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Baraka Delivers Fourth State of The City Address

Alexandra Hill
/
News

In his fourth State of the City address last night at The New Jersey Performing Arts Center in downtown Newark, Mayor Ras Baraka both mapped out the direction of the state's largest city and highlighted the achievements of his administration, since taking office in 2014, with the 2018 municipal election less than two months away. 

Baraka touted everything from economic development to reductions in crime, and what may be his biggest achievement since taking office, the return of schools to local control after 20 years at the mercy of the state.

“We can not stop now, we can not change course, this work is to serious, we can not veer off the road because of individual anger and ambition, we do not behave the luxury of repeating our past mistakes, we are not returning the schools back to the state, not now, not ever, we must go forward.”

Baraka went on to praise New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy for his promise to increase funding for the schools, as well as his support of the city’s push to become the home of Amazon’s second headquarters.

Crime and public safety were also highlighted. Baraka says while crime has been reduced under his watch, it remains too high. Baraka then took the opportunity to point out that his administration inherited a police department that was at its lowest numbers in decades when he took office back in 2014.

“The crime is too high, but we have managed to get it lower than ever reported in the last fifty years with fewer resources. Murder’s down thirty-six percent since I took office, robberies down fifty-five percent, auto-theft down thirty-two percent, and most importantly there have been three thousand two hundred eighty-eight less victims of crime since 2013.”

Baraka then reflected on his mayoral inauguration and how far the city of his birth has come. 

“I talked about being emotionally overwhelmed on inauguration day when I thought of my dad, Nina Simone playing in my ear. We talked about a city that would attract tech companies and preparing our workforce for those jobs, now, we’re on the shortlist to host one of the world’s largest tech companies, Amazon, touchdown.”

The speech is Baraka’s final address before the May election, which will determine whether or not he receives a second term as Mayor. 

Alexandra Hill began her work with WBGO in June of 2012 in the news department. A graduate of the Rutgers Newark journalism program, Alexandra was also a student of WBGO News Director Doug Doyle. Alexandra has since become the lead general assignment reporter, afternoon news anchor, and producer of the award winning live call in show Newark Today. Since working for WBGO Alexandra has covered politics in and around Newark including the 2014 mayoral campaign of Mayor Ras Baraka as well as the senate campaigns of former Newark Mayor and now U.S. Senator Cory Booker in both 2013 and 2014. Alexandra also covers a host of human-interest stories, and has been recognized by the New York Association Of Black Journalists for her piece entitled Sheltering Newark’s Homeless.