NEWARK - Newark voters granted Cory A. Booker a second four-year term over three other challengers. While all Team Booker at-large council members and three other ward incumbents were returned, South Ward voters chose challenger Ras Baraka over incumbent Oscar James II.
A Central Ward runoff election is set for June 15 between incumbent Charles Bell and top challenger Darrin S. Sharif.
Essex County Clerk Christopher J. Durkin said, as of 10:52 p.m. May 11, 57,011 registered voters went to the polls and another 871 mailed in their ballots. The overall 57,882 voters who turned out for elections in the five towns amounted to 25.36 percent of 228,285 registered county voters.Absentee and provisional ballots will be counted May 25 before Durkin can certify the results. The two week interim period also allows for any prospective challenges or recounts to be considered.
Booker, with 160 of 163 districts reporting, received 21,242 votes - amounting to 59 percent of the mayoral votes cast. The former Central Ward councilman garnered 72 percent in his victorious 2006 campaign.
Former Essex County Prosecutor and native Newark resident Clifford J. Minor received 12,670 votes or about 35 percent. Minor headed a "Newark's Choice" ticket that fielded David Blount, Carole A. Graves, John Sharpe James and Jean Perez in the at-large contests plus Baraka in the South Ward and Charon J.W. Motayne in the Central Ward.
Independents Yvonne Garrett Moore and Mirna L. White garnered 1,606 and 412 votes respectively.
Booker bounded into the Robert Treat Hotel ballroom by 10 p.m., receiving about 300 campaign workers, public officials, fellow Team Booker candidates and supports and members of the media.
"Thank you for giving me the best four years of my life," said Booker. "We've experienced the highest achievements and the toughest lows together while making progress in Newark the last four years. I want to thank the thousands of people who have been making a difference in little things every day - let's keep the progress going for four more years."
Booker, after a 10-minute address thanking and praising key supporters, left the stage to shake hands and pose for group photographs on his way out the ballroom. Team Booker Campaign worker Carolyn Brodders was among those who posed with Booker.
"I've been up since 4 or 5 a.m.," said Brodders, who is also a member of Bethel Worldwide Outreach church in the Central Ward. "I was out along Sanford Avenue, giving out literature until the polls closed. I normally do campaign work in Orange but I wanted to come out here this time."
Booker brought East Ward and North Ward councilmen Augusto Amador and Anibal Ramos, Jr. with him on stage.
Amador, a 12-year incumbent, received his fourth term over optical businessman Peter F. Pantoliano 2,682 to 1,479.
"This is the best victory in my 12 years," said Amador.
Ramos, who first attained the North Ward council seat in 2006, received 5,396 votes to independent Pablo Olivera's 569 tallies.
"This was a good election," said Ramos while standing on stage with Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, North Ward Center founder Stephen N. Adubato and Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy. "The challenge was to keep up our excitement."
Excitement, by contrast, could be found on each side of the 550 block of the South Ward's Clinton Avenue around 8:15 p.m. Several dozen supporters of Baraka milled about his association office, congratulating each other while the election returns kept coming in.
"It's going to be an upset," said Baraka while shaking hands on the sidewalk. "Minor all the way!"
South Ward voters put the Central High School principal ahead of James II, 4,487-2,897, and four other candidates on the ballot. Voters put James II ahead of Baraka, unseating the appointed councilman and deputy mayor, in 2006.
While excitement kept building on Clinton Avenue's south side, James II supporters grew quieter across the street with each new ward reporting. The councilman gave a concession speech at about 8:45 p.m. and hugged his headquarters workers.
All Team Booker incumbents except James II and returning at-large councilwoman Mildred Crump appeared at the ballroom between 9 and 10:30 p.m.
Omar Muhammad, at 204 votes, was the highest placed independent. Malika L. King (141), Joanne Miller (140) and Brian Keith Johnson (116) followed.
"Let us not get boastful," Booker said. "Let us welcome Ras Baraka to the council. We need Ras - and Ras needs Us."
Baraka's tally is above the 50 percent plus one vote runoff election threshold. He needed 3,963 votes - more than half of all ward votes counted at 10:52 p.m. May 11 - to clear that hurdle.
A runoff is called for should the top vote-getter does not get 50 plus one - which is the case in the Central Ward.
Bell garnered 2,783 votes to Sharif's 1,488. When the 10:52 p.m. tallies from among the seven candidate field, were amassed, however, the winning candidate needed 3,177 markers.
Bell, a former Newark Public School Advisory Board member, was among those incumbents swept out by voters in 2006. The former councilman, despite running against 14 other candidates, cleared the 50 plus one barrier in the 2008 special election.
Motayne has been ranked third with 1,021 votes. Richard Whitten II (544), Juanita Winslow (270), Gregory A. Good (160) and Horace Brown (92) followed.
Bell was one of the later Robert Treat arrivals, having watched the results come in at his downtown Market Street headquarters. While he said something unintelligible to Local Talk in the ballroom, at-large councilman Donald Payne, Jr. gave his colleague a hug at the entrance.
"I'm not going to leave here (the hotel) until the last vote is counted," said Booker on stage. "We're hovering around 50 percent. If we're 50 plus one, then I welcome Charlie Bell back as one of the Central ward's 'Killer Bs.' If not, then we've four more weeks of work to do."
Pensiveness was also found at the Crump-Rice headquarters on South Orange Avenue. Councilman Ronald Rice and workers watched the returns from 39 ward districts get marked on a wall chart.
Rice would smile and shake applauding supporters' hands once the 21st of the wards' results were written.
Rice outdrew his two West Ward ballot rivals 10-to-one. The son of state assemblyman Ronald L. Rice got 3,509 votes to Dereck L. Dillard's 248 and Maryam Bey's 114.
Voters put Payne, who doubles as a county freeholder, atop the nine at-large council candidate field. The son of Congressman Donald Payne, Sr. received 18,968 votes.
Payne also headed a Team Booker at-large return sweep. Crump, at 17,642, was ranked second; Luis Quintana (16,391) third and Carlos Gonzalez (14,596) fourth.
"It was a hard election," said Gonzalez. "The economy did us no favors and some of our opponents had name recognition."
J. S. James, the son of former mayor/assemblyman Sharpe James, drew 11,651 votes but missed making the council. Fellow Minor running mates Graves (6,932), Blount (6337) and Perez (5,336) followed. Independent Victor Zamora (1,770) rounded out the field.
The above elected officials, including the winner of the Newark Central Ward runoff, are to be sworn into office on or near July 1.
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