We Need Something New
by: Jhamar Youngblood A river, an airport, trains, highways, parks. Pride, passion, intelligence, love. Newark has everything, but only a few people are making the key decisions about how our city is run. In the 2022 mayoral election, only 17,784 people voted in a city with about 162,000 registered voters. That means only about 9 percent of registered voters chose who controls billions in public spending, who negotiates development deals, who hires police leadership, and who creates the culture in City Hall. When that few people participate, power collapses into a small circle. The rest of us live with the consequences. That is the starting point for The Newark Star. Newark is one of the oldest cities in the country, a port, a rail hub, a college town, and a cultural center wrapped into twenty four square miles. We have the history, infrastructure, talent, pride, intellect and passion needed to become one of the biggest cities in the world. What we’re missing is a shared vision for...