Cory Booker had to give up his seat as a City Councilman to run for mayor, so he has spent the last few years in the private sector, as a partner in a New Jersey law firm. He has also started a non-profit called Newark Now (newarknow.org) that offers advice and resources to tenant groups and community organizations. In addition, Booker has been preparing to run again for mayor in May of 2006, raising money, meeting with community groups, and going door to door. He still lives in Brick Towers in Newark's Central Ward.
Sharpe James has been serving his fifth term as Mayor of Newark, making headlines with his work to bring a hockey stadium into the city. He has also continued to serve as New Jersey state senator, staying influential in statewide politics. After announcing that he was running for his sixth term as Mayor in early March 2006, James surprised everyone on March 27, by sending a letter to the City Clerk's office dropping out of the mayoral race. In the letter, James thanked "the 10,000 loving and caring Newark citizens who signed my petition of nomination." He also said that he was dropping out of the race because he is "opposed to ... one person occupying dual elected offices." James has been a dual office holder since 1999.
Pablo Fonseca is still an aide to Cory Booker and has spent the last few years preparing the groundwork for Cory's next run for Mayor.
Hiver Ambrose left Newark politics and is now Chief of Staff to NJ State Senator Raymond Lesniak.
UPDATES:
January 31, 2006
Street Fight, winner of Tribeca and International Documentary Association (IDA) awards, hasreceived an Academy Award® nomination for Best Documentary Feature.
February 12, 2006
Cory Booker announces his candidacy for mayor of Newark in the 2006 race. Mayor Sharpe James has not yet announced whether he will run. The election is scheduled for May 9, 2006.
For more on Sharpe James' decision to drop out of the race, Cory Booker's reaction, and continuing coverage of the 2006 Newark mayoral race, we recommend the New York Times' Newark 2006: The Race for Mayor blog.
May 10, 2006
Newark, New Jersey elects Cory Booker to be its first new mayor in two decades.
October 16, 2013
Newark Mayor Cory Booker is elected to the U.S. Senate.
With support from the Oprah crowd, the charismatic Cory Booker is poised to become Newark's next mayor. Commentator Ellis Cose wonders if Booker will disappoint New Jersey's troubled city? (May 6, 2006)
NPR's Ed Gordon talks with Mayor-elect Cory Booker about his dreams, accomplishments and the challenges awaiting him in Newark, which is often called the poorest city in America of its size. (May 12, 2006) Listen to the interview »
