Mayor, Newark, New Jersey

The Honorable Cory A. Booker, 38 is the mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He took the oath of office as mayor of New Jersey’s largest city on July 1, 2006, following a sweeping electoral victory. He is just the third person to govern the city since 1970.

Elected with a clear mandate for change, Mayor Booker has begun work on realizing his vision for the city. He has embarked upon a bold and ambitious agenda for change that is mission-driven results-oriented. His vision: for Newark to be America’s leading urban city in safety, prosperity and the nurturing of family life. His mission: for Newark is to set a national standard for urban transformation by marshalling its resources to achieve security, economic abundance and an environment that is nurturing and empowering for individuals and families.

In his first week in office, he introduced a 100-Day Plan to implement unprecedented reform in Newark. The major components of the plan are public safety, economic empowerment, nurturing families and children and government reform. Among the areas of emphasis are adding police officers; other changes include modifying the background check process for many city jobs, an effort to help former offenders find employment in the city; refurbishing police stations; improving the delivery of the city’s core services; and expanding summer and year round youth programs and services.

Mayor Bookers’ political career began in 1998, after serving as Staff Attorney for the Urban Justice Center and as a Program Coordinator of the Newark Youth Project. He rose to prominence by upsetting a four-term incumbent to become Newark’s Central Ward Councilman. During his four years of service, Cory earned a reputation as a leader with innovative ideas and bold actions, from increasing security in public housing to building new playgrounds. For this work, he has been recognized in numerous publications, including, among others, Time magazine, Esquire Magazine (naming him one of the country’s 40 Best and Brightest in December 2002), New Jersey Monthly (naming him as one of New Jersey’s top 40 under 40) and Black Enterprise in December 2005 (naming him to the Hot List, America’s Most Powerful Players under 40).

In addition to being the Founder of Newark Now, Cory is a member of several boards including Integrity Inc’s Board of Trustees, the Executive Committee of Yale Law School, Columbia University Teachers’ College Board of Trustees, the Black Alliance for Educational Options, North Star Academy, and the International Longevity Center. This shining star reformer took his B. A. and M. A. from Stanford University, a B. A. in Modern History at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and completed his law degree at Yale University.