Newark Municipal Council Regular Meeting – March 15, 2023
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Newark Municipal Council Regular Meeting – March 15, 2023
The Newark Municipal Council held its regular meeting on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at 6:30 PM in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 920 Broad Street. Council President LaMonica R. McIver presided. The meeting opened with the National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance, and an invocation by Father Edwin Leahy of St. Benedict's Prep. Council members paid tribute to state Senator Ron Rice, who had passed away earlier that day. The agenda included public comments, first‑reading ordinances, second‑reading ordinances (public hearings and final passage), resolutions, and appointments.
Consent Calendar
- Reports and Recommendations (5-a through 5-e): Adopted unanimously, including minutes from the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission, financial statements for Springfield Urban Renewal, LLC and Morris Fairmount Associates Urban Renewal, LLC, Second River Joint Meeting minutes (2011‑2020), and the City of Newark 2020 Statutory Audit Corrective Action Plan.
- Ordinance 6F-a (amendments to hawking/peddling rules): Adopted on first reading.
- Ordinance 6F-b (clear zones for off‑street parking): Adopted on first reading as amended (section changed from 10 to 31).
- Resolutions 7R1-a through 7R1-g (cooperative purchasing, bid contracts, refund, competitive contracting, state vehicle contract, recycling marketing, grant acceptance): Adopted by roll call.
- Resolutions 7R2-a, 7R2-d, 7R2-e, 7R2-f (property sales, professional services contracts, Planning Board referral): Adopted, with 7R2-b and 7R2-c deferred.
- Resolution 7R3-a (engineering design services for Central Avenue Bridge): Adopted.
- Resolutions 7R4-a through 7R4-c (tax appeal settlements): Adopted.
- Resolution 7R5-a (COVID‑19 vaccination grant): Adopted.
- Resolution 7R6-a (pre‑litigation settlement): Adopted.
- Resolutions 7R8-a through 7R8-f (ceremonial street naming, Easter egg hunt indemnification, resolution denouncing Florida’s history restrictions, meeting date changes, expressions of sorrow, recognitions): Adopted with sponsors as noted.
- Resolution 7R11-a (acceptance of George Floyd statue): Adopted after debate (see Discussion Items).
- Resolution 7R12-a (change order for lead service line replacement): Adopted.
- Communications 8-a through 8-f (appointments and reappointments): Adopted.
- Ordinances 8-g and 8-h (advance to adopt for senior housing tax abatement and rental registration): Adopted.
Public Comments & Testimony
Over 20 residents addressed the council. Key themes:
- Housing conditions: Several speakers, including Maryam Bey, G. Cureton, and Cassandra Dock, reported severe problems at Georgia King Village (rats, mold, lack of heat/hot water) and called for action against slumlords. Christopher Barrett described failed city inspections and landlord neglect.
- George Floyd statue: Shakima Thomas and others opposed placing the $3 million statue at City Hall, arguing it should be in Minneapolis or that the city should focus on local needs. Che Coulter and Deborah Salters criticized the statue as symbolic rather than substantive.
- Tax abatements: Residents questioned the length (25–30 years) and affordability of new developments. Felicia Alston‑Singleton and Munirah El‑Bomani argued that using county AMI ($100,000 for a family of four) excludes Newark residents whose median income is $23,000–$34,000.
- Private booting: Danisha Clyburn and others described being charged $250–$280 cash without receipts by private booting companies. They supported the ordinance to regulate such practices.
- Transparency and process: Several speakers called for better communication, enforcement of existing laws (e.g., first‑source hiring), and independent monitoring of tax abatements. Nadira Brown urged council unity.
Discussion Items
- Tribute to Senator Ron Rice: Council members (Quintana, Kelly, Council, Silva, Scott‑Rountree, Crump, Gonzalez) offered emotional remembrances of Senator Rice’s advocacy, mentorship, and service. A moment of silence was observed.
- Private Property Booting (6PSF-b): Council President McIver and Councilman Ramos explained the ordinance would license booting companies, cap fees, require signage, and ban spotters. Public comment was supportive. The ordinance passed unanimously.
- Tax Abatement Ordinances (6PSF-d, e, f, g): Projects for Bruen Holdings (115 market‑rate + 18 affordable units), 10 Commerce Newark (88 + 22 affordable), amendment for Pilgrim Baptist Village (305 affordable units), and an ordinance requiring job fairs for tax abatement applicants. Councilman Gonzalez noted the abatements predated the city’s updated inclusionary zoning rules. Deputy Mayor Ladd clarified that county AMI is used because projects involve multiple funding sources and that tax abatements increase city revenue. Residents demanded stronger accountability and lower AMI thresholds. All four ordinances passed.
- George Floyd Statue (7R11-a): Councilman Kelly initially moved to relocate the statue to a police station or academy, stating he did not want to belittle Floyd’s symbolism but wanted to remember other victims. After discussion, he withdrew the motion. Councilman Ramos questioned the $3 million appraisal. Councilman Silva opposed placing it at a police station because Newark Police had a different relationship with the community. The resolution accepting the statue passed 7‑2 (Gonzalez and Silva abstaining).
- Bond Ordinance (6PSF-h): $5,690,000 for flood mitigation phases of the Joint Meeting of Essex and Union Counties. Passed.
- Meeting Date Changes (7R8-d): Canceled the March 28 and April 25 special meetings. Approved.
- Women’s Meetings: Councilwoman Scott‑Rountree announced the next Women’s Meeting on April 6, 2023, focused on financial literacy.
Key Outcomes
- Approved first‑reading ordinances (6F-a, 6F-b as amended).
- Passed second‑reading ordinances: Private booting regulation (6PSF-b), lease of city property to nonprofits (6PSF-c), three tax abatement packages (6PSF-d, e, f), job fair requirement (6PSF-g), and flood mitigation bond (6PSF-h).
- Accepted the George Floyd statue (7R11-a) by a 7‑2 vote.
- Adopted all consent calendar items (reports, resolutions, appointments).
- Deferred two property‑sale resolutions (7R2-b, 7R2-c) and one ordinance (6PSF-a) tabled.
- Announcements: Summer Youth Employment Program (application deadline April 30), Central Ward Pop‑Up Festival (April 1), and several community events in March/April.
Meeting Transcript
March 15th, 2023. Please stand for the National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance, an invocation by Father Edwin Leahy of St. Benedict's Prep. Happened for the night. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Let us pray. We come before you tonight grateful, grateful for the gift of life, grateful for to be in the land of the living. We ask a double portion of your spirit on the mayor and the council members of this city that they may always make decisions in the best interest of those of us who live here in town. We pray that uh people's hearts tonight may be filled with thoughts of peace and not of affliction. We remember a special way, those who are marginalized in our city who live in on the edges who may not have enough to eat or have a place to stay. We pray that people's hearts may be moved uh tonight to uh be of assistance to them. We make our prayers always and you're trusting in your mashless and mighty presence in our life, let all the court say amen. In accordance with New Jersey law, adequate notice of this meeting has been provided to the Star Ledger, the Jersey Journal, and the public at large, establishing the date, time, and location of this meeting. In addition, the agenda for this meeting was disseminated on March 10th, 2023, at the time of preparation and posted on the city's website. Council present absent Gonzalez. President Kelly President Ramos Absent. Scott Roundtree. President MacIver. Council President, Council members, we are now in the hearing of citizens. Before we go, Madam Clerk, before we go into our hearing of citizens, um, on behalf of the council, and I'm gonna allow my other council members as well to uh give some words really quickly. Um this afternoon or this morning, we lost uh Senator Ron Rice and definitely a deep loss for the city and for this state. Um and many of us are in mourning and definitely heartbroken over the loss um of Ron Rice, which is who is truly one of a kind, um, a one-of-a-kind individual, one of a kind elected official that touched many of us, if not all of us on this council and throughout the community. Um so we definitely want to take a moment to have a moment of silence um for Ronald Rice for Senator Ron Rice, and we also want to allow other council members to give uh some remarks as well. Councilman Quintana. Yeah, in terms of you know, I sat on this council uh with Senator and then Ron Rice, who was the ward Westward councilman in 1994, and he was a person who was very instrumental in electing the first African American female in the city and the first Puerto Rican being myself. I sat with him on that side, and he was really him and Donald Tucker. I was the referee between you know, sometimes you learn from both. And I sat next to him and I learned so much about what the city was about and the fights of the Port Authority with the fights that we had at the time, telling the Port Authority to give us our fair share. Ron Rice was in 1982. I met him for the first time. He was running for councilman too, and you know, he had a big fight, and he had lost an election by absentee ballots too. So Mickey Batone. Then he came back and got elected. But with Ron Rice, when he gave you his commitment, he was committed. Too many elected officials tell you today they give you one commitment tomorrow is a different commitment. Ron Rice is that kind of that was that kind of person. To me, he was an instrumental of the reason why I'm on this council, because in 1990, he believed that we should have a different change on the city council. He believed that should have been an African American female on this council. He believed that it was time for a Puerto Rican to be elected in the city of Newark because he was out there as a former police officer that he was here in the city of Newark. Uh Ron served the West ward, and then in 1986, he became uh the state senator, and then he stayed uh as a state senator and and councilman. Uh and it was really to me, he's gonna be missed because he was a real instrumental person in this city. He held more meetings than any council member has ever done in this town. If you told him about something in the West Ward, he was there. Ron Rice was that type of person, senator and councilman, and he will be missed. And we, you know, I remember when we had the street dedication for him and in the Westboard uh Councilman Kelly, and and you know, he used to always say the the expression, his very favorite words was how long is not long. And he used to tell me that. And he used to tell that, and he was instrumental in 1986 in the election of Sharp James to be mayor of the city of New York. He was one of the first, the only council person who came out and supported Sharp James in 1986. But that means a lot to me. History cannot be erased, but we gotta often remember people who paved the way in this city for people like ourselves who are sitting here that took people that paved the way for us to serve.
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