Codey, left, and Booker, far right.

All fourteen Democratic mayors in Essex County - including Newark Mayor Cory Booker -- today endorsed Richard Codey (D-Roseland) for re-election as Senate President.  The endorsement comes one day after Codey's rival, Stephen Sweeney (D-West Deptford) announced that he had the backing of fourteen of the 23 Democratic State Senators.

Mayors have no voice in the Senate Democratic Caucus, which will choose legislative leadership positions in the upper house, but Codey is seeking to put some pressure on two Essex Democrats, Nia Gill (D-Montclair) and Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark), who were among the Senators who endorsed Sweeney yesterday.

In addition to Booker, Codey won the backing of: East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser, Irvington Mayor Wayne Smith, Orange Mayor Eldridge Hawkins, West Orange Mayor John McKeon, Livingston Mayor Charles August, Bloomfield Mayor Ray McCarthy, Belleville Mayor Ray Kimble, Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca, Montclair Mayor Jerry Fried, Livingston Mayor Charles August, Caldwell Mayor Sue Gartland, South Orange Village President Doug Newman and Roseland Mayor John Arvanities.

The full text of their statement:

"Senate President Codey has shown, time and time again, that he has the steady hand and sound leadership abilities to guide the State of New Jersey, both as Senate President and a former Governor.  He understands the needs of our region, but more importantly, he fights for the needs of every New Jerseyan.  He has the unique ability to understand the needs of both our urban and suburban areas, having grown up in Orange and later living many years in West Orange and now Roseland.

"Senator Codey devised and then defended the legislative district map that enabled our party to regain the majority and directly resulted in more minorities and women serving in both houses of the legislature than ever before.

"He isn't afraid to roll up his sleeves and dive into an issue if he knows it will benefit the hardworking families in New Jersey.  This can-do spirit has enabled him to put forth a progressive agenda that includes raising the minimum wage to a livable wage, improving mental health treatment for New Jersey's most vulnerable, expanding access to health care for the uninsured and underinsured, and protecting the public's health by banning indoor smoking.

"He understands the importance of creating a strong foundation for our children's education.  His leadership helped push through a new, more equitable school funding formula that takes into account the individual needs of our students rather than geography.

"When it comes to the safety of our families, he has been the go-to person.  He has been a staunch advocate for gun control, sponsoring a statewide ban on assault weapons in New Jersey and serving as one of the lead advocates for the one-gun-a-month law.  He initiated an unprecedented security audit of each and every one of our schools during the height of homeland security threats.  He sponsored the landmark law requiring GPS tracking for high-risk sex offenders.

"He understands the plight that we all face each and every day and he doesn't sugar coat it.  Dick Codey is a New Jerseyan through and through and he fights for the values we all believe in.  Our state has greatly benefited from his sound leadership and it is with that in mind that we offer up our wholehearted support for him to retain the post of Senate President."