Luis Quintana

Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan says that Sharpe James should resign his State Senate seat now. "Enough's enough," Cryan said. "I believe he should resign.

James, who served as Mayor of Newark from 1986 to 2006, was indicted last week on federal corruption charges. He is not seeking re-election to his 29th district Senate seat, which expires in January.

"Why not bring in somebody new and have them represent the district," said Cryan. "Teresa Ruiz would be excellent in that role. Why not step in now."

U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announces the indictment of State Sen. Sharpe James, the former five-term Mayor of Newark
He would go to a park and if people were playing soccer he’d take off his suit jacket and get in on the game, if we went to a Latino party he would dance the meringue, he’d talk baseball with anyone in a diner, he was a big Jackie Robinson fan.

But there was another side to the fit and flamboyant Sharpe James, who served as Newark’s mayor for 21 years, and it took a battery of federal law enforcement officials led by U.S. Attorney Chris Christie to unravel it all out into the daylight Thursday afternoon in Newark.

It’s a hefty, 33-count indictment, including 17 counts of defrauding the residents of Newark with credit cards, four counts of fraud involving local government receipt of federal funds, three counts of improperly favoring girlfriend Tamika Riley through the fraudulent sale of city properties, one count of conspiring to use the U.S. mail to defraud the public, four counts of housing assistance fraud, three counts of tax fraud, and one count of tax evasion. (Please see related story and press release for details).

According to its critics, the Newark City Council over the past year has mostly marched to a single drummer - one that couldn’t be found, they say, in the Spirit of Newark Drum and Bugle Corps.

In what was hardly a blow the house down follow-up to last month’s mini Bastille storming of City Hall - but a telling political vignette nonetheless, residents took to the microphone at today’s council meeting to excoriate what they see as a governing body spellbound by Mayor Cory Booker. The council sat there and choked it down for the most part, before pledging to override the administration’s axing of the Spirit of Newark.

It was none other than State Sen. Ronald Rice, defeated by Booker in the mayoral election last year but reanimated with his district 28 primary re-election just last month, who led the charge for the council to take action to preserve the corps. The traveling group of some 100+ young musicians want to go to Pasadena to compete this year. They received $85,000 from the city in 2005, remained on life support with some state funding supplied by Assemblyman William Payne last year, and appeared to be going out on a long tuba note of gloom until Rice complained.

Newark City Councilman Luis Quintana
There’s a school in the schoolhouse and a school in the street, and though the lessons of one may contradict those of the other, these institutions possess a common cause and effect: in order to graduate, a student must prove to his teacher that he has mastered the material.

The eighth grade class of the Robert Treat Academy confirmed their book knowledge when last Friday evening they received their diplomas, a large number of which contained the words "with honors."

But on the streets, in the general election academy of door pounding and vote grabbing, graduation day arrives later, in a colder season, and some never get there - though Nov. 6th comes and goes.

These lessons go back many years in Newark, and for years there have been many students and one master.

Democratic Assemblyman William Payne filed petitions today to run for State Senator in the 29th district as an Independent.  And former Newark City Councilwoman Bessie Walker has filed as an Independent Assembly candidate.

The filing deadline to run as an independent candidate in November's general election is at 4 PM today. So far, Democratic Assemblyman William Payne, who says he will seek the 29th district State Senate seat as an Independent, has not yet filed his petitions. Newark City Councilman Luis Quintana filed last week.

Newark City Councilman Luis Quintana is on his way to Trenton to file petitions to run in the general election for State Senate to represent the 29th District, according to incumbent Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo. 

This sets up a potential three-way race in November for the open seat.  Assemblyman William Payne has also indicated his intention to run as an independent, and would become the only African-American candidate in the race. 

Newark City Councilman Hector Corchado, one of Mayor Sharpe James' strongest supporters, endorsed Cory Booker for Mayor just a few hours before James announced he would not seek re-election -- but there is no evidence that Booker cares. Corchado's opponent in the race for the North Ward Council seat, former Board of Education member Anibal Ramos, is a longtime Booker supporter. Tomorrow, some key members of Team Booker, including Councilmen Luis Quintana and Augusto Amador, and former Councilwoman Mildred Crump, will join Ramos to "accept" his endorsement of Booker for Mayor and of the Booker Council slate.