Essex County Freeholder Carol Clark announced her candidacy for mayor of East Orange at tonight's freeholder meeting.

First elected as District III Freeholder in 2002, Clark won re-election in 2005, 2008 and 2011.  She served 8 years on the East Orange City Council and as the city’s Assistant Director of Community Affairs and Public Relations.  She also served as Deputy County Administrator and Chief of Staff for the Essex County Department of Citizen Services, as an Essex County Utilities Authority Commissioner, and was the Assistant to the Dean of Student Affairs and Director of Student Activities at Essex County College. 

She has represented the Freeholder Board at the New Jersey Association of Counties since 2003, and served as the organization’s President in 2009.  She is also a member and former President (2002) of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, a board member of the National League of Cities, and a NJ League of Municipalities Legislative Committee member.  She earned her B.A. in History/Political Science from Douglass College, her M.A. in Education from Seton Hall University, and received a fellowship from the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington, D.C.

Longtime East Orange incumbent Mayor Bob Bowser is up for re-election this year.