Ronald Rice

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.

Assemblyman Craig Stanley will drop his Independent bid for State Senator in the 28th district, leaving incumbent Ronald Rice a clear path to an eight term in the New Jersey State Senate.  Stanley, who lost his bid for renomination to the Assembly in the June Democratic primary, had filed as an independent Senate candidate -- most likely in the event that Rice had lost his own race to challenger Essex County Freeholder Bilal Beasley. 

Assemblyman Bill Payne on Tuesday targeted North Ward tough guy Steve Adubato, who backs Payne’s opponent in the district 29 senate race.

Speaking at a Newark fundraiser thrown for him by his brother, U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, the state Senate candidate dismissed M. Teresa Ruiz as a detail confined to the sprawling political canvas of Adubato -- and presented himself by contrast as a Civil Rights folk hero, who fought his way into Newark politics as an African American in tempestuous times, and who knew Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I can’t be bought, I can’t be intimidated,” said the candidate, flanked by his brother, his nephews, Assemblyman Craig Stanley, Councilman Donald Payne, Jr., and by State Sen. Ronald Rice. “Steve Adubato’s the elephant in the room. Everybody knows he’s behind this, and it’s frustrating to me. I have a record that says I’ve been able to produce for my district. You don’t punish people who have served you well. Because Bill Payne will not kowtow to Steve Adubato is the only way I’m not being supported.”

Politically, the apple sometimes falls far from the tree.

To State Sen. Ron Rice, Sr. talk of a potential recall of Cory Booker isn’t just the noise of a few activists -- it’s a city waking up to the notion that Booker has not affected positive change.

To Newark City Councilman Ron Rice, Jr., the state Senator’s son, the very fact that that people openly protested Booker without fear of political retribution is a sign of progress.

VITALE-RICE BILL TO INCREASE TRANSITION PERIOD FOR WELFARE FAMILIES RECEIVES FINAL LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL

TRENTON - A bill sponsored by Senators Joseph F. Vitale and Ronald L. Rice which would revise earned income allowances under the Work First New Jersey welfare program to provide for a longer transition period from public assistance was unanimously approved by the Senate today by a vote of 37-0, receiving final legislative approval.

State Sen. Sharpe James became a dual office holder the same year he says he took up a long and arduous crusade against dual office holding, one of the head-spinning contradictions emanating from the old ex-Newark mayor who is under federal investigation.

The day was ending and among his upper house colleagues, James radiated nervous eagerness in the senate chamber.

"That bill is coming up on Thursday," he said, referring to a ban on dual office holding, of which he's a co-prime sponsor. "We’re close to abolishing that practice. I’ve been trying to ban dual office holding since 1999."

Former Governor Richard Codey is, according to an independent poll, New Jersey's most popular politician, yet his re-election as Senate President next year is hardly automatic. There have been rumblings of a challenge, especially if the block of Southern Democrats in the Senate increases after the November election. Codey backed two winners in Democratic Senate primaries last night: Sandra Bolden Cunningham in the 31st district, and incumbent Ronald Rice in the 28th. The non-risk-averse Codey could have lost the votes of Louis Manzo and Bilal Beasley in a Democratic Caucus vote.

District 29 Assembly candidates Albert Coutinho and Grace Spencer this week received the endorsements of SEIU Local 32BJ, UniteHere! and CWA Local 1081, according to a news release isued by campaign spokesman Phil Alagia.

The New Jersey Education Association and the Newark Teachers Union -- longtime rival unions -- have joined forces to support the re-election campaigns of State Sen. Ron Rice, Assemblyman Craig Stanley and Assemblywoman Oadline Truitt in the 28th district, and Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo in the 29th.

State Sen. Ronald Rice (left) and his Democratic primary challenger, Essex County Freeholder Bilal Beasley

Although they come from the same neighborhood, these men tell different stories about their past.

They’re the same age. They graduated from high school in the same era and in their early 60s now they’re old enough to recall another Newark, distant from the one that exists. As African-Americans inspired by King and Malcolm X and the pressures of history on urban America, Ronald Rice and Bilal Beasley started their public careers in local government, Rice in 1978 on the Newark City Council and Beasley in 1984 on the council of neighboring Irvington.

They have their own scars, but their memories diverge most starkly when they reflect on what drove them into politics.