Mayoral Hopeful Says Newark's Changes Haven't Been Enough

Newark is holding its municipal elections Tuesday and mayor Ras Baraka is seeking a second term. But Central Ward council member Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins is hoping dirty streets and high unemployment rates will lead voters to pick her.

While Baraka has the endorsement of Democratic power brokers in Essex County and the state, Chaneyfield Jenkins isn't new to politics. She was council member at large from 1995 to 2006. After a break from office, she joined the council again in 2014, running on Baraka's ticket.

Chaneyfield Jenkins said she's disappointed enough in the state of Newark to risk losing a safe council seat. 

"Our streets are filthy, unemployment is twice the national average, our taxes have skyrocketed, we have lead in our water and yet this administration is failing to deliver the most basic of city services," she told WNYC. 

In a way, she's right. Unemployment has gone down but remains at 8 percent and — while Baraka focuses on a downtown development boom — locals complain about the lack of  city services like street sweeping. In response to the criticism,  the mayor has touted his administration's achievements in lowering crime, creating jobs and getting control of the schools back.

The councilwoman announced her candidacy in January. According to her most recent campaign filings, she's raised a little over $190,000 — about a quarter of what Baraka has raised . She did get the endorsement of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey, who said  Baraka did not keep his promise to put more Latinos in office and in positions of power.

Unlike the mayor, Chaneyfield Jenkins is running with a slate of mostly women, including three Latinas. 

"I was trying to put together a slate that was reflective of the community," she said. "Women of color, their voices have not been heard at the level it should."

And Chaneyfield Jenkins has held many jobs other than council member. Between 2006 and 2014, she worked as a caterer, a business consultant, and even tended bar. Her and her husband also struggled financially, and she said that means she understands the problems of Newarkers in a way Baraka can't.