After winning his bid for Senator of New Jersey and once he is certified on November 5th, Cory Booker will give his seat as Mayor of Newark to Council President Luis Quintana.
Quintana will act as Newark’s interim mayor for 30 days which is the allotted time for the Newark City Council to select a new mayor. A candidate to will be up for selection and will need 5 votes to take the seat.
However, if the candidate does not receive the necessary 5 votes a special election will be held to fill the seat. Local Union President Rahman Muhammad believes that another election could cause further division to Newark’s political stage.
Both Quintana and Booker are making Newark history. With Quintana as interim mayor and potentially an official mayor and Booker as a Senator of New Jersey both are first as Quintana being the Latino mayor of Newark and Booker being the African American U.S Senator of New Jersey.
Born in Anasco, Puerto Rico, Quintana moved to Newark with his family when he was 8-years-old. Quintana was elected to his first term as Council Member in June 1994 during a large run-off election. He is the first Latino to be elected in the Newark Municipal Council.
His career in politics began in 1981 after being actively involved in his community. While a Democratic County Committee member, Quintana was appointed as an aide to South Ward Councilman Sharpe James in 1985. His success with Jones earned him a position as deputy mayor for the City of Newark in 1986.
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