of Jack & Jill Politics. I perform standup comedy and work by day at The Onion. Finally, GO BLUE JERSEY!)
Last night I visited Newark, NJ for the first time. I'd been through Newark on buses and trains between NYC and Philly or DC, but I had never bothered to stop. I'd become mildly obsessed with the city as my previous posts on Mayor Cory Booker and the Brick City documentary made clear. However, last night, I had good reason to exit the train station and stay a while.
These are all nice boxes one can check off on a list defining a "good progressive candidate," but these are not the things that convinced me to jump on a commuter rail and tell jokes to strangers. What stood out to me was that Rice helped start the West Ward Collective whose stated mission is:
To finish the business of the 1969 Black and Puerto Rican Convention by decentralizing the decision-making process of the city of Newark by example in the West Ward and to empower West Ward stakeholders to create a holistically stable ward for all of its residents.
The West Ward Collective is organized and run by workgroups and ward based organizations and non-profits... Each workgroup is made up of West Ward residents, community based organization leaders, ward business owners, etc. that have expertise and/or interest in working on these issues directly for the benefit of the West Ward. It is ward based.
The WWC is organized into a series of workgroups such as education, arts and culture, housing, etc and meets twice a month. It helps raise awareness of city resources within the community, and operates in the opposite direction, influencing city policy based on community involvement.
I was impressed with Rice's commitment to sharing and distributing power deeper within the community. Elected officials often use their positions to consolidate power for themselves, to make themselves indispensable to the extreme and create something that looks more like a kingdom than a democracy. Rice appears to be doing the opposite, and I was proud to support that effort in a small way last night.
Side note: I also learned that making Sharpe James jokes in Newark is still a bit risky. He has some vocal supporters who let me know my jibes and Marion Barry comparisons were unwelcome. As we often say in the business: too soon.
You can find out more about Ron Rice Jr on his website. (Incidentally, his father is State Senator Ron Rice, whom Booker defeated for mayor in 2006).
"I know I've been, I'm talking circuitous, but you understand... So all I want you to do is, you know help him," the feds say Salahuddin said to the cooperating witness -- with "him" referring to his co-conspirator, businessman Sonnie L. Cooper. "You know feed him, not a salad, you know, sometimes a man got to have a steak."
According to the indictment, Salahuddin told the government informant that "it's not a deal when you are giving it all and nothing in return... that's Santa Claus... you understand... and none of us believe in Santa Claus."
Update: Here is the non-Twitter version of Booker's statement:
"My administration is committed to holding all our employees, regardless of their position, to the highest level of ethics and accountability. That is why, as Mayor, I have zero tolerance for corruption.
"My commitment to hold all City employees to the highest ethical standards is evident by our creation of Newark's Office of the Inspector General, who is specifically charged with aggressively bringing those who break the public trust to justice. To date, investigations conducted by the Inspector General have led to 19 indictments and guilty pleas. Under my administration, no impropriety - big or small - will be tolerated.
"When other law enforcement partners have brought instances of misconduct or corruption to our attention, we have fully cooperated with the investigations and parted ways with those employees.
"I do not, and never will, tolerate any abuse of the public trust by any municipal employee or anyone doing business with the City. These allegations, if proven true, are outrageous and are a violation of both my trust and the public trust. We will continue to work with authorities to get to the truth."
We're going to have a packed house. Over 175 people have RSVPed already and we're getting new rsvps every hour. Join us for this event before it sells out! If you haven't supported one of New Jersey's strongest progressive champions, please consider doing so this Thursday evening.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker will be giving the 4th annual State of the City speech tonight
Mayor Cory A. Booker will present his fourth State of the City Address before the Municipal Council and Newark residents on Tuesday, February 9, at 6:30 PM, at Newark Symphony Hall, located at 1020 Broad Street.
Mayor Booker's speech will highlight the accomplishments of his administration which are building a stronger, safer, prouder City of Newark.
Now, you don't have to go to Newark to see it because the speech will be streamed live at live.corybooker.com. Also, "Residents can also watch the speech on Newark Government Access Channel TV 78 and on the City of Newark website at www.ci.newark.nj.us"
NBC Nightly News took a look at Grio's 100 current history maker and Newark Mayor Cory Booker. Brian Williams sat down for this interview with the Mayor:Here's more of Cory Booker on the Grio's 100 list, whose members they identify as history makers in the making. In the interview with Williams, Booker said he's not going to be one of those Dynastic Mayors that stays in place for 20 years because he doesn't believe it's good for the city. On the race topic, Booker said it's ridiculous to talk about a post racial America. He said we should celebrate that. In closing, Booker said he wants to be in a trench with people as noble or more noble than him doing the work to make America real. You can click on the video to see the interview yourself and if you want, Booker will be streaming his state of the city address live at 6pm tonight.
At the National Urban Fellows Leadership Conference, Newark Mayor talked about the challenege facing elected officials to be creative in getting the message out. To that end, he explained how and why he uses social media: (h/t @mellistrategies)I've written plenty here at Blue Jersey about Booker's ability to use new media. As we pointed out the other day, the new Governor's website features social media as well. Officials have to remember however, that it's not an additional tool to spam supporters, but a potentially effective medium to engage constituents in all facets of government and campaigns.
