This Is My New Jersey

This week New Jersey lost a true character. Some considered famous, while others considered him infamous, and your opinion will depend on your age and your neighborhood. The 37th mayor of Newark, Sharpe James passed away on May 11th at the age of 89.

Born in Florida, Mr. James’ family moved to Newark in 1940 when he was just a toddler. He attended South Side High School (now known as Malcom X. Shabazz High School). Mr. James earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Montclair State and a Master’s in physical education from Springfield College. Mr. James served in the Army in Germany. Ultimately, he would return to his beloved Newark to work as a teacher, athletic director, and professor at Essex County College.

Mayor Sharpe James

Mr. James was elected Mayor of Newark in 1986. He became the longest-serving mayor in Newark’s history after winning re-election four more times. He was named “Mayor of the Year” by the New Jersey Conference of Mayors. He opted to not run for an unpresented sixth term in 2006.

He was also known to engage in some questionable practices to get what he wanted. Today, some may just refer to it as “typical Jersey politics.” However, at the time, he definitely had a rough-and-tumble approach.

Machine Politics

His questionable tactics caught up to him in the early 2000s. Investigations regarding the use of official credit cards for personal use, including lavish vacations were launched. Additionally, Mr. James was investigated regarding his possible involvement in a real estate scheme with his mistress. In 2007, he was indicted by a federal grand jury on 33 federal charges, including mail fraud and conspiracy. Approximately six weeks after the trial started, the jury found him guilty on all charges. Mr. James was sentenced to 27 months in prison and was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine. He was released after spending 18 months behind bars. While incarcerated, he penned his memoir, Political Prisoner.

Despite all his faults, he did do a lot of good for Newark. He took great steps to attract top-tier companies to Newark to do business. Mr. James oversaw the completion of NJPAC and was a huge advocate to lure the New Jersey Devils to the Prudential Center. When Jersey City first responders were assisting NYPD and FDNY after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, then Mayor James offered Newark police, fire, and any necessary equipment to respond to any Jersey City emergency.

Protecting St. Lucy’s

What the St. Lucy’s community will remember him for is the demolition of the Columbus Homes and helping to ensure the property across the street from the church became part of St. Lucy’s property, ensuring it could never be developed again. That property is now known as St. Gerard’s Plaza. It became part of the church property in 1999; exactly 100 years after the first official Feast of St. Gerard. And Old First Ward Museum Curator, Bob Cascella, credits two Newark politicians for providing key support to acquiring the property.

“We were fortunate because we got the plaza and that was thanks to two people. Mayor Sharpe James and his Aide Calvin West. They liked St. Lucy’s. They liked Father Granato. Thanks to them we got that property.” ~Bob Cascella, Curator of the Museum of the Old First Ward and a founding member of the Newark First Ward Heritage and Cultural Society

As a teenager growing up in Belleville with strong ties to the Old First Ward, I was aware of politics, but was far too interested in school to really pay much attention. This was way before the 24-hour news cycle when “the news” was found on three channels at 5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and 11:00 p.m. I would see video of him in his biker shorts arriving at City Hall for his day’s work and I remember the coverage of his trial and just rolling my eyes. I don’t remember seeing him at St. Lucy’s, but I know his work on behalf of the church was definitely appreciated.

As I stated at the beginning of this post, Mayor James was a true Jersey character. For better or for worse, he was true Jersey.