{"id":420,"date":"2018-05-10T00:13:21","date_gmt":"2018-05-10T00:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/?p=420"},"modified":"2018-06-11T00:32:50","modified_gmt":"2018-06-11T00:32:50","slug":"cory-booker-on-his-side-newarks-mayor-charts-a-pragmatic-second-term","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/10\/cory-booker-on-his-side-newarks-mayor-charts-a-pragmatic-second-term\/","title":{"rendered":"Cory Booker on His Side, Newark\u2019s Mayor Charts a Pragmatic Second Term"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By\u00a0Nick Corasaniti<\/a><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/header>\n
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NEWARK \u2014 Mayor Ras J. Baraka strode through the room with confidence as he took the stage in a hotel in downtown Newark, which is booming with development that four years ago some feared Mr. Baraka might forestall.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city is finished with the past,\u201d he said on Tuesday night, after his overwhelming re-election to a second term. \u201cToday marks the day that you either go forward with all of us or you stay back with the few.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a far different speech and a different mayor from the one who took the stage four years ago. That night, Mr. Baraka proclaimed that \u201cthe people of Newark are not for sale\u201d after riding a populist campaign to an upstart victory that was seen by many\u00a0as a referendum<\/a>\u00a0on the previous mayor turned Democratic senator, Cory A. Booker, whom he had criticized as\u00a0more visible on the Sunday talk shows<\/a>\u00a0than on the streets of the city.<\/p>\n

This time, Mr. Baraka promoted himself as a unifier who seeks to transform a city that has been mired in decay for decades, a leader intent on building relationships with business leaders and others with whom he has had frosty relationships, perhaps most notably his onetime political foe, Mr. Booker.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cEveryone knows we used to go at it like cats and dogs,\u201d Mr. Baraka said in his victory speech. \u201cBut things change based on time and conditions. And let me tell you this: With this government that we have in the White House, Senator Booker is our No. 1 ally.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Supporters of Mr. Baraka at a rally. Mr. Baraka has been credited with promoting economic development in the long-troubled city.\u00a0<\/span>Credit\u00a0<\/span>Bryan Anselm for The New York Times<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Their partnership is based in part on mutual need. Mr. Baraka needed Mr. Booker\u2019s counsel as he embarked on a challenging first term; Mr. Booker wants his former critic on his side as Newark experiences a rebirth, particularly when his record while mayor of the city could become a subject of scrutiny if he runs for president in 2020.<\/p>\n

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There is no doubt that Newark is a better place than it was when Mr. Baraka inherited it from Mr. Booker four years ago.<\/p>\n

Unemployment in the city has dropped to 8 percent, down from 13 percent, when Mr. Baraka took office, though that is still double the national average. Crime has also fallen, and the city has regained control of its schools from the state as the graduation rate has steadily risen.<\/p>\n

Downtown has seen new projects like the city\u2019s first Whole Foods, its first luxury apartment building in decades and a\u00a0restaurant opened by the celebrity chef<\/a>\u00a0Marcus Samuelsson. Several companies, including\u00a0Mars Wrigley Confectionary<\/a>, have decided to plant their corporate flag in the city and it was picked as a finalist still in the running for\u00a0Amazon\u2019s second headquarters<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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When Mr. Baraka won in 2014, many expected him to be the anti-Booker, a Newark native and the son of the poet and activist\u00a0Amiri Baraka<\/a>, who would return the city to an era wary of outsiders. While Mr. Booker traveled the country to entice developers and to draw attention to the city \u2014 and used his social-media savvy to market his agenda \u2014 developers feared that Mr. Baraka would be an anti-gentrification crusader who would thwart the city\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Developers once worried that Mr. Baraka, who first campaigned for mayor as a populist, would stall real estate projects. He said he believes that development is crucial to the city\u2019s future as long as longtime residents are protected.\u00a0<\/span>Credit\u00a0<\/span>Bryan Anselm for The New York Times<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Mr. Baraka said that was always a misperception. \u201cRunning for mayor and governing is two different things, right?\u201d said Mr. Baraka, explaining that his role was to find a middle ground between development and residents\u2019 fear of gentrification.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have developers pushing back, saying finally the city is taking off,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cAnd you have residents who say, \u2018Oh the city is moving too fast.\u2019\u201d This is why he said he has initiated policies to protect Newark\u2019s affordable housing, including restructuring rent-control guidelines and expanding protections from illegal evictions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to continue to build, and build in our city,\u201d Mr. Baraka said on Tuesday night. \u201cWe\u2019re not afraid of growth. We\u2019re not afraid of development. We deserve nice things in our city, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is a delicate balance that, so far, has won him praise.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re probably in the best place we\u2019ve ever been in terms of welcoming development, but development that is appropriate to the city and provides inclusion and opportunity for residents across income levels,\u201d said Richard Cammarieri, the longtime chairman of the Newark Community Development Network, a nonprofit that promotes neighborhood development.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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His shift from a campaign populist to a pragmatist mayor has been reflected in his relationship with Mr. Booker. In 2014, the two men and their top aides met for lunch at Andros Diner to discuss a transition plan that had been drawn up by the Booker team. What some aides feared could be a contentious discussion was fairly peaceful and productive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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For Mr. Booker, who often is mentioned as a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, a thriving Newark helps to burnish his record.\u00a0<\/span>Credit\u00a0<\/span>Bryan Anselm for The New York Times<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Running against Mr. Booker\u2019s record might have helped him win the mayor\u2019s office, but Mr. Baraka realized he needed allies if he was going to succeed in office.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m about collaboration,\u201d Mr. Baraka said. \u201cWhatever we need to do to fix it, pragmatically, that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon the two men were working together on projects across Newark. When Mars Wrigley called Mr. Booker about coming to Newark, he directed them to Mr. Baraka, and the two made the sales pitch together. When Mr. Baraka was battling Gov. Chris Christie over control of the city\u2019s schools, seeking to fulfill a core campaign promise, Mr. Booker called him and urged him to go to Trenton and advocate in person despite Mr. Baraka\u2019s misgivings.<\/p>\n

With Mr. Booker\u2019s name regularly mentioned as a top potential Democratic presidential candidate, his efforts to help Mr. Baraka could be seen as motivated, in part, by a desire to burnish his own image. Mr. Booker, who was not immediately available for an interview, could make the case that Mr. Baraka is building on a foundation that he put in place during his seven years in office.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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For his part, Mr. Baraka now says that Mr. Booker was particularly effective at changing the city\u2019s narrative.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe want to continue to build, and build in our city,\u201d Mr. Baraka said on Tuesday night in his victory speech. \u201cWe\u2019re not afraid of growth. We\u2019re not afraid of development. We deserve nice things in our city, too.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Credit\u00a0<\/span>Bryan Anselm for The New York Times<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cBooker began to get people to look at Newark differently,\u2019\u2019 Mr. Baraka said. \u201cHe put us in the game, got us to the coliseum. And I give him credit for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo my job,\u2019\u2019 he added, \u201cwhen I got in the game, was to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

The day before Tuesday\u2019s election the two men were together for the opening of a science and technology education center for children in fifth through 12th grade that was partly financed by Panasonic, which\u00a0moved\u00a0<\/a>its\u00a0headquarters to Newark in 2013<\/a>, and then campaigned together at a barbecue and rally in the East Ward.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know he\u2019s going to come up here and speak, but he really doesn\u2019t need to,\u201d Mr. Booker said, referring to the mayor. \u201cYou could drive around this whole city, and from the parks and schools, small businesses, you could drive around the whole city to see the kind of work our city workers are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two men were in the courtyard of an apartment complex that provides low-income housing for older people for about an hour, as supporters snacked on hamburgers and hot dogs. (Some were cooked by Mr. Booker, who also peddled slightly charred veggie burgers while reminding the crowd, \u201cI\u2019m a vegan.\u201d)<\/p>\n

Flavia Mercado, who has lived in Newark for 45 years, watched as Mr. Booker posed for photographs on a bocce court.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a mayor once, now he\u2019s a senator \u2014 the best that we had,\u201d she said in Spanish.<\/p>\n

When asked what she thought about Mr. Baraka, she said he was impressive, too, but that it was difficult to pick \u201cthe best.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like they\u2019re clones,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Nick Corasaniti NEWARK \u2014 Mayor Ras J. Baraka strode through the room with confidence as he took the stage in a hotel in downtown Newark, which is booming with development that four years ago some feared Mr. Baraka might forestall. \u201cThe city is finished with the past,\u201d he said on Tuesday night, after his overwhelming […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":423,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[23,2,19,21],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nCory Booker on His Side, Newark\u2019s Mayor Charts a Pragmatic Second Term - NEWARK SPEAKS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/10\/cory-booker-on-his-side-newarks-mayor-charts-a-pragmatic-second-term\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cory Booker on His Side, Newark\u2019s Mayor Charts a Pragmatic Second Term - NEWARK SPEAKS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By\u00a0Nick Corasaniti NEWARK \u2014 Mayor Ras J. Baraka strode through the room with confidence as he took the stage in a hotel in downtown Newark, which is booming with development that four years ago some feared Mr. Baraka might forestall. \u201cThe city is finished with the past,\u201d he said on Tuesday night, after his overwhelming […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/10\/cory-booker-on-his-side-newarks-mayor-charts-a-pragmatic-second-term\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWARK SPEAKS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NewarkSpeaks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-05-10T00:13:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-06-11T00:32:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Cory-Booker-on-His-Side-Newark\u2019s-Mayor-Charts-a-Pragmatic-Second-Term.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1365\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Newark Speaks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@newarkspeaks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@newarkspeaks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Newark Speaks\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/10\/cory-booker-on-his-side-newarks-mayor-charts-a-pragmatic-second-term\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/10\/cory-booker-on-his-side-newarks-mayor-charts-a-pragmatic-second-term\/\",\"name\":\"Cory Booker on His Side, Newark\u2019s Mayor Charts a Pragmatic Second Term - NEWARK SPEAKS\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-10T00:13:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-06-11T00:32:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1afe9ded6965cbbcf15babd7e80058dc\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/10\/cory-booker-on-his-side-newarks-mayor-charts-a-pragmatic-second-term\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/10\/cory-booker-on-his-side-newarks-mayor-charts-a-pragmatic-second-term\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/10\/cory-booker-on-his-side-newarks-mayor-charts-a-pragmatic-second-term\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Cory Booker on His Side, Newark\u2019s Mayor Charts a Pragmatic Second Term\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWARK SPEAKS\",\"description\":\"Newark's Current News and Discussions...All In One Place\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1afe9ded6965cbbcf15babd7e80058dc\",\"name\":\"Newark Speaks\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d33d91c86d76b5cefa553c40fc994cc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d33d91c86d76b5cefa553c40fc994cc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Newark Speaks\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/index.php\/author\/newark-speaks\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cory Booker on His Side, Newark\u2019s Mayor Charts a Pragmatic Second Term - NEWARK SPEAKS","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/newarkspeaks.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/10\/cory-booker-on-his-side-newarks-mayor-charts-a-pragmatic-second-term\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cory Booker on His Side, Newark\u2019s Mayor Charts a Pragmatic Second Term - NEWARK SPEAKS","og_description":"By\u00a0Nick Corasaniti NEWARK \u2014 Mayor Ras J. 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