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.
Over 20 residents addressed the council. Key themes:
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.