After casting a second tie-breaking vote at a second contentious Newark City Council meeting to fill a vacated post, Mayor Cory Booker say his actions are well within the law.   

City Council members who aren’t in favor of filling the seat with Shanique Davis Speight yelled,’ Shame on you,’ after Mayor Booker cast his vote of approval at the latest City Council meeting. While the final decision could be in the hands of a state Superior Court judge, Mayor Booker reiterates he’s abiding by state law.

“The state statute is very clear. The case law is very clear. It just happened and played out in Hoboken. When there’s a council deadlock with one person absent, the mayor comes in. That’s what the mayor did in Hoboken and that’s what mayors have done all over state of New Jersey.”

The mayor says the dissenting council members are being influenced by political brokers like former Mayor Sharpe James whose son ran for a council seat in the last election.

“That side tried to do a backroom deal where people like Sharpe James and other people colluded to try to figure out a way to get John James in. We’ve been open to it. None of them have even come to me, talk to me, Sharpe James hasn’t called me up. John James hasn’t talked to me. He wants to sit on the municipal council. He didn’t even reach out to the mayor.  

A judge will take up the case again next week.