Ras J. Baraka is the 40th Mayor of the City of Newark, currently in his third term.
Part of a family that has called Newark home for more than 80 years, Mayor Baraka’s proactive approach to governing has won accolades from city residents to grassroots organizations to the White House. His forward-thinking agenda has reduced crime in the city to its lowest levels in six decades, addressed affordability while maintaining steady growth, reduced homelessness, lowered unemployment, and restored local control of schools after more than two decades. Elected in 2014, Mayor Baraka defied expectations during his first term in office, and handily won re-election in 2018 and 2022.
Mayor Baraka is regarded nationally as a thought leader in the field of urban revitalization. He defied a hostile Presidential directive targeting the immigrant community with an executive order that designated Newark as a sanctuary city, solidifying his status as one of the country’s most progressive elected officials.
CRIME AND SAFETY
By focusing on crime and violence as matters of public health rather than public safety issues, major initiatives launched by the Baraka administration have reduced the city’s crime level to its lowest point in more than 60 years, representing a 46% drop since he took office.
Under his leadership, the city established the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery in 2020. The OVPTR supports survivors of crime and violence with a holistic approach and offers a range of services from transitional housing to victim and witness assistance to art therapy. In memory of his sister, Mayor Baraka also created the Shani Baraka Women’s Resource Center, which provides comprehensive aid to women and their families in crisis and transition. Its programs and services include domestic violence response, counseling, sheltering, employment training, and classes on subjects like nutrition and financial literacy.
Launched in February 2023, the “Safe Surrender” program represents another proactive move by the Baraka administration to combat crime. “Safe Surrender” enables city residents with outstanding warrants to surrender themselves peacefully to designated clergy members, administrators or law enforcement officers at locations in each ward. Mayor Baraka has also continued to expand Newark’s annual “24 Hours of Peace” event, a citywide celebration that brings communities together through free activities including live music, retail and food vendors, poetry sessions, Town Hall meetings, a midnight movie, yoga, medication, calisthenics, and more.
On May 11, 2023, President Barack Obama recognized Newark as a model community for violence reduction. One of only four cities nationwide to receive this honor, Newark was designated as a Model Community by My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Alliance. The city was selected from hundreds that boast an evidence-based record of success in positively shifting outcomes for boys and young men of color. Mayor Baraka joined President Obama onstage at an MBK Impact in Action event in Chicago to celebrate this most significant accomplishment.
HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT
The Baraka administration launched a major housing-related initiative in 2022 and established a goal to eliminate chronic homelessness in Newark within three years. Relying on citywide collaboration, an expansion of the street homelessness outreach team, and partners including NJIT architecture students, the city built two Hope Villages, transforming containers into low-barrier housing for residents without addresses. In addition to safe shelter, these villages also offer social service support to those who need it most.
In year one, homelessness in Newark was reduced by 57.6 percent, earning the city international recognition.
Affordable housing is another priority of the Baraka administration, and the Mayor’s groundbreaking Affordable Housing Ordinance requires that property developers who build or renovate buildings with 30 or more units must set aside 20 percent as affordable housing. Newark residents will get first dibs on all affordable housing under the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance, and sales of city-owned property – including vacant lots and sales to the Newark Land Bank – are now required to feature deed restrictions that require affordability for 30 years.
In 2023, the City launched the Homeownership Revitalization Program, which enables low-cost sales of in rem properties to residents who have lived in Newark for at least five years or been displaced by gentrification. These properties will be used for the construction of one, two, three, and four-family homes, and, as part of the program, new owners will receive counseling and support to help them successfully redevelop, maintain, and budget for their homes.
The Mayor has also worked to redefine downtown Newark with two major additions. He unveiled the Harriet Tubman Monument as the centerpiece of the Downtown Arts and Education District in the square that bears her name, and also led the groundbreaking ceremony as construction began on the Mulberry Street pedestrian bridge. The walkway will link the Mulberry Street Commons and Prudential Center with Newark Penn Station.
ECONOMY AND INDUSTRY
Another key Baraka initiative is “Hire. Buy. Live. Newark”, a program that marks the first time that any American city has sought to transform its economy by combining employment, procurement, and residential strategies. The program has attracted the attention of Amazon, which named Newark a finalist city – from a pool of more than 200 applicants – in its search to establish its second global headquarters.
To further stimulate Newark’s economy, the Baraka administration introduced the eGuaranteed Income Program, tripled the size of the City’s Summer Youth Employment Program, and launched the Retail Reactivation Initiative. The RRI is designed to help businesses and nonprofits convert long-vacant storefronts into amenities for Newark residents, workers, and students. Business operators are eligible for up to $650,000 in support.
TECHNOLOGY AND TRANSPORTATION
To strengthen Newark’s position in the expanding technology space, Mayor Baraka has partnered with corporate stakeholders and institutions including NJIT (New Jersey Institute of Technology) to find ways to take advantage of the 26 miles of dark fiber beneath the City’s main corridors. In 2018, the City launched LinkNWK, a citywide communications network of sidewalk kiosks that provide residents and visitors with public Wi-Fi, mobile device charging, phone calls to anywhere in the U.S., access to municipal services, maps and directions, and real-time local information on city streets at no cost to taxpayers or users. The City of Newark has become the fourth city in the world to implement such technology, and the following year hosted the VOICE Technology Summit, a three-day conference at the forefront of natural language processing, sponsored by Amazon Alexa.
In 2021, Mayor Baraka introduced the NewarkGo e-scooter and bike ride program, and in less than three years, more than a million riders took advantage of the service.
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