Blonnie Watson

Dwight Brown savors victory in the Central Ward on Monday night.

NEWARK - Mayor Cory Booker lost tonight in his final shot this year to win a ward chairman in one of the city’s five wards. Booker had run district leader candidates in the other wards and they lost last Tuesday, most critically in the South Ward.

That meant it came down to the Central, where the mayor once served as the councilman and where his candidate, Jermaine James, was beaten tonight by Dwight Brown, an ally of North Ward Democratic leader Steve Adubato.

U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-10), left, and his son Freeholder and Councilman Donald Payne, Jr. 

The Election Day fight for county committee ward leaders in three of Newark’s five wards so far resulted in no stop-the-presses gains for Mayor Cory Booker, who felt the particular sting of losing to candidates fielded by U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-10) and his allies in the South Ward.

Twenty-one Essex County women politicians formally endorsed U.S. Sen. Nia Gill (D-Essex)Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) today, including state Sen. Nia Gill (D-Essex).

"Sen. Lautenberg has a proven record of results and is committed to the vital issues affecting women, children and our communities in New Jersey," Gill said.

The full list of those female elected officials endorsing the incumbent: Gill, Assemblywoman Mila Jasey, Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker, Essex County Freeholder President Blonnie Watson, Essex County Freeholder Carol Clark...

The retirement this year of Johnny Jones from the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders left a vacancy, which Newark Mayor Cory Booker wanted to fill with long time South Ward ally Terrance Bankston. 

On Saturday, however, the party selected Rufus Johnson - chief of staff to Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Essex), the man Booker defeated for mayor in 2006.

Johnson will run on the line with incumbent freeholders Ralph Caputo, Linda Cavanaugh, Carol Clark, Blonnie Watson, Bilal Beasley, Patricia Sebold, Samuel Gonzalez and Donald Payne, Jr.

Terrance Bankston, an aide to Newark Mayor Cory Booker, says he'll run for Freeholder in 2008
The 25-year-old Constituent Services Director for the city of Newark has formed a committee to explore a potential bid for Essex County Freeholder At-Large.

Terrance Bankston, a native Newarker who ran Mayor Cory Booker’s south ward campaign operations for the 2006 election, says he offers youth, education and experience.