by Ken Walker
Newark State of the City 2010 Liveblog
February 9, 2010
Settled in for the Mayor’s annual address. The State of the City is to Newark what the Steve Jobs keynote is to Apple. Only without the iPad an mock turtleneck.
We’ll be posting live right here. To join in the discussion, simply click Reply!
Recap
Full audio of the speech:
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Settled in after greeting some old friends. Symphony Hall looking lovely this evening.
Got questions you’d personally like to ask the Mayor? Post them here and I’ll raise them at the press Q+A.
Lights dimming, a hush falls over the crowd (well, not really—this crowd is pretty undaunted).
City Council filing in without fanfare.
Deputy Mayor kicking off the ceremonies. Key themes: prouder, safer, stronger city. Reviewing challenges and achievements.
Recalling the can-do spirit of the city. Kind of hoping to get audio of the Mayor yelling, “We will rise!”
We’ll have audio of the speech online later this evening.
The Mayor arrives to thunderous applause, promises we’ll be out in 45 minutes, lol, etc.
Mayor reiterates the three goals: safety, economic security, supporting families.
Mayor discusses the financial challenges: $180M budget gap, financial crisis, ravaging foreclosures.
Mayor discusses the morbid challenge of a rising murder rate and worst-in-country shootings rates.
Mayor: Newark has always been a testament to the impossible.
Much more media-driven presentation than in the past. Mixing photography, news clippings in with the Mayor’s video feed on the big screen. His front page of the Wall Street Journal during the Bear Sterns collapse was particularly poignant when highlighting economic challenges.
Discussing key improvements in bringing resources to bear on the crime and public safety challenge.
Highlights police efforts, hiring, funding, now the community caravans, tip line reporting, partnership with citizens.
Highlighting year-over-year reductions: shootings down 46%, murders down 28%, overall crime down 21%.
Simply not enough, though: Booker has Gov. Chrisrie’s backing, highlights Congressman Payne’s partnerships at the state level. (“He does not get enough credit.”)
Names councilman names who have complained about not getting enough street cameras: Rice, Bell, Amador. (Who, in return, aren’t clapping).
Offers love to the fire department, too.
Now efforts to enhance buildings for seniors, recreation, transportation. Grandparent support center.
Bold efforts for children: reduction of lead paint.
National campaign to fight childhood obesity. Michelle Obama asked Booker to co-lead the effort. Big applause.
Efforts to improve schools: reaching out to non profits like the Gates Foundation, and launched the Newark Charter School fund.
Interesting that Booker highlights charter schools so much. Efforts will bring accountable educators to hundreds more students.
Getting around to public schools now. But I’m getting the sense that Booker is still concerned about these institutions. More thoughts later. Five more public schools in Newark.
Altenative high schools, youth employment success center.
Thanking Janey for his work bringing these schools to Newark. (Didnt realize he was here, “Now I’ll have to go to detention afterward.”)
Booker notes that the state budget cuts will likely affect education, “Need to get more for our $1B investment in public education.”
Newark will lead the nation for public education reform. Promises to bring more alternatives to the city.
Sounds a lot like the Mayor is planning an end run around the public education system. Wonder what his ideas are here, exactly.
Now on to recreation, 20 parks rehab’d throughout the city. “Parks Renaissance like nowhere else in NJ.”
Now the economy. Saving announcements for last?
Highlighting efforts to date, including family success center, financial empowerment center.
Jobs, jobs, jobs. Highlighting efforts to get local companies to hire locally. Continental is an example: went from 8% hiring to 25% hiring.
Booker expects a building boom in Newark to come. Holding contractors accountable (when public funds are involved) to hiring Newarkers.
Working through Local 55 to rehab, weatherize buildings in the city: training citizens, greening and beautifying buildings.
(Loving the synergy in these efforts.)
Jobs and job training for kids. Now convict-reentry: Corzine signed legislation to empower ex-offenders as they come back into society.
Efforts to lower barriers for ex-offenders reduces recidivism rates: every dollar in these program goes directly to crime reduction.
Newark Art Supply gets a big shout out for working with the Brick City Development Corp!
Efforts to aid homeowners against foreclosure: $20 million awarded from the Fed for Newark to rehab abandoned and foreclosed and turn it into low-cost housing for Newarkers.
Efforts to produce affordable housing.
Big names here: Brad Pitt’s green construction non-profit, Bon Jovi’s partnership to construct housing for AIDS victims, Oprah Winfrey’s partnership fo build shelters and housing for women coming out of drug treatment.
Mayor shares his feeling of gratitude for bring able to lead Newark, highlights that he is one among thousands of servants that inspire him to work harder.
Recognizing individual Newarkers: Anthony Tanel who paints over graffiti in the city, Cynthia DeSouza who, despite being wheelchair-bound, serves on the Senior Citizen Patrol and Super Neighborhood initiative; Leroy Edwards, who bought a lawnmower with his stimulus check and mowed the public, overgrown lawns and medians in his neighborhood, chasing out the drug dealers; Drs. Leslie and Christopher Harvell who opened their own pediatric dentistry office.
They are Newark, and we are Newark.
Shouts of “four more years” from the crowd.
Margarita Muñoz trying to get this crowd to settle for the benediction.
Press Q&A!
Ledger: Could another NBA team come after the Nets leave in two years?
Booker: hope so, nothing to announce, but partnerships and potential is there
NorthJersey: how is Newark going to ensure we stay #1 in the state?
Booker: bragging rights, but really just a motivation to get folks to take the survey (stoking fires of competition)
Ledger: development efforts highlighted last year, where are we with them?
Booker: economic downturn took its toll. Projects over the last year need to be rethought with banks not making loans: Mariott was a deal that came after the last hotel fell through.
Beret (Shaq tower) got financing today, so that project is moving forward now.
Pryor: Dranoff, Shaq, Waterfront (ready to roll in 2010), Baxter Terrace
Westinghouse?
Pryor: possible to do some things. But not everything.
Ledger: how are you tackling the reconstruction efforts? Irvington border? High teens?
Pryor: each neighborhood has a plan.
Real Deal: major elections, how do political changes affect governing the city?
Booker: governor will need to cut, looking to regionalize services to reduce pain inflicted on residents from municipalities
Real Deal: is displacement an issue in the city like in other cities like NYC?
Booker: deals aren’t causing hardship on residents (like 1180)
Glocallynewark: are there loans and resources available for general citizens?
Booker: sure, cited the BCDC
Me (!): is there a grand unifying theme by which the city is being developed?
Booker: yes, but also slowed due to the economic slowdown. Some efforts, like the linkable parks, are operating independently but can be linked together
Local Talk Newark: basically congratulated the Mayor on co-leading the First Lady’s childhood obesity initiative (blah)
Vector: will the caravans start up again?
Booker: sure, but after the election